Simple Summaries of the Branches of Theology

Graeme Goldsworthy, in his excellent book According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible, provides a few brief, but helpful summaries of the various branches of theology. Make note of these summaries since they will likely prove to be useful in helping someone else understand the different theological disciplines.

Systematic theology asks:

What should Christians believe now about any aspect of Christianity? Its results: Christian doctrine.

Historical theology asks:

What have Christians believed about their faith at any given time? Its results: A record of the development of Christian doctrine.

Pastoral theology asks:

How should Christians minister to one another so that they grow to maturity in Christian living? Its results: Care and growth in the local church.

Biblical theology asks:

By what process has God revealed himself to mankind? Its results: The relating of the whole Bible to our Christian life now.

Subscribe to this blog's RSS feed

Recently I began reading and discussing Behind the Scenes of the New Testament by Paul Barnett with a group of friends. In chapter 2 Barnett suggests that Jesus may have known at least 3 different languages; Aramaic, Hebrew, and Greek. The first two seem fairly obvious. 1. Aramaic was the common language of 1st century Israel. The Gospels even record a few of Jesus’ statements in Aramaic. 2. As a Jewish boy growing up in 1st century Israel Jesus would have learned to read the Hebrew Scriptures. In the Gospels we read of Jesus reading aloud from the Hebrew Scriptures in the synagogue.

I’d never really thought about the possibility that Jesus would have known Greek though. Barnett says that Jesus’ conversation with a Greek woman (Syro-Phoenecian by birth) is often regarded as evidence that Jesus could speak Greek (see Mark 7:26). We don’t know for sure whether Jesus knew Greek, but it’s interesting to think about nonetheless.

One of the most enjoyable (at least for me) aspects of no longer being a full-time student is that I’m once again able to read material outside of my field of study. This past summer I read a variety of books. Surprisingly the majority of the books I read were fictional. Prior to graduation I thought that during the summer I would’ve been making my way through various theological volumes, but I found the fiction titles to be refreshing and enjoyable. Listed below, in no particular order, are the books I’ve read since graduating in the middle of May.

Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
A history of Plymouth Colony and the relationship between English settlers and the Native Americans of the region. I love early American history so this was right up my alley. Philbrick seems to misunderstand some of the theological positions of the Pilgrims and Puritans, but overall this was a very fascinating read.

The Children of Húrin by J.R.R. Tolkien
An expanded version of a tale that appeared in The Silmarillion. The events of the story take place thousands of years before the Lord of the Rings trilogy. There’s just something fun about walking in the world of Middle Earth for a few hundred pages.

The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
I didn’t read The Lord of the Rings series as a kid. In fact, the first time I remember hearing anything about it was as a teenager riding the bus to the beach. A homeless man saw that one of the my friends was carrying a Bible and he began to “preach” the “Gospel of the Hobbit” to us! I started The Lord of the Rings about three years ago and quickly finished the first two volumes. It wasn’t until this summer that I finally completed the series. As I said about The Children of Húrin, entering the world of Middle Earth for a time is a great experience.

Dracula by Bram Stoker
A classic and for good reason. I actually got the idea to read this one after hearing a brief discussion of it on a Mars Hill Audio podcast (think Ken Myers not Mark Driscoll). Forget the corny films and pick up a copy of the book. I highly recommend it.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
As I read this tale about one man’s adventures on a deserted island I thought this would be a great book for my boys in a few years. I think every young man should read this. Of course adults, including this one, can enjoy it too!

Crime and Punishment by Fyoder Dostoevsky
Dostoevsky masterfully conveys the turmoil inside a man’s conscience after committing a gruesome crime. I had to regularly put the book down and remind myself that I wasn’t the one who had done it!

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill
I first read this shortly after a trip to Ireland in 1999, but thought it would be fun to read it again. The book is a quick look at Ireland’s role in preserving Western society’s important texts.

Power, Faith, and Fantasy: American in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present by Michael B. Oren
Earlier in the year I saw a review of this book in WORLD Magazine. I wasn’t sure what I would think of it, but after having finished all the books I brought with me to Hawaii within two days I decided to give it a try. As I mentioned earlier I love American history and this book covers aspects that I’ve not had much exposure to. I don’t know if I’ve ever finished a 600+ page book so quickly. I think that I have a much better understanding of the situation in the Middle East now.

Partially Read
There are other books that I’ve partially read this summer in preparation for Sunday school classes I taught or just out of personal interest.

The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright
I read between 200 and 300 pages of this 740 page volume in preparation for a series I did on the resurrection in an adult Sunday school class. Eventually I’d like to finish the book. Very, very interesting and helpful.

The Search for Christian America by Noll, Hatch, and Marsden
I’ll finish this someday. I can only read so many pages of it before I get overly frustrated with what it reveals about American Christianity. This is something that American evangelicals really need to read.

The Legacy of Sovereign Joy by John Piper
Short biographies of Augustine, Luther, and Calvin. I think that I’ve actually read each of the biographies prior to their inclusion in one book. This time around I read the section of Augustine.

The Roots of Endurance by John Piper
Short biographies of John Newton, Charles Simeon, and William Wilberforce. I read the sections on Simeon and Wilberforce. Inspiring.

The Children of Men (audiobook) by P.D. James
The year is 2021 and no babies have been born anywhere in the world for 25 years. I hope to get back to it soon.

Evil and the Justice of God (audiobook) by N.T. Wright
Although I’m not on board with Wright’s view of justification I find him to be an extremely interesting theologian and author. I’m looking forward to finishing this audiobook (eventually).

I received According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy as a gift this week. I’m hoping to finish it before school begins on the 22nd.

Tags: books, reading, Biblical Theology

I came across an article by Noel Piper at Desiring God on a Bible reading method that actually helped her make it through the entire Bible after years of well-intentioned beginnings.

Although I won’t be following her method this year I think there’s wisdom in what she has written and that her experience may prove useful to those of us who struggle to read through the entire Bible each year.

One of the creative ideas Noel had was to start reading somewhere other than Genesis.

I started in Hosea and read to the end of the Old Testament. I knew what had become of my efforts before when I had started quite literally, “in the beginning.” I also knew there were chunks of the minor prophets I had never laid eyes on. There’s something intriguing about unknown territory.

In addition she read as much or as little as she was able to each day rather than reading a required number of chapters.

I didn’t divide the Bible into 365 equal segments. Sufficient to the day was the amount I could make time for. I have discovered when using daily reading guides that nothing kills my incentive like falling a few days behind and feeling under pressure to “catch up.”

You can read the entire article here if you’re interested.

Tags: Bible, Bible reading