|The task of systematic theology is to set forth in orderly and coherent manner the truth respecting God and his relations to men and the world. This truth is derived from the data of revelation, and revelation comprises all those media by which God makes himself and his will known to us men. All other departments of theological discipline contribute their findings to systematic theology and it brings all the wealth of knowledge derived from these disciplines to bear upon the more inclusive systematization which it undertakes.
– John Murray
Systematic theology seeks rightly to divide the Word of truth, particularly the holy Scriptures. It aims at formulations which correctly understand the Scriptures, through proper exegesis, and applies those formulations to the needs of the church and the issues of the day.
To that end, the Systematic Theology curriculum enables students:
- To understand and be able to articulate “the whole counsel of God” in the form of the system of doctrine taught in Scripture
- To grasp the way this system of doctrine derives from sound interpretation that does justice to the unity of Scripture in its historical and authorial diversity
- To understand the history of doctrine, primarily the theological heritage of the Reformed Churches and their confessional documents, especially the Westminster Standards
- To recognize within the theological heritage of the Reformed Churches what is perennial and undoubted and what is not yet settled
- To value the Westminster Standards as a summary of the system of doctrine taught in Scripture and, where appropriate, be prepared ex animo to subscribe to them as such
- To embrace the system of doctrine taught in Scripture in a way that enhances devotion to God and service to the church and the world, and so, in all, “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.”