The purpose of this text is to ease the student into understanding the diverse nature of Christian theology, and the way theological investigation has influenced the beliefs and practices of the Church throughout history. Contents include: the nature and purpose of theology; the Christian doctrine of God; how theological interpretation of Jesus Christ has explained scriptural approaches to Jesus; concepts of doctrine, such as original sin, salvation, atonement, the Eucharist and healing; liberation theology and the "preferential option for the poor" in the Third World; feminist theology and its criticism of the masculine bias of Christian theology; and a survey of the different schools of spirituality, and the forming of communities as agents of spirituality.