Courses

Students without prior degrees in theology will be required to complete foundational training in the nature and methods of the discipline. For practitioners, Systematic Theology has the most relevance for ministry when Christian beliefs and practices are examined in dynamic tension with beliefs and practices in the prevailing worldviews in the minister’s context. As the epicentre of Christianity moves to the Global South, there are seismic shifts in Christian understandings of the nature of the church and of the kingdom of God that have far-reaching implications for ministry praxis. Forces at work such as the collapse of Christendom, the demise of colonialism, the decline of mainline denominations and the rise of independent churches and networks, and the emergence of the New Apostolic Reformation with its propagation of dominion theology, and the mass Pentecostalisation of Christianity, often with prosperity gospel overtones, require that Christian leaders think deeply about their philosophy of ministry. The aim of this course is to help students to formulate their beliefs about the church and the kingdom and to develop ministry practices that are consistent with their convictions. By the end of the course you will be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of significant ecclesiologies on both a global and local scale.
• Critique the theological premises and exegetical foundations of selected ecclesiologies.
• Compare and contrast the biblical concept of the kingdom of God with prominent understandings in your faith community.
• Evaluate the ministry practices of your church in the light of your understanding of the Bible’s teaching about the church and the kingdom of God.
• Implement ministry practices that reflect your understanding of the Bible’s teaching about the church and the kingdom of God.

Various Christian traditions respond to the person of the Holy Spirit in different ways. Although one might not always agree with other church traditions, it is important to understand them, or maybe even appreciate their distinct emphases. This course will begin by grounding you in a biblical account of the Holy Spirit with a focus on Jesus’ teaching. You will then explore the doctrine of the Holy Spirit in historical theology. At this point, you would have a strong foundation to examine the Holy Spirit from a global perspective, namely, pentecostalisation and the Holy Spirit in African indigenous churches. In addition, you will learn about the Holy Spirit’s role in salvation and spiritual gifts. The course will culminate in an application of what you have learnt for your own life and ministry.

Few Christians have given significant thought to the role of the kingdom of God and its relation to church and mission. This course will offer you an important opportunity to consider these themes deeply and to explore how they relate to one another. In this course, you will also discover how, (1) the ordinances or sacraments are vital for mission, (2) the church is an alternative community in the world, (3) the church relates to the state and social justice, and (4) how the kingdom reign of Christ informs the Church’s mission. This will provide you with a basis to address some of the global challenges that face the Church today.

This course provides an orientation to the field of Systematic Theology. It includes an overview of major doctrines of the Christian faith (Unit 1), research methods (Unit 2), and a research paper (Unit 3). Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1994)

This course explores the concept of doing theology with "the child in the midst." This is a relatively new discipline, which desperately demands the Church's attention. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Articulate the theological perspectives on childhood implied in key biblical passages from the Old and New Testaments.
• Demonstrate the understanding of key concepts and issues in recent scholarship around children, Bible, and Theology.
• Make a meaningful contribution to the application of biblical-theological perspectives on children in a practical ministry situation.

This course shows how Africans have approached theology. The course introduces the student to African Traditional Religion and the role it and Western theology have played in the development of African theology. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe African Theology
• Demonstrate understanding of its development
• Outline features of ATR and their relevance to African Theology
• Evaluate African Traditional Religion in the light of Christianity

This module deals with the moral implications of the gospel, introducing today's Christian worker to skills and tools that will help them engage postmodern society with clear Christian motives and persuasion. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Define the differences between selected ethical theories.
• Explain the similarities and dissimilarities between African ethics and Western ethics.
• Identify ethical theories that conflict with the Bible in particular and Christian ethics in general.
• Appropriate morality (ethics) as defined in the Bible as a way of life both personally and publicly.
• Apply ethical principles to practical scenarios in a ministry and community context.
• Classify and summarize current ethical issues and think critically about existing practices and suggest ways of improving or rectifying the moral dilemma.
• Appreciate the role of the Bible in formulating ethical theories.
• Welcome competing ethical views as an aid for contextualizing and presenting your perspective.

This course provides a fairly detailed introduction to apologetics as a Christian discipline and the various models of presentation and context. The modern contexts of apologetics (Post-modernism and the New Atheism) are also carefully considered. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Comprehend the context of Christian apologetics.
• Identify and describe various models of doing apologetics.
• Apply Jesus’ method of doing apologetics to your current ministerial context, including children.
• Analyse various arguments for the existence of God, Jesus Christ and the integrity of the Bible.
• Deconstruct and refute two New Age philosophies in light of Christian Theism.
• Defend against a number of contextual apologetic issues in both the western and African context.

This course highlights the importance of understanding general and special revelation, including an appreciation of the various theories of inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of the Scriptures. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain the difference between general revelation and special revelation.
• Explain the concept of Jesus Christ as the locus of revelation.
• Defend personal convictions regarding the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture.
• Evaluate the Bible’s sufficiency as a guide for faith, life, and ministry.
• Use three basic principles of interpretation to evaluate exegesis.
• Explain the role of contemporary revelation and its relationship to the Scriptures.

This course helps students to comprehend the nature of the Kingdom of God, discern Satan's actual present rights and status and survey the main categories of end-time doctrine. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Describe the kingdom of God and evaluate its implications for ministry.
• Evaluate Satan’s present rights and status.
• Explain the dynamics of extending the kingdom of God in our time.
• Evaluate modern concepts of “spiritual warfare” against Biblical and historic patterns.
• Evaluate the main categories of end-time doctrine.

This course approaches the Doctrine of God not only from a biblical perspective but also in the light of the situation that prevails in the 21st century.  By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Formulate a plausible and persuasive case for the existence of God.
• Articulate and defend an evangelical view of how God can be known.
• Conduct inductive biblical studies on the attributes of God using the knowledge of God cycle.
• Discuss the benefits and limitations of how systematic theologians identify and categorize the attributes of God.
• Defend the biblical portrait of God as being the standard by which all other views of God are to be evaluated.
• Understand why a biblical portrait of God is essential for a personal and corporate relationship with God, worship, holy living, evangelism, and mission.

This course covers Jesus' humanity and deity, his death, resurrection, and glorification. It also deals with our conversion, justification, regeneration, sanctification, and perseverance. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain the significance of the humanity and deity of Jesus Christ.
• Explain the meaning and significance of the death of Jesus Christ.
• Describe the implications of the resurrection, ascension, and session of Jesus Christ.
• Demonstrate understanding of the doctrines of conversion, justification, and regeneration.
• Apply a Biblical understanding of sanctification in your ministry.
• Evaluate the Biblical basis for the Calvinist and the Arminian views of the doctrine of perseverance.
• Anticipate the glorious consummation of your salvation.

This subject explores man's relation to God and the cause and consequences of our sin. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain the Bible’s plain teachings about the creation of man and the world.
• Demonstrate confidence in the Biblical account of creation.
• Explain the Biblical doctrine of the image of God.
• Evaluate theories regarding the constituents of man.
• Describe the nature of sin.
• Demonstrate understanding of original sin.
• Appreciate the devastating consequences of sin.

Examines the nature, purpose, organisation, and ordinances of the Church. It also surveys the important aspects of church life, together with exploring various other views of the Church and its structures. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain core biblical teachings about the nature of the church.
• Evaluate the way churches operate in the light of the Bible’s teaching about the purpose of the church.
• Critically evaluate various Christian views regarding models of church government, leadership offices in the church and the role of women in ministry.
• Express convictions about the meaning of the rites of baptism and the Lord’s Supper based critical, biblical evaluation of a variety of Christian views.
• Demonstrate understanding of your local church (her History, her Purpose, her Opinion on the Sufficiency and the Authority of Scriptures, her Ministries, her beliefs and her statement of faith).

The Survey of Church History course provides a basic overview or survey of church history. As Christians and as students of Christian theology, you must have some grounding in this field since you are a member of the body of Christ - a body with a history (and a future). By the end of this course, you will be able to:

1. Discuss:
   • various ways in which church history is selected and arranged by writers of history.
   • history writers' own perspectives (including religious experiences and convictions), biases and agendas when you read history.
2. Produce a survey of church history by describing a set of its significant developments.
3. Explain, regarding actual historical events, why you value church history:
   • for Christian devotion, acknowledging God's work and faithfulness in spite of human frailty and faithlessness;
   • for appreciating both earlier generations of believers and modern Christian faith traditions other than your own;
   • for responding wisely to current situations in, or affecting, the church.
4. Write a balanced and coherent account of a period of church history based on secondary sources.

Correctly understanding the Bible's teaching about the person and work of the Holy Spirit is an integral part of Christian formation. The entire Christian walk is dependent upon the presence and power of God's Spirit with, in, and upon us. A proper understanding of the Holy Spirit is crucial for a healthy relationship with God and an active ministry in the Church and the world. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Present the biblical evidence for understanding the Spirit as a distinct, divine Person and interpret the entirety of the Spirit's work in the light of the truth that he is a Person.
• Identify, interpret, and apply essential Scripture passages that speak about the Holy Spirit.
• Explain how the Old Testament presents the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of prophecy.
• Synthesize what is revealed about the Holy Spirit through the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.
• Assess the extent to which disciples of Christ should be able to do the same works that Jesus did.
• Compare and contrast Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal interpretations of key Holy Spirit passages in Acts.
• Argue that Paul presents the Christian life as Christ-centred life in the Spirit.
• Critically evaluate the debate regarding the continuance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The worldviews course answers the major philosophical and practical questions of life from a biblical perspective. The course defines, explains, and examines the consequences of a worldview. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Demonstrate understanding of how a biblical Christian answers the key questions of life.
• On selected issues, compare and contrast a biblical worldview with other selected worldviews.
• Appreciate the relationship between biblical thinking and godly living.

This course covers both the fundamental beliefs and spiritual practices of the Christian faith. Significant themes include repentance, faith towards God, how to study the Bible, water baptism, the Lord's Supper, prayer, authentic worship, and many more. By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain the plan of salvation from Ephesians 2:8-10 and share the message of salvation with unsaved people.
• Demonstrate basic knowledge of the person and work of the Holy Spirit.
• Evaluate and embrace the biblical description of God’s purpose for you.
• Recognize the importance of regular Bible reading and private prayer.
• Apply helpful guidelines to enrich your private times with God.
• Appreciate the importance of belonging to a good church.
• Manage your finances in a way that is both responsible and godly.

This is the foundational course for all undergraduate students. In this course, you will be introduced to SATS and our core values, common themes, and core definitions of Theology, as well as navigating the online SATS platform. By the end of this course, you will:

• Be able to navigate the MySATS online platform.
• Be able to discuss the nature of theology.
• Understand why theology is valuable.
• Have some essential resources for theological study
• Be well versed in the requirements of good academic writing for assignments