ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY

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Thesis Statements for Theology 121

1. Whereas from the excerpts of the CCC (2415-2418), we should respect the integrity
of God's creation, He promised never to send another flood to destroy all the earth in
Genesis 9:8-17, given that His eternal care was overflowing, not just for people, but
for all plants, animals, birds, fish and more.
2. Abraham is a good role model for us today for like him we have many doubts and
questions but choosing to believe in the loving, ever-present God can be a challenge,
Abram heard God's call (Genesis 12:1-4), believed it, and obeyed because of his
extraordinary faith in the midst of doubts, he may not have truly understood how God
could make the covenant promises come true but he chose to live as God's chosen one
anyway.
4. God freely reveals Himself and his saving will in creation (natural signs), in Sacred
Scripture/ salvation history (biblical signs), in the Church (liturgical/ecclesial signs),
in other religions but perfectly and fully in Jesus Christ (agent and Content). This
revelation, realized through words and deeds having an inner unity proclaimed by the
apostles and communicated in the living tradition of the Church calls for a free
personal and communal response.
5. In the face of the gap between Christian faith and everyday life, Catholic Theology
aims to move the believer from an unexamined faith to more mature understanding of
ones faith that involves integration, inculturation and community forming.
6. Just as Elijah prefigured Jesus, so too did Elisha prefigured Jesus, in the books of 2
Kings 4.18-37/1 Kings 17.17-24; 2 Kings 4:42-44 of the Old testament as well as the
Gospels in Luke 7:11-17 and Mark 6:30-40. The Gospel writers modeled their stories
after the stories of Elisha to make sense of the salvific mission of Jesus and the
messianic prophecies in Mt. 4:16/ Is. 9.1-2; Mt. 3.3/Is 40.3 and Lk 4.18-19/Is 6.1f.
These readings reveal a striking message/s to us of what we think may happened or
not. Faith is the missing link towards understanding the realities of the scripture.
7. Even though The Church Fathers regarded Israels warfare against the Canaanites
as a punishment for their perverted culture (Deut. 20:18), God could have chastised
them supernaturally, as He did with Sodom and Egypt, instead He used the Israelites
as the means to judge them. The human author seems clearly to be asserting that these
things were historical events. As Vatican II stated clearly (Dei Verbum, no 11),
whatever is asserted by the human author is also asserted by the Holy Spirit, and is
therefore true.
8. Original sin came about when Adam and Eve, who were created good and enjoyed
intimate friendship with God, gave in to the temptation of the devil because the
doctrine of original sin is an essential truth of faith. Without the doctrine of original
sin, the mystery of Christ is undermined.

How to Study the Thesis Statements

Introduction
Each thesis expresses as briefly, accurately, and clearly as possible,
the content being summarized. Therefore, each major term or phrase is
important. Hence, there us a need for intensive study for each thesis
statement.
Study of Each Particular Thesis
Intensive study of the thesis means preparing accurate answers to the
following questions for each thesis;
1. WHAT precisely is being asserted? What is the point(s) of the
thesis?
2. HOW is the message being affirmed? What are the key
term/s. Expressions or phrases that convey the exact
meaning?
3. WHY is this being asserted? What is its significance? What
error(s) is refuted? What truth (s) affirmed?
4. Where is this grounded in the theological sources, Sacred
Scriptures, Church Teachings or Human Experiences/