October 24, 2005
Back to school! Back to school, to prove…
…Nothing really. Amy started graduate school this past September and spouses get to sit in on a couple classes, so I went with her on Saturday to her first “Theology and Culture” class. I haven’t been in a college classroom for about 7 years and I must say that I enjoyed it. The last time I was in school, I was not taking it very seriously and was wasting a lot of money in the process. There has been a desire in my heart to finish my degree for some time now and this past Saturday solidified that desire.
So with snack pack in hand (figuratively speaking – Billy Madison style), I ask myself - what did I get out of the class?
The main topics we covered were the Christian mandate of doing theology, a brief overview of Church history (early, medieval, reformation, modern era), defining Christian theology and finally the dangers and disciplines of doing theology. I particularly enjoyed the overview of church history as it fit right in with the current series I am reading on Church history by Philip Schaff. In this discussion we spent some time looking at the canonization of the New Testament, which brought out the professors’ post-modernist views of Scripture while also making an interesting point. First he showed his departure from reformed theology by subtly distancing himself from Sola Scriptura or Scripture Alone. His departure is based upon the emphasis on the dependence of community to bring the Canon together. I would agree that both the new and old testaments relied upon the community of believers to bring about the final results that we have now. But this was all guided by the Holy Spirit working out God’s sovereignty, and allows us to stand firm on the sufficiency of the special revelation the Word of God provides us. The professor did not seem to be so certain of this and puts a great deal of emphasis then and now on the cultures we find ourselves in and how that affects truth.
I think the main thing I took away from the day was the need for generosity in orthodoxy. Put another way, speaking truth with love or the equal importance of grace and truth. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…” In sharing the good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we are given the mandate to live out our theology, generously giving the hope found in the message of salvation. In that message we marry both sound doctrine (orthodoxy) with grace (generosity), anything less robs the power of truth from Christ on the cross. I hope I apply this message to my heart daily.
Posted by price at October 24, 2005 02:49 PM | TrackBack