Part 4

of
a Nine Part Listing
of
Curriculum Fields and Topics
for
Theological Education to M.Div. Level

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300 PHILOSOPHY and APOLOGETICS
The PHILOSOPHY 100  300 PHILOSOPHY of RELIGION / IDEAS
of the Christian Faith 210 The search for truth and knowledge concerning the universe, human
existence, perception, and behaviour, pursued by means of
(How we enquire rationally reflection, reasoning and argument. Philosophy differs from
rationally into our faith) science in that its questions cannot be answered empirically or by
experiment, and from religion, in that its purposes are entirely
intellectual, and allows no role for faith or revelation
Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion: B. Davies
Philosophy of Religion: C. Stephen Evans
Truth: Could it be True? P. Hicks
 305 Systematic Philosophy of Religion
 310 Phenomenology of Religion (What is practised?)
160  315 LOGIC (What can be inferred?) (See 740)
Scholastic logic involves “three acts of the mind’:
 316 Understanding concepts about essences,
expressed in terms (clear / unclear);
(i.e. apprehension, intellectual intuition, insight)
 317 Evaluating judgements about facts,
expressed in propositions (true / untrue)
based on premises (logically right / wrong);
 318 Calculating reasons for causes,
expressed by arguments (valid / invalid).
 319 Our subjective, psychological, human processes of reasoning
seen as participation in and a reflection of an objective rational
order, or logos, Reason.
239.9  320 METAPHYSICS
100  325 Ontology (What is real?)
 326 Cosmology (How can we understand our world?)
 327 (What is human nature?)
121  330 EPISTEMOLOGY Epistemology: D. L. Wolfe
(Philosophy of Knowledge)
(What is true? How we know what we know)
 331 Axiology (What is important?)
 332 Value Theory (What is worth-while?)
111.85  335 AESTHETICS (What is beautiful?) Art in Action: N. Wolterstorff
(Philosophy of Art) # Voicing Creation’s Praise: Jeremey S. Begbie
170  340 ETHICS / MORAL PHILOSOPHY (See 720)
(Philosophy of Behaviour) Introduction to Ethics: William Lilley
* Why bother Being Good? John Hare
* Ethics: Approaching Moral Decisions: Arthur F. Holmes
(What is good? What is morally right or wrong? How should we live?)
(See also 726.9 Virtual Morality: Graham Houston)

 349 The HISTORY of PHILOSOPHY

LIBRARIAN’S GUIDE to RELATED CLASSIFICATIONS

SECTION 300-349

315 LOGIC Philosophy of how to think

740 Logic Educational use of logic

340 ETHICS The secular study of morals, one of the 4 major fields of Philosophy
720 CHRISTIAN ETHICS The principles of Christian behaviour
123.8 Ethics in the O.T. O.T. teaching on ethical issues
163.3 Ethics in the N.T. N.T. teaching on ethical issues
 128 239.03  350 PHILOSOPHICAL THEOLOGY
(The defence of Christian Theology)
“Faith seeking Understanding” – Anselm
Faith & Understanding: Paul Helm
Examines issues such as:
 351 Grounds for belief in the existence of God
 352 The identity of God and God’s relation with the world
 353 Religious language
109  354 History and religion (Philosophy of History)
(Is there a purpose to our existence, a meaning to history?)
* History through the Eyes of Faith: R A Wells
Patterns in History: David Bebbington
# History & Belief: R. E. Frykenberg
 354.5 Freedom (See 263)
214 231.6/8  356 The Problem of Good & Evil (Theodicy) (See 295; 713.4; 815)
(Why is there suffering?) The Goodness of God: J. Wenham
Evil and the Cross: H. Blocher
Why Evil?: John James
 357 Human identity
 358 Life after Death (See 252)
 359 Revelation, faith and reason (See 230 - REVELATION)

239  360 APOLOGETICS (See also 500)

(Defending the Christian Faith by explaining its
reasonableness in the face of criticism)
Christianity on Trial: Colin Chapman
239  360.1 Dictionary, manual Handbook of Christian Apologetics: P. Kreeft
R. Tacelli; Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics: N.L.Heisler
214 231.8  361 Providence
214.8 239  362 Factuality, Historical evidence for the Christian Faith
226.01  362.1 Reliability of the N.T.
The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: C Blomberg
230 215  363 Christianity & Science Designer Universe: John Wright
A Brief History of Eternity: Roy E Peacock
213  364 Evolution & Creation From Nothing to Creation: E. H. Andrews
 365 The Miraculous Miracles: C.S. Lewis
239.7  366 The Holy / Numinous / The Trinity
232.9  367 The Person and Claims of Jesus * Mere Christianity: C.S. Lewis
 367.5 Authority (of Jesus, Church, Bible, Reason, etc)
The Case for Christ: Lee Strobel
 368 Courses
239  369 Apologetic Addresses / Writings (Various topics)

LIBRARIAN’S GUIDE to RELATED CLASSIFICATIONS

SECTION 350-369

356 Problem of Good and Evil The Issue of suffering as a question of God’s fairness.
295 The Church’s Suffering Biblical study of the place of
suffering in the life of God’s people
713.4 Growth through Suffering & Healing The place of suffering
in the growth of the disciple
815 Comforting the Sorrowing Pastoral approach to suffering

359 Revelation, Faith and Reason Philosophical enquiry into the nature of R, F & R
230 REVELATION A Theological study of Revelation

360 APOLOGETICS Defending the Christian Faith

500 COMMUNICATION Principles of Communication

362.1 Reliability of the NT Defending the New Testament’s reliability

115.3 Textual Criticism of the N.T. Examination of the original NT texts
 239.9  370 POLEMICS (Proper boundaries of Christian belief
distinguishing heresy, false teaching, from orthodoxy,
true Christian teaching) discussed in the fields of:
Near Christianity: A. Brown
The Truth about Jesus: D Armstrong
211.3  371 Theism
211.34  371.1 Monotheism
147.4 211.33  371.2 Dualism
211.32  371.3 Polytheism
294.5 211.2  372 Pantheism
211.5 239.5  373 Deism
211.4 239.7  373.1 Rationalism
211.7 239.7  373.2 Agnosticism & Scepticism
211.8 239.7  374 Atheism Does God Believe in Atheists? John Blanchard
211.6 239.8  374.1 Humanism & Secularism
239.9  374.2 Communism & Socialism
 375 Existentialism
 376 Post-modernity (See 696.9) Postmodernity: David Lyon
 376.1 Philosophical Pluralism (See 434.1)
The Gagging of God: D. A. Carson
 377 Evangelical boundaries A Future for Truth: Henry H Knight

 379 EIRENICS (Conditions for peace within genuine Christianity:

areas of consensus between orthodox groups)
(N.B.: “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty,
in all things charity” – Rupertus Meldenius)
 380 Christian Apologists
 381 Justyn Martryr
 382 Tertullian
 383 Origen
 384 Thomas Aquinas
 385 20th C (incl. C.K. Chesterton & C.S. Lewis)

 390 HISTORY of WESTERN RELIGIOUS THOUGHT

(See 691)
182  391 The Ancient Greeks: Pythagoras – Plato - Aristotle
189.2  392 The Patristic Period
189.4  393 The Medieval Period
 394 The Renaissance - Erasmus
 395 18th C Rationalism & The Enlightenment
 396 19th Century Liberalism: empiricist / materialist / idealist views
 397 20th Century Psychology: Freud & Jung
 398 Post-Modern Era A Primer on Postmodernism: S.J. Grenz
 399 HISTORY of EASTERN THOUGHT
Great Thinkers of the Eastern World: Ed: Ian P. McGreal

LIBRARIAN’S GUIDE to RELATED CLASSIFICATIONS

SECTION 370-399
376 Post-modernity Analysis of a contemporary philosophy
398 Post Modern Era Record of the Post Modern period
411.1 Post-Modern Society Issues arising in a post-modern society
696.9 Post-Modern Theology Theological development of Post-modern
thinking
390 HISTORY OF WESTERN RELIGIOUS THOUGHT Historical account of religious
thinking
691 History of Christian Thought Christian thinking