This undergraduate course introduces students to the Christian doctrine of God (theology proper), focusing on God’s being, attributes, and triune identity. Students will engage the biblical witness alongside key resources from church history, including the ecumenical creeds and the Reformed confessions of faith. By the end of the course, students will be able to articulate a biblically grounded and historically informed account of the doctrine of God and its significance for Christian theology, worship, and mission.
ST101
Doctrine of God
New to Haddon?
Apply NowDates
10 weeks
Workload
8 hours per week
Class
Mon 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Online and in-person
Location
Springwood, Logan Queensland Australia
Tuition Fees
Enrol AUD $1,200
Audit fee is 50% of tuition fees
12-week payment plans available
Applications close
13 Jul 2026 at 5:00 pm AEST
Course Overview
This undergraduate course introduces students to the Christian doctrine of God (theology proper), focusing on God’s being, attributes, and triune identity. Students will engage the biblical witness alongside key resources from church history, including the ecumenical creeds and the Reformed confessions of faith. By the end of the course, students will be able to articulate a biblically grounded and historically informed account of the doctrine of God and its significance for Christian theology, worship, and mission.
Course Learning Objectives
1
Articulate the Christian doctrine of God as derived from Scripture.
2
Connect biblical teaching on God to later creedal and confessional formulations.
3
Engage critically with objections to the Reformed doctrine of God.
4
Apply the doctrine of God to Christian worship, prayer, and discipleship.
Course Details
Applications close
13 Jul 2026 at 5:00 pm AEST
Timeframe
20 Jul - 28 Sep 2026
Lecture times
Monday 8:00 PM ⎯ 9:30 PM
Location
Springwood, Logan Queensland Australia
Duration
10 weeks
Workload
8 hours per week
Tuition Fees
Enrol AUD $1,200
Audit fee is 50% of tuition fees
Assessment
Course Reading Requirements
10%
Due Date
Ongoing
Weight
10%
Class Engagement
10%
Due Date
Ongoing
Weight
10%
Midterm Essay
20%
Due Date
1 May 2026
Weight
20%
Final Research Essay
40%
Due Date
5 June 2026
Weight
40%
Viva Voce Oral Defence
20%
Due Date
Week 9 & 10
Weight
20%
About the Lecturer
Aaron Kelley is a pastor, scholar, and doctoral candidate devoted to equipping the church through biblically grounded theological education. Raised on the mission field by Baptist missionary parents, he began pastoral ministry in college, leading youth and young adult programs in Texas and New York that stressed evangelism, discipleship, and gospel proclamation. As Associate Pastor at Journey Christian Church in Rochester, NY, Aaron develops leaders for local ministry—launching small groups, street evangelism, and mission trips that mobilise believers to win souls. He views theological training as essential, merging pastoral insight with academic depth to shape students who proclaim Christ faithfully.
Lecture Content
1
The Biblical Basis for Theology Proper
TBA
2
God's Absoluteness
TBA
3
God's Attributes: Incommunicable
TBA
4
God's Attributes: Communicable
TBA
5
The Trinity in Scripture
TBA
6
The Trinity in History
TBA
7
Classical Trinitarianism
TBA
8
Trinitarian Spirituality and Mission
TBA
9
Viva Voce Oral Defence
TBA
10
Viva Voce Oral Defence
TBA
Required Readings
Poythress, Vern. The Mystery of the Trinity: A Trinitarian Approach to the Attributes of God. Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2020. (Introduction, Chapters 1–12, 38–41)
Recommended Readings
DeYoung, Kevin. The Nicene Creed: What You Need to Know about the Most Important Creed Ever Written. Foundational Tools for Our Faith Series. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2025.
Link Unavailable
Packer, J. I. Knowing God. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973.
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Reeves, Michael. Delighting in the Trinity: An Introduction to the Christian Faith. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2012.
Link Unavailable
Jones, Mark. God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2017.
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Anatolios, Khaled. Retrieving Nicaea: The Development and Meaning of Trinitarian Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011.
Link Unavailable
Beeke, Joel R., and Paul M. Smalley. Reformed Systematic Theology. 4 vols. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2019–2021.
Link Unavailable
Duby, Steven J. Jesus and the God of Classical Theism: Biblical Christology in Light of the Doctrine of God. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2022.
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Rusch, William G., ed. The Trinitarian Controversy. Sources of Early Christian Thought. Philadelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1980.
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Sanders, Fred. The Triune God. Edited by Michael Allen and Scott R. Swain. New Studies in Dogmatics. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2016.
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Smith, Brandon D. The Biblical Trinity: Encountering the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in Scripture. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2023.
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Smith, Brandon D., ed. The Trinity in the Canon: A Biblical, Theological, Historical, and Practical Proposal. Nashville, TN: B&H Academic, 2023.
Link Unavailable
Ayres, Lewis. Nicaea and Its Legacy: An Approach to Fourth-Century Trinitarian Theology. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2004.
Link Unavailable
Dolezal, James E. All That Is in God: Evangelical Theology and the Challenge of Classical Christian Theism. Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2017.
Link Unavailable
Muller, Richard A. Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics: The Rise and Development of Reformed Orthodoxy, ca. 1520 to ca. 1725. 4 vols. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003.
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Rowe, C. Kavin. Biblical Pressure and Trinitarian Hermeneutics. Pro Ecclesia 11, no. 3 (2002): 295–312.
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Sanders, Fred. The Fountain of Salvation: Trinity and Soteriology. New Studies in Dogmatics. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2023.
Link Unavailable
Swain, Scott R. The Bible and the Trinity in Recent Thought: Review, Analysis, and Constructive Proposal. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 60, no. 1 (2017): 35–48.
Link Unavailable
Vidu, Adonis. The Same God Who Works All Things: Inseparable Operations in Trinitarian Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2021.
Link Unavailable
Yeago, David S. “The New Testament and the Nicene Dogma: A Contribution to the Recovery of Theological Exegesis.” Pro Ecclesia 3, no. 2 (1994): 152–64.
Link Unavailable