THEO3791: The Cross of Christ

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• This module will explore recent discussions in Christian theology about the doctrine of atonement, and specifically about the role that the cross of Christ plays in the process of salvation. It will enable students to investigate a set of lively contemporary doctrinal controversies via doctrinal theology, to understand some of the roots of those controversies in the Christian tradition and their implications for Christian life, and to provide fair and thoughtful assessments of key claims made in them.

• We will explore a number of accounts of the doctrine of atonement, seeking to understand the key claims made in those accounts and the arguments used to justify them.
• We will explore the links between these accounts and patterns of Christian experience, practice and community life. t
• We will explore and assess some of the controversies that have surrounded these accounts in recent decades.
• We will look at how arguments for and against these accounts have drawn on scripture and the Christian theological tradition.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• demonstrate accurate and detailed understanding of a variety of contemporary accounts of the atonement;
• provide careful critical assessments of the arguments for and against one or more of these accounts;

Subject-specific Skills:

• produce nuanced interpretations of modern theological texts in their intellectual contexts;
• relate modern theological ideas accurately to the wider Christian tradition;
• identify, discuss, and critically evaluate doctrinal disagreements in contemporary theology;

Key Skills:

• acquire and interpret information through close, nuanced reading of primary and secondary sources;
• present complex information and argument accurately and compellingly in written form; and
• research defined topics independently, with some initial guidance.

• Teaching: This module will be taught in regular weekly classes of 1.5 hours each. Classes will include both lecture and seminar elements, though the balance and arrangement of these will vary over the course of the module. The lecture elements convey information and exemplify an approach to the subject matter, enabling students to develop a clear understanding of the subject and to improve their skills in listening and in evaluating information. The seminar elements enhance subject-specific knowledge and understanding both through preparation and through interaction with students and staff. The aim of this combined mode of teaching is to create a dialogical learning environment where students can engage, with suitable guidance, in advanced level discussions of key primary texts, against the background of a broader understanding of the intellectual contexts for those texts.
• Both formative and summative essays develop subject-specific knowledge and understanding, along with student skills in the acquisition of information through reading and research, and in the structured presentation of information in written form.

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