This course is in five sections. Section one is the introductory material covering a metanarrative of salvation and the Biblical roots. Section two discusses and critically analyses the soteriological development in the thinking of the Church Fathers and Theologians who made a major contribution to the doctrine. Including the thinking of Irenaeus, Athanasius, Anselm and Barth. Section three Covers essential soteriological aspects. Section four outlines and discusses the effects of the atonement and section five poses critical questions. The central focus throughout is on the cross and the atonement but the effects of the atonement concerning the salvation of sinners is also dealt with. Our presupposition is that soteriology/ the doctrine of salvation (along with Christology) is the central doctrine of Christian theology. A solid grasp of this doctrine is considered vital to the adequacy and balance of the corpus of Systematic Theology as a whole.
