Theology: Reclaiming the Relevance

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My students complain often about the various introduction-to-theology textbooks that they have been assigned. They tell me that all those books tend to be abstract, with precious few Scripture verses to illustrate the principles. They complain about unfamiliar terminology, especially words and concepts they have never seen in the pages of Scripture. This book seeks to correct those issues. I am not trying to say that there is not a place for those kinds of texts. They serve to connect their readers to the theological discussions and controversies of the past, appropriately using the terminology of the past. This perspective, of course, is necessary. However, before we ask serious Christians and students of the Word to grapple with the weighty issues of those who came before us, there is a crucial need for a book that will first of all make valid connections with the theological challenges that are confronting us today, using terminology and language with which we are all familiar. I want all those who study the Bible to understand that theology can speak to them exactly where they are in life, right now. A good understanding of theology can help us to face our confusion and dispel our fears. Solid theological thinking is essential in every area of our lives. I want people to see the truths of the Bible as the precious jewels that they are. This kind of foundational theology is more needful today than perhaps ever before. We are increasingly being confronted with negative messages about the Bible and theology, even within the Church. On an increasingly regular basis, we Christians are being told that: ...faith is only about believing and not trying to figure things out, ...feeling and experiencing are more important than thinking, ...a relationship with Christ is about closing the mind so that we might experience Him directly, ...doctrine divides, ...clinging to fundamentalist beliefs divides us from others and even from God, ...theology is sterile and lifeless, ...theology and our distinctive doctrines and beliefs cause wars, ...theological certainty is not a possibility. The mind-set represented in this list of untruths is doing great damage to the theology that can set men and women free. Moreover, the general acceptance of this kind of thinking has made theology into a dirty word. As a consequence, serious attempts to understand the Bible are becoming increasingly rare. It is my prayer that this will change and that this volume might make a small contribution towards reclaiming the relevance of theology!