THCT500 - Foundations of Christian Faith

Year

Credit points

Campus offering

Prerequisites

Incompatible

THCT563 Introducing Theology

Teaching organisation

This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, tutorials, online learning, videoconferencing, or supervision. The remaining hours typically involve reading, research, and the preparation of tasks for assessment.

Unit rationale, description and aim

For 2000 years, Christianity has deeply influenced the structures, systems, laws, values and behavioural norms of numerous societies, including Australia. Within Christianity, Catholicism is the single largest Christian tradition in the world, and Catholic perspectives are key to understanding Christianity both historically and in contemporary context. It is imperative that Christians, those involved in Christian organisations, and those seeking to understand Christianity and its significance, are able to explain the key beliefs and practices of the Christian faith and apply them to today’s context. To this end, THCT500 is an introductory unit, seeking to provide students with the foundational knowledge necessary for further theological study. 

THCT500 will introduce students to the study of Christian theology, with a particular emphasis on the Catholic approach. It explores the central Christian doctrines in relation to God, creation, Jesus, salvation, Church, sacraments, and eschatology, and introduces students to the academic and critical study of theology. The aim of this unit is for students to acquire foundational knowledge of the central beliefs of Christianity by exploring both their historical basis and contemporary application. 

Learning outcomes

To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.

Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.

Explore the graduate capabilities.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

LO1 - Explain key foundational beliefs of Christian faith, using a variety of theological sources (GA4, GA9);

LO2 - Analyse the significance of Jesus Christ within a Christian theology of salvation, including exploring the links between Christ, the Trinity, salvation, and eschatology (GA4, GA8);

LO3 - Evaluate the links between Christian faith and living a Christian life in contemporary society and the student’s own context, with particular reference to Church, sacraments, and mission (GA4, GA8, GA9).

Graduate attributes

GA4 - think critically and reflectively 

GA8 - locate, organise, analyse, synthesise and evaluate information 

GA9 - demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media 

Content

Topics will include:

• The nature and sources of theological study; revelation, scripture, tradition, reason, and experience; 
• Introductory Christian beliefs about God, creation, and sin and grace;
• Exploration of central Christian beliefs regarding Christ, the Trinity, salvation, and eschatology;
• The practice of Christian faith today, including Church, the sacramental, ethical and social dimensions of faith, and Christian mission.

Learning and teaching strategy and rationale

This unit involves 150 hours of focused learning. The total includes formally structured learning activities such as lectures, tutorials, online learning, videoconferencing, or supervision. The remaining hours typically involve reading, research, and the preparation of tasks for assessment.  

THCT500’s teaching strategy is based on constructivist and andragogical principles which emphasise that students are active, adult learners. Students are recognised as adult learners who engage best when what they are learning is relevant to them and gives them the opportunity to be responsible for their own learning. The focus is therefore on student-centred learning, with consideration of how the learning content applies to the students themselves and their contemporary context.  

THCT500 is normally offered in either attendance mode or multi-mode. Learning activities are designed to be an engaging and supportive experience, which help students develop critical thinking and reflection skills. The emphasis in this unit is placed on the development and application of skills. Students are asked to critically reflect, analyse, and integrate new information with existing knowledge, draw meaningful new connections, and then apply what they have learned. Collaborative and peer learning are also emphasised. 

THCT500 is an introductory unit, aiming to provide students with the foundational knowledge necessary for later units in their course. The teaching topics are structured to guide students in systematic order, with the first section focusing on theological sources and methods, and key preliminary doctrines around God, revelation, creation, anthropology, and sin and grace. The next section focuses on the central doctrines of Christian faith: Christ, Trinity, salvation, eschatology. The third and final section of the unit focuses on the living out of Christian faith, addressing Church, sacraments, and Christian mission. 

Following constructive alignment, the unit’s learning outcomes, weekly teaching content, and assessment tasks are all aligned with each other. This means that teaching content and learning activities are designed to aid students in completion of the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. 

Assessment strategy and rationale

The assessment tasks for this unit are designed for students to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome as well as the graduate attributes. The three assessment tasks align with the constructivist sequence outlined in the learning outcomes and the teaching and learning strategy, which moves in sequence from explanation, to analysis, to evaluation. 

Assessment Task 1 assesses students’ achievement of Learning Outcome 1, requiring them to explain key foundational beliefs of Christian faith, using a variety of theological sources. This task provides a platform for Tasks 2 and 3. 

Assessment Task 2 is designed to assess achievement of Learning Outcomes 1, 2, and partial achievement of LO 3 and requires students to perform at the higher level of knowledge involved in analysis. It asks students to analyse the significance of Jesus Christ within a Christian theology of salvation, including exploring the links between Christ, the Trinity, salvation, and eschatology. These four doctrines are at the heart of Christian faith, which is why this assessment task is the most heavily weighted at 50%. 

Assessment Task 3 builds further on Task 2 by asking students to evaluate Christian beliefs and living a Christian life in contemporary context. Task 3 is designed to assess achievement of all three learning outcomes and requires students’ to evaluate how Christian beliefs are lived out in practice, with a particular focus on Church, sacraments, and mission.  

Overview of assessments

Representative texts and references

Cunningham, Lawrence S. An Introduction to Catholicism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.

González, Justo L. and Zaida Maldonado Pérez. An Introduction to Christian Theology. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002.

Ford, David. Theology: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Johnson, L. T. The Creed: What Christians Believe and Why It Matters. New York: Doubleday, 2003. 

Kelly, A. God is Love: The Heart of the Christian Faith. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2012.

Markham, Ian. Understanding Christian Doctrine. Malden: Blackwell, 2008.

McGrath, Alister. Christian Theology: An Introduction. 6th ed. Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2017. 

Migliore, Daniel. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2014. 

O'Collins, G. and E. G. Farrugia. Catholicism: The Story of Catholic Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

Rausch, Thomas. Systematic Theology: A Roman Catholic Approach. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2016.