1.2 Ways to Study Christianity:
Theology, Religious Studies, and Common Misconceptions
Christianity can be studied from more than one angle. Some people study Christianity as believers who want to understand God, Scripture, doctrine, worship, and Christian living. Others study Christianity as historians, scholars, political scientists, sociologists, or students of comparative religion. These approaches are often connected to the difference between theology and religious studies.
Theology usually studies Christianity from within the faith tradition. It focuses on questions about God, truth, Scripture, salvation, morality, worship, and how Christians should live. For Christians, theology is not only about learning information. It is also connected to faith, discipleship, prayer, obedience, and a personal relationship with God.
Religious studies usually studies Christianity from a more academic and descriptive perspective. It examines Christianity as a religion, historical movement, body of texts, set of institutions, and global tradition. Religious studies may ask how Christianity began, how Christian doctrines developed, why different denominations formed, how Christians have interpreted Scripture, and how Christianity has influenced politics, law, education, art, charity, family life, and culture.
These categories can overlap. Theology can be academically rigorous, and religious studies can treat Christian beliefs with respect. The difference is mostly in the kinds of questions being asked. Theology often asks faith-centered questions from within the Christian tradition. Religious studies often asks descriptive and analytical questions about the tradition.
This distinction matters because Christianity makes major truth claims. Christianity teaches that God exists, that Jesus is the Christ, that Jesus rose from the dead, that human beings need salvation, and that God will judge and restore the world. A course can explain these beliefs clearly without requiring every reader to personally accept them.
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It is also important to distinguish between what Christianity broadly teaches, what specific Christian traditions teach, and what people assume Christianity teaches. Christians share many core beliefs, but they disagree on issues such as church authority, sacraments, biblical interpretation, saints, Mary, icons, predestination, spiritual gifts, and the role of tradition.
Several common misconceptions can make Christianity harder to understand. One misconception is that Christianity is only a Western religion. Christianity has deeply shaped Europe and the Americas, but it began in the Middle East and has spread across Africa, Asia, Latin America, Europe, North America, and Oceania.
Another misconception is that Christianity is mainly about being a good person. Christianity does include moral teaching, but its central message is about God’s action through Jesus Christ to bring forgiveness, reconciliation, salvation, and new life.
Another misconception is that all Christians believe and practice the faith in the same way. In reality, Christianity contains many traditions, including Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican, Evangelical, Pentecostal, and non-denominational communities. These groups share important beliefs, but they also differ in worship, authority, doctrine, and practice.
Another misconception is that Christianity can be reduced to politics, culture, family tradition, or personal spirituality. Christianity has influenced all of those areas, but it is larger than any one category. It is a religion centered on God, Jesus Christ, Scripture, worship, salvation, community, and hope.
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This course will use both theological and academic categories. It will explain Christianity on its own terms by describing what Christians believe and why those beliefs matter. It will also study Christianity through history, doctrine, institutions, culture, political influence, internal diversity, and comparison with Judaism and Islam.
The goal is to understand what Christianity claims, where those claims came from, how Christians have understood them, where Christian traditions agree and disagree, and why Christianity has remained one of the most influential religions in the world.
In section 1.3, we will look at Christianity as gospel, revelation, and history.