Topics

The nature and role of the Holy Spirit — whether the Spirit is a person, a force, or a mode of God's activity, and the Spirit's work in believers.

Key scriptures: Acts 2:1-4, John 14:26, Romans 8:26-27, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

How God's nature, attributes, and being are understood — whether God is a spirit, a person, or has a physical body, and what attributes are emphasized.

Key scriptures: John 4:24, 1 Timothy 1:17, Isaiah 46:9-10, Exodus 33:20

Whether God exists as three co-equal, co-eternal persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) in one divine being, as defined by the Nicene Creed.

Key scriptures: Matthew 28:19, John 1:1, 2 Corinthians 13:14, Deuteronomy 6:4

Who Jesus Christ is — whether he is fully God, fully human, a created being, or a divine-human hybrid, and his relationship to the Father.

Key scriptures: John 1:1-14, Colossians 2:9, Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 1:3

Whether Christ existed before his human birth — as the eternal Logos, as a created angel, or not at all before Bethlehem.

Key scriptures: John 1:1-3, John 8:58, Colossians 1:15-17, Micah 5:2

Whether Jesus was born of a virgin (Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit without human father), and the theological significance of this belief.

Key scriptures: Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38, Isaiah 7:14

How Christ's death achieves salvation — theories include penal substitution, ransom, moral influence, Christus Victor, and satisfaction.

Key scriptures: Matthew 20:28, Romans 3:25, 1 Peter 2:24, Hebrews 9:22, Isaiah 53:5

Whether all humans inherit a sinful nature or guilt from Adam's fall, and how this affects the human condition and need for salvation.

Key scriptures: Romans 5:12-19, Psalm 51:5, Ezekiel 18:20, 1 Corinthians 15:22

Whether God predetermines who will be saved, the role of human free will in salvation, and the tension between divine sovereignty and human choice.

Key scriptures: Romans 8:29-30, Ephesians 1:4-5, 2 Peter 3:9, John 3:16

How humans are saved — whether by faith alone, by faith and works, through sacraments, or by other means. Includes the role of grace, predestination, and human free will.

Key scriptures: Ephesians 2:8-9, James 2:24, Romans 3:28, Philippians 2:12

The nature of heaven — what it is like, who goes there, and whether it is the ultimate destiny of all believers or only a select group.

Key scriptures: Revelation 21:1-4, John 14:2-3, Philippians 3:20-21, 1 Corinthians 2:9

The nature of hell — whether it is eternal conscious torment, annihilation of the wicked, or a temporary state, and who goes there.

Key scriptures: Matthew 25:46, Revelation 20:10, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, Malachi 4:1-3

Interpretation of the thousand-year reign of Christ mentioned in Revelation 20 — premillennialism, amillennialism, or postmillennialism.

Key scriptures: Revelation 20:1-6, Daniel 2:44, Isaiah 11:6-9, 2 Peter 3:8

Beliefs about Christ's return — whether it will be visible or invisible, imminent or distant, and what events will accompany it.

Key scriptures: Acts 1:11, Matthew 24:30-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 1:7

The nature of the human soul and what happens after death — whether the soul is immortal, whether there is an intermediate state, and the ultimate destiny of humans.

Key scriptures: Ecclesiastes 9:5, Luke 23:43, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17, Revelation 20:13-14

The source of authority in the church — papal authority, councils, Scripture alone, congregational governance, or prophetic leadership.

Key scriptures: Matthew 16:18-19, Acts 15:1-29, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Ephesians 4:11-13

Whether the denomination has ordained clergy, a priesthood, or a priesthood of all believers, and the roles and hierarchy involved.

Key scriptures: 1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 5:1-6, 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Ephesians 4:11

Which sacraments or ordinances are practiced — baptism, eucharist/communion, confession, confirmation, marriage, ordination, anointing — and their theological significance.

Key scriptures: Matthew 28:19, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, James 5:14, John 3:5

Which books are considered canonical Scripture — whether the Apocrypha/Deuterocanonical books are included, and any additional scriptures accepted.

Key scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:16, 2 Peter 1:20-21, Revelation 22:18-19

Whether the Bible is considered inerrant (without error in all matters), infallible (without error in faith/practice), or authoritative but human.

Key scriptures: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21, John 17:17, Psalm 119:160

Whether the denomination accepts any revelation beyond the Bible — ongoing prophecy, additional scriptures, tradition as equal authority, or a closed canon.

Key scriptures: Hebrews 1:1-2, Revelation 22:18-19, Amos 3:7, John 16:13

Whether the Trinitarian formula in 1 John 5:7-8 ('the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one'), found mainly in late Latin manuscripts, is considered part of the original text.

Key scriptures: 1 John 5:7-8

Whether the deuterocanonical books (Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Sirach, Baruch, 1–2 Maccabees, and additions to Esther and Daniel) are part of the biblical canon or considered apocryphal.

Key scriptures: Wisdom 7:25-26, Sirach 24:1-12, 2 Maccabees 12:43-46

Whether Genesis 1 describes literal 24-hour days of creation (young-earth creationism), long ages or literary framework (old-earth/day-age), or a theological rather than scientific account of origins.

Key scriptures: Genesis 1:1-2, Genesis 1:3-31, Genesis 2:1-3

Whether Hebrews 1:8 addresses the Son as God ('Your throne, O God, is forever') or should be read differently ('God is your throne'), and what this implies for the deity of Christ.

Key scriptures: Hebrews 1:8-9, Psalm 45:6-7

Whether the Hebrew word 'almah' in Isaiah 7:14 should be translated as 'virgin' (as in the Septuagint and Matthew 1:23) or 'young woman,' and the implications for the doctrine of the virgin birth.

Key scriptures: Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22-23

How denominations reconcile James's statement that 'a person is justified by works and not by faith alone' with Paul's teaching on justification by faith, and what this means for the role of works in salvation.

Key scriptures: James 2:24-26, Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16

How denominations interpret the opening verse of John's Gospel regarding the nature and divinity of the Logos ('Word') and its relationship to God.

Key scriptures: John 1:1-3

Whether the Pericope Adulterae (the story of the woman caught in adultery), absent from early manuscripts, is considered an authentic part of John's Gospel.

Key scriptures: John 7:53-8:11

Whether the longer ending of Mark's Gospel (verses 9-20), absent from the earliest manuscripts, is considered part of canonical Scripture or a later addition.

Key scriptures: Mark 16:9-20

Whether 'this rock' in Jesus's declaration to Peter refers to Peter himself, to Peter's confession of faith, or to Christ, and the implications for church authority and papal primacy.

Key scriptures: Matthew 16:17-19

Whether the Trinitarian baptismal formula ('in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit') reflects Jesus's original words or a later liturgical development, and how it relates to Acts' 'in the name of Jesus' baptisms.

Key scriptures: Matthew 28:19, Acts 2:38, Acts 8:16

Whether the 'thousand years' in Revelation 20 refers to a literal future millennium (premillennialism), a present spiritual reign (amillennialism), or a golden age achieved through the spread of the gospel (postmillennialism).

Key scriptures: Revelation 20:1-6, Revelation 20:7-10

Whether Paul's potter-and-clay metaphor teaches unconditional individual election to salvation (Calvinist reading) or God's sovereign freedom in salvation history (Arminian/corporate reading).

Key scriptures: Romans 9:18-21, Romans 9:6-13

Whether the Shepherd of Hermas, an early Christian text widely read in the first centuries, holds canonical, semi-canonical, or no scriptural authority.

Whether the denomination has a specific position on receiving blood transfusions, based on interpretation of biblical commands about blood.

Key scriptures: Acts 15:28-29, Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 17:14

Which religious holidays the denomination celebrates or rejects — Christmas, Easter, saints' days, and the reasoning for observance or non-observance.

Key scriptures: Colossians 2:16, Galatians 4:10-11, Acts 2:1, Luke 2:10-14

Whether the denomination permits, encourages, or forbids military service and participation in warfare, and the theological reasoning behind the position.

Key scriptures: Matthew 5:38-44, Romans 13:1-4, Matthew 26:52, Luke 3:14

Whether and how the Sabbath is observed — Saturday vs Sunday worship, strict Sabbatarianism vs freedom, and the theological basis for the practice.

Key scriptures: Exodus 20:8-11, Colossians 2:16-17, Acts 20:7, Mark 2:27-28