I'm currently (and finally!) making my way through Richard Lints' The Fabric of Theology: A Prolegomenon to Evangelical Theology, and ran across this short quote by Peter Berger that's worth highlighting here (quoted on p. 29 of Lints' Fabric of Theology): When churches abandon or de-emphasize theology, they give up the intellectual tools by which the Christian message can be articulated and defended. In the resulting chaos of religious ideas, the principal criterion left to the community as it seeks to find its way is, quite naturally, that of expediency" (Peter Berger). In just a few words, Berger reminds us of an important VALUE of theology: theology helps articulate and defend the Christian message. Let's keep this value of theology in front of us! If you liked this post, you may also be interested in "The Importance of Systematic Theology."
0 Comments
As Brookside Church has been reading through the Bible in 2016, one of the questions I've gotten numerous times relates closely to this question: "What's Up with All the Violence in the Old Testament?" Earlier this week, I taught a Brookside Institute seminar on this topic - giving others the opportunity to dig more deeply into it and interact about it. Below I've included the audio from this seminar. Or, if you're interested in a text version of what was covered (things will be pretty similar to the audio, though not identical) keep reading below. At the very end of this post I've include a PDF "Answer Key" of the handout I made available.
Let me begin this post with my conclusion: I'm trying to get more and more comfortable with the words "I don't know." I've been trying to get more comfortable with these words for a while, which is why I'm grateful for how Mitch Stokes helped me think about this a bit further in his recent article, "3 Beautiful Words: 'I Don't Know.'" Most of what follows is piggy-backing off thoughts I generated while reading and reflecting on Stokes' article.
As someone who loves to learn and read and study and teach, I used to see these words - "I don't know" - as a sign of defeat. When I didn't know something, I felt like I had been bested and needed to get off the field. Now, however, I'm learning to see the words "I don't know" as an opportunity. Specifically, I think "I don't know" can open up possibilities in at least three brief ways: Late last week, I was able to present at a Teacher In-Service for Cornerstone Christian School. The topic I was asked to teach on was "The Importance of the Christian Worldview." After studying for the talk and interacting with the teachers, I'm as convinced as ever that Christians need to understand what worldview is, why a Christian worldview is so important, and how we grow in our understanding (and embodiment!) of the Christian worldview.
This topic breathes purpose and perspective into how we think about the different "arenas" of our lives (e.g. jobs, entertainment, family, etc), and it prompts us to think well about God and His Word, the Bible. Keep reading to see the talk I gave (in a somewhat modified, abbreviated form) on Christian worldview. At the very end of this post, I've included an "answer key" version of the handout I made available to the teachers. Pastor and author A.W. Tozer is famous for saying that "What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us."
I, for one, happen to think Tozer is on to something with this statement. And so part of my goal - both as a Christian disciple and as someone who teaches a fair amount of Bible & theology - is to build a strong foundation around a biblical view of God AND continually be returning to and reinforcing a robust, "big," and accurate picture of who God reveals Himself to be. And that means I love it when authors, pastors, and teachers help bring various truths about God to life in fresh, vivid ways. Recently J.D. Greear helped do this for me, bringing God's ability and His generosity together in some cool ways. Check out this quote, from Greear's Gaining by Losing: Why the Future Belongs to Churches that Send (Zondervan, 2015), p. 187: If you've ever spent any time studying/looking into eschatology ("the study of last things"), you know Christians like to discuss and develop a case for different views on something called "the Millennium." There are postmillennials who believe Christ will physically return AFTER a "millennial age" of peace and righteousness, where the progress of the gospel has such a noticeable influence that more and more of society operates on God's standards. Premillennials believe that Christ will return BEFORE His millennial reign on earth, and that His arrival will institute this period of wholeness and righteousness. Amillennials believe that Christ's millennial reign is realized now in the church age, as Christ reigns from His throne currently. (The disclaimer, of course, is that these definitions are broad and somewhat simplistic. For a more nuanced description of each of these views and interaction among those who hold them, check out this "An Evening of Eschatology" with Drs. Jim Hamilton, Sam Storms, and Doug Wilson hosted by DesiringGod in 2009. It's worth a watch when you have an extra ) It is true that different millennial views have their place in a Christian theology of last things - I'm a firm believer in that. However, I'm also a firm believe that one's millennial views are NOT a litmus test for evangelical orthodoxy. A Christian can hold to any of the above-mentioned millennial views and still be an evangelical. It's in that vein that I include this picture that I first ran across a while ago. Even while we think theologically and debate issues, let's keep things in their proper place and be willing to have some fun doing so. If you like this post, you may also be interested in...
Theology never stays abstract. What we believe should and must shape who we are.
Earlier this month I posted how theologian Wayne Grudem is one example of "theology taking shape" as he responds to and lives in light of his recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Not long after I posted that, I learned that theologian J.I. Packer is ending his "formal ministry" of writing and regular preaching due to his failing eyesight. I've posted on J.I. Packer before (check out some of the posts here and here), and his Knowing God is one of the books I return to repeatedly. Packer is the first formal theologian that gave me a taste for all that the study of theology offers the Church and the individual Christian. Therefore, I was all ears as I read through a Gospel Coalition interview with J.I. Packer about his failing eyesight and what that means. Here's a link to the interview. I encourage you to take some time in the next day or so (or right now) and read through what Packer has to say, and how he's one more example of "theology" taking shape. And don't just read it. Reflect on it. Learn from it. Absorb it. Many of you have heard the acronym "FOMO" (Fear Of Missing Out) - an anxiety or fear that something is going on somewhere that you're missing out on. Well, have no fear. In case you're experiencing "Brookside Institute FOMO," I've helpfully included all of the "top 5 blog posts" for each month, for the last six months (July-December 2015). If you're brand new to the Brookside Institute, be sure and check out our "About" page, our "Classes Overview," and our most recent "Speed Dating the Brookside Institute" as well.
Click on any of the posts included below to revisit posts you've already enjoyed and catch up on anything you may have missed! I've been a fan of Star Wars since I was kid. That means I've seen the movies and had the action figures. And yes, I was at a movie theater last night for the release of Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens. (And, for the record, I enjoyed it.) As someone who is also a fan of theology (in a very different way than I'm a fan of Star Wars), I'm grateful theologian Michael Svigel from Dallas Theological Seminary looks at Star Wars through a biblical-theological lens in this recent post, "The Irresistible Force of Star Wars: 3 Theological Approaches". I resonate with his conclusion, and so figured I'd post it here: As a theologian, I don’t embrace Star Wars as a kind of “fifth gospel.” But neither do I condemn it as devilish propaganda. Instead, I perceive the Story behind the story, the metanarrative behind the myth, and the fact behind the fiction. I see the contours of God’s drama of redemption even in the frames of Star Wars. And I’m reminded of the reality revealed through God’s creation and articulated in the Bible’s creation-redemption narrative—the Story centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ in His first and second coming. So go, see the movie. Enjoy it. But as you anticipate and enjoy the advent of this latest Star Wars episode, allow it to stir your anticipation and enjoyment of the Advent of the One who has come to defeat sin and all its effects through His sacrifice on the cross.
The Brookside Institute is all about helping build and reinforce foundations of the Christian faith. A key part of this is championing evangelical catechesis, intentional teaching in foundational areas of the Christian faith, for the formation of individual believers and the building up of the church of Jesus Christ.
On this blog I've posted more on what catechesis is, on why catechesis is important, and on the biblical basis for this sort of instruction. I've included many other posts broadly related to this idea that you can find under the catechesis category. And I want to keep producing posts that champion catechesis, and collecting great stuff from other places that lines up with this value. That's why I'm so grateful for what Kevin Vanhoozer says about catechesis in a book he's co-authored with Owen Strachan, The Pastor as Public Theologian: Reclaiming a Lost Vision. Follow along with me as I take us through some of what Vanhoozer says and provide some of my own comments: |
Tim WiebeChristian. Husband. Father. Pastor. Learner. Contributor. Reader. Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
|