Agnosticism: The assumption that God does not exist, due to the lack of evidence. However, agnostics allow for the possibility that such evidence may one day appear.
Apologetics: The historic field of theology that traditionally tries to rationalize Christian belief according to the philosophy of the day, by using logic and rhetoric.
Arianism: A movement of Christianity beginning with the Arius of Alexandria (Egypt) in the third century C.E.. In his reading of Christian Scriptures, Arius proposed that while there was a time when God existed when the Son, or Logos, did not. This idea challenged Trinitarian Christianity which maintained that all aspects of God were united, eternal and indivisible. Arianism was debated at the Council of Nicaea in 325 C.E., and while a number of Christians accepted it, the belief was ultimately declared to be heretical.
Atheism: The convicted understanding that there is no God or divine entity. A person who holds such an understanding is an athiest.
Conservative theology: A broad term describing theology that favors traditional or historical understandings of doctrine and belief. Conservative theology prefers to point to faith and heritage as the basis of its thought.
Doctrine: A doctrine is an established or stated idea that is held to be truth and is a component of a larger system of belief.
Eisegesis: Eisegesis is the concept of 'reading into' a text a meaning that we expect or hope to find. It interprets the text in such a way as it will confirm our beliefs, rather than shape or challenge them.
Enlightenment: The cultural period of Eighteenth-Century Europe where scientific thought and reason were first advocated as the most reliable and important way of classifying knowledge. Traditions, ideas and beliefs were all critiqued according to these 'Enlightenment Principles'
Exegesis: A word from a Greek term literally translated to 'draw out'. It refers to the 'drawing out' of meaning of a text through a process of investigation, taking into account a whole range of factors.
Harmonise: To 'harmonise' the Bible refers to efforts to unify any differences to make them fit seamlessly together. For example, in the Gospel of John, Jesus clears the temple near the beginning of his ministry (John 2), the others all place the same event just prior to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. Affempts to harmonise the Gospels would argue that John's account represents a separate event to the other Gospels. In this interpretation, Jesus therefore clears the Temple twice which, of course, no Gospel actually claims Jesus did.
Heretic/Heretical/Heresy: Heresy comes from a word meaning "choice". It is historically used to define those who belong to a Christian community that have "chosen" their own belief in opposition to the majority. Historically, those who promoted heresies or heretical beliefs were seen as a mortal danger to Christian community, as it was believed that those who died following a heresy would go to hell.
Heterodox/Heterodoxy: Used to describe beliefs that are out of line with conventional/orthodox theology
Liberal Theology: A broad term describing theology that favors a degree of freedom in interpreting traditional beliefs of Christianity. Liberal theology often appreciates and integrates science and critical thought.
Marcionism: Marcionism was regarded by the historic church as a heresy. It originated with Marcion of Sinope in the mid second century C.E., who believed that the Bible described two different Gods. Yahweh, or Jehovah, was a violent and evil warrior God detailed in the Old Testament, while the Heavenly Father was the good God of the New Testament. In this understanding, Jesus was sent by the Father to destroy the Old Testament God. Marcion rejected the Old Testament and maintained his own heavily edited version of the New Testament. He was forced to leave the mainstream church.
Monotheism: Refers to the belief that there is only 'One God'. Judaism, Islam and Christianity would all therefore be 'monotheistic' religions.
Orthodox/Orthodoxy: The word "orthodox" means "right belief", and is normally used to define what all "real Christians" believe. However, different Christian groups vary on what constitutes orthodoxy. Orthodoxy in this sense is seen as the opposite of "heresy" or 'heterodoxy". Orthodox with a capital "O" can also be used to describe the Eastern Orthodox church family, which became distinct from the Roman Catholic Church in 1054.
Pericope: In academic studies, a pericope simply refers to a section of text to be studied. For example, you might wish to look at a selection of verses within a chapter (for example, John 1:1-18) without studying the chapter as a whole. You have therefore identified John 1:1-18 as a 'pericope'.
Polytheism: Refers to the belief that there are many gods, usually with their own areas of authority. Pagan religions such as traditional Greek, Roman or Norse beliefs, for example, would be considered polytheistic.
Protestant: Refers to the part of the Christian community to emerge from the early 16th Century (1517), in *protest* against the percieved failings of the Roman Catholic Church. The Protestant community incorporates a range of denominations or churches, including among many others the Lutheran, Church of England, Baptist and a range of Reformed churches.
Received Theology: Theology as a 'noun'. It is a 'thing' that we 'possess'. Theology is received theology when we automatically accept ideas we learn without question. While it is not 'bad theology', it makes us more vulnerable to bad ideas. Also see Introducing Theology
Renaissance: A term drawn from French word for 'Rebirth'. It is used to describe the period of cultural, artistic and scientific development from the 14th-17th centuries, fueled by renewed interest in, and access to, philosophical and cultural ideas from Ancient Greece and Rome, as well as Arab scholarship.
Tabernacle: A portable tent-temple, used to house the sacred religious objects of the Israelites in the Exodus era. It was considered to be the dwelling place of God amidst the people, and was later replaced by the Temple in Jerusalem.
Working Theology: Theology as a 'verb'. This term recognises that theology is something that we 'do' and is our preferred way of thinking about theology here. It invites us to actively engage with the way that we think about God. Also see Introducing Theology