Theology

Theology Focus Paper Theology is the study of religion and is an attempt to understand God as he is revealed in the Bible. Charles Hodge is well known for his leadership with Calvinism in America, along with his theological writings. Hodge always argued for authority of the Bible as the Word of God and develops his theological concepts in his book, “The Introduction to Hodge’s Systematic Theology”. Hodge’s ideas are very to the point and he quickly dissects theology being a science by making comparisons with known scientific laws and research among many other aspects. He looks to persuade that theology is indeed a true science and put to rest Charles Hodge states “In every science there are two factors: facts and ideas; or, facts and the mind. Science is more than knowledge… Nor does the mere orderly arrangement of facts amount to science” (Hodge, pg 69 Systematic Theology). Hodge is clear in his belief that theology is a science. He looks to prove that theology is more than just knowledge of facts. This means we must be able to predict more than just what we already have established as a fact. Hodge argues that the Bible is a series of facts passed down by God. These facts that are God’s words are accepted in faith and conclusions can be drawn.
Science is knowledge that is attained through study or practice. Science is always derived from a state of facts and whether or not of a persons religious views determines whether the bible will be looked at as a factual document. Whereas Newton’s laws have observational components, theology is derived straight from the facts of the bible. For theology to be a science Hodge knows there has to be more than just a series of facts. Hodge argues “…The bible contains the truths which the theologian has to collect, authenticate, arrange, and exhibit”(Hodge, pg. 69). This means everything in the Bible is all brought together and separated by pieces. All of the facts are laid out and looked at for