God of classical theism
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the nature of God within classical theism, with specific reference to Christian beliefs and teachings.
Key learning points
- Religions aligned with classical theism teach that there is one God who possesses particular characteristics.
- Most Christians uphold classical theism and describe God as omnibenevolent, omnipotent and omniscient.
- Omnibenevolent refers to the belief that God is all loving.
- Omnipotent refers to the belief that God is all powerful.
- Omniscient refers to the belief that God is all knowing.
Keywords
Omnibenevolent - the belief that God is all loving and infinitely good
Omnipotent - the belief that God is all powerful
Omniscient - the belief that God is all knowing
Theism - the belief in the existence of at least one god who is personal, active in the world, and distinct from the universe
Common misconception
The God of classical theism is distant and not involved with creation.
For most theists whose beliefs align with classical theism, such as Christians, God is personal and active within the world and is powerful, loving and all knowing by nature.
Teacher tip
You may wish to remind students of the incarnation and Jesus as fully divine prior to learning cycle 2.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these best describes the meaning of ‘compassion’?
Q2.The word describes the experience of pain or distress.
Q3.Which ethical theory focuses on showing agape love?
Q4.Christians believe that God is , even when people suffer.
Q5.What kind of question is: ‘Can compassion justify suffering?’
Q6.Which of these is an example of showing compassion during a crisis?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which term describes the belief that God is all loving and infinitely good?
Q2.The Christian belief that God is means that God knows everything.
Q3.Why do Christians link Jesus’ miracles to God’s omnipotence?
Q4.Christians believe God is , meaning God can do anything, even break natural laws.
Q5.Which Bible verse is often used to support belief in God’s omnibenevolence?
Q6.The word means belief in a personal God who is active in the world.
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: God of classical theism, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: God of classical theism, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 religious education lessons from the Suffering: Can Christian theology overcome the problem of evil? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.