OCR A Level - Developments in Christian Thought

Agape

Unconditional love, central to Christian morality.

Augustinian Theodicy

Evil as a privation of good, due to the Fall.

Beatific Vision

Direct experience of God after death (Aquinas).

Doctrine of Double Effect

A morally good act may have an unintended bad consequence (Aquinas).

Eternal Law

The moral order established by God (Natural Law).

Exclusivism

The belief that only Christianity leads to salvation (Augustine, Calvin).

Free Will Defence

Theodicy arguing that God allows evil due to human freedom (Plantinga).

Gender Theology

Feminist critiques of Christianity (Daly, Ruether).

Grace

God’s unearned favour, central to Christian salvation.

Inclusivism

Salvation is possible outside Christianity but still through Christ (Rahner).

Irenaean Theodicy

Evil exists for human growth and soul-making (Hick).

Liberation Theology

A Christian movement advocating for social justice and the poor.

Natural Law

Moral order inherent in nature, given by God (Aquinas).

Original Sin

The fallen state of humanity inherited from Adam and Eve.

Pluralism

The belief that all religions provide paths to salvation (Hick).

Religious Pluralism

The belief in multiple valid religious truths.

Revealed Theology

Knowledge of God gained through divine revelation (Barth).

Sanctity of Life

The belief that life is sacred and should be preserved.

Soul-Making Theodicy

The view that suffering helps humans develop spiritually (Irenaeus, Hick).

Universalism

The belief that all people will ultimately be saved.

Xenophanes’ Critique

The idea that humans create gods in their own image.

Yahweh

The Hebrew name for God in the Old Testament.