When doing theology, Christian theologians don’t need to appeal to subject areas that are outside the realm of dogmatics. Ours is a field of study that is not derived from other disciplines but an entirely separate, independent discipline with its own built in principles. Because of this, theologians have the freedom and the obligation to set forth Christian dogma in the clearest possible light without having to borrow from the propositions of other disciplines. We can immediately adopt the standpoint of faith because the basis of our dogmatics is the revelation of God, not the combined knowledge of man from across multiple disciplines.
Author: Jojo Agot
Pastor at Victory. Faculty and adviser at Every Nation Leadership Institute (ENLI). MA in Theology and Mission at Every Nation Seminary.
Philosophy Can Never Lay the Groundwork for the Study of Theology
Reaction to page 208:
It used to be that when you write about theology, you start by discussing the nature of theology. After Kant critiqued this method, theologians lost their footing. Schleiermacher worked around this by trying to give theology another foundation. He believed that theology is not a matter of knowing but of feeling. He made dogmatics dependent on philosophy.
Following Schleiermacher, theologians began prefacing their writings with a kind of apologetic tone instead of the usual prolegomena. What happened was that theology lost its own foundation and was no longer developed from its own first principles. Theology now had to wait for philosophy to examine its basis and right to exist before it could undertake its tasks. This means that the theologian could not take his stance from within Christianity but have to look outside in the study of religions. From there, he would have to work his way to an exposition of the Christian faith. Continue reading Philosophy Can Never Lay the Groundwork for the Study of Theology
One Tragic Thing
One of the tragic things that could happen to a believer is when he tries to serve God while neglecting the growth of his own soul. It’s like trying to run the race of life in the fuel of his own strength, or trying to build a tall tower using match sticks and crumpled papers.
The Discipleship Step You Shouldn’t Miss
From the very start of discipleship, we must seek to build on the solid foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Without this crucial step, we are not building anything worthwhile at all. We can’t build people’s lives on church programs, events, and campaigns. We can’t build people’s faith on Christian activities and parachurch community services. The only sure ground upon which anything stands is in the person and work of Christ. Everything else is sinking sand.
This is the discipleship step we should not miss. If we miss this, we are actually not doing it right. We’re just doing weekly huddles and talk vaguely about the God of the Bible.
The Ministry of Competence
Dorothy Sayers (Creed or Chaos?, p56-7):
The church’s approach to an intelligent carpenter is usually confined to exhorting him to not be drunk and disorderly in his leisure hours and to come to church on Sundays. What the church should be telling him is this: that the very first demand that his religion makes upon him is that he should make good tables.
How the Gospel Frees Us
Tim Keller, in Every Good Endeavor:
The gospel frees us from the relentless pressure of having to prove ourselves and secure our identity through work. It also frees us from a condescending attitude toward less sophisticated labor and from envy over more exalted work.
Jojo Agot 