Theology 200: Final Exam Study Guide

Sacrament

An outward sign of an inward reality.

Actual grace

God's intervention and support for us in everyday moments.

Sanctifying grace

Free gift of God's life that heals our human nature wounded by sin and restores us to friendship with God.

Natural faith

Complete trust or confidence in someone or something that is of the natural world.

Supernatural faith

Complete trust and confidence in the supernatural world based on spiritual apprehension.

Principle of non-contradiction

Truth cannot contradict truth.

Philosophy

Love of wisdom; understanding.

Theology

The study of God (theos).

BVG Theory

If the universe is expanding, it must have had a beginning (i.e., there was a time it did not exist).

Fine tuning

The constants of the universe are so exact that they suggest an intelligent creator.

Adequate anthropology

The study to better understand ourselves as people.

Love

A decision to will the good of another; a sincere gift of oneself to others.

Lust

Sexual desire that is selfish and apart from God’s love; a selfish desire that seeks one’s own pleasure at the expense of another.

Sacramentality of the body

Humans are body and soul that reveal truths about God.

Original solitude

The experience that humans are unique in all of creation because we are made in the image and likeness of God.

Original innocence

Being able to see and love the other person rightly.

Original unity

Perfect unity between man and woman in communion with each other through their bodies.

Spousal meaning of the body

Giving themselves as a gift to each other in love.

Agape

Divine, unconditional love; the love with which God loves us.

Chastity

The virtue that frees us from the selfish attitude of using others; makes us capable of love.

Virtue

A morally good habit or character trait that is beneficial to society and the individual.

Ethos

One’s entire way of living, rooted in one's desires and perceptions of values.

Redemption

The ransom of humanity from the slavery of sin to freedom through Jesus Christ's sacrificial death.

Freedom

The ability to desire and choose the good, accepting the truth of who we are.

Internal constraints

Lust and selfishness that keep us from the truth, making us less free.

External constraints

Rules and responsibilities that govern behavior.

Objective truth

Truth that is based on facts and reality, independent of personal feelings.