Dr Paul Allen

A few years ago Wayne shared that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and you can read his godly response to this news which he shared on   Desiring God . I’ve long recommended Wayne’s books on theology, and cannot emphasize enough the importance of learning systematic theology. Based on conversations I’ve had, I fear that many believers in churches today understand very little Bible doctrine. I want to encourage you to discover the joy of learning. I recommend not only Wayne Grudem’s large  Systematic Theology , but also his abridged  Bible Doctrine . This article from him is a great introduction to what systematic theology is, and why it matters. — Randy Alcorn What’s Systematic Theology and Why Bother? By Wayne Grudem Systematic theology means answering the question: “What does the whole Bible say to us today about any given topic?” It means searching the Bible to find all the verses pertaining to a given topic of study. Then, we put all the verse...

A reader asked, “What is the value of systematic theology? Isn’t there a risk of misinterpretation because of trying to process all of God’s Word through a system rather than letting it speak for itself?” I think it’s impossible to teach theology without teaching worldview and impossible to teach worldview without teaching theology, and in particular, systematic theology. A doctrine is a teaching that summarizes biblical truth. Hence the “view” in worldview amounts to a doctrinal lens, a belief system through which you see the world. It applies to everything from money to sex to abortion. There is a theology of Heaven and work and nearly everything else. It’s “what God has to say about this subject in His Word.” It requires that we examine the whole counsel of God, the larger picture, lest we leave out something vital that is not recorded in Titus or Hebrews or Joshua or Proverbs (or whatever book may partially address a given issue). Ours shouldn’t be just a view based on a single pas...

What are the four types of theology? Biblical studies This pillar of theology is the critical examination and interpretation of theological texts. In Christian theology, this refers primarily to the Bible – but can also be extended to other texts that provide comment on the Bible. “Christian theology is rooted in the Bible – the Old and New Testament. Biblical studies allows us to learn how to read a passage of scripture and discern its implications. This process is called exegesis.” To study theology through exegesis means connecting deeply with a text and explore meaning within it. You also investigate how the historical period in which the Bible was written may have influenced the text and its interpretation. Church history As the name suggests, this is the study of how Christian theology has changed over time. How has it interacted, shaped and been influenced by historical events across the world.  After all, Christianity has shaped a great deal of human civilization’s recent h...

Theologian Charles Hodge, a critic of Darwin's theories, also praised Darwin for his intellectual honesty. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The fact that Jesus is fully God would seem to preclude this, for God cannot sin. But the fact that Jesus is fully human, and that He undeniably was tempted, might seem to demand the possibility that He could have sinned ; for if He could not have sinned, how could He have been tempted. How could He have been fully human? Charles Hodge , the great Reformed theologian of the nineteenth century, seems to be among those who affirm that Jesus could possibly have sinned. He says, “The sinlessness of our Lord , however, does not amount to absolute impeccability.… If He was a true man He must have been capable of sinning … Temptation implies the possibility of sin. If from the constitution of His person it was impossible for Christ to sin, then His temptation was unreal and without effect, and He cannot sympathize with His people” ( Systematic Theol...

Righteousness exalts a nation (Photo credit: Leonard John Matthews ) First and foremost, righteousness is an attribute of God : “For the LORD is righteous” ( Psalm 11:7). The fact that God is righteous means that he “always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right” ( Wayne Grudem , Systematic Theology ). Righteousness is a statement about God’s moral nature and it means that he never does wrong. More than that, God’s righteousness means that he cannot do wrong. For man, righteousness is a measure of morality just as it is for God, but man has no part in defining what is right. Man is righteous only as much as his morality, expressed in desires, thoughts, and deeds, conforms to that of God’s. Where he differs with God, he is unrighteous. Scripture is clear that because Adam ’s sin has corrupted every man, “none is righteous, no, not one” ( Romans 3:10; cf. Psalm 14:1-3). But it is also clear that Jesus Christ lived a perfectly rig...

1993 reprint of Chafer's Systematic Theology (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The current issue of  Preaching  magazine has Albert Mohler ’s annual list of recommended books for pastors. There is a good mix of books here, though I suspect most pastors would take just about the whole year to get through the entire list! Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other  by Sherry Turkle Christian Apologetics: Past and Present, Vol. 2  by William Edgar & K. Scott Oliphant The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way  by Michael Horton Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine  by Gregg R. Allison Lost in Translation: The Dark Side of Emerging Adulthood  by Christian Smith, Kari Christofferson, Hilary Davidson , Patricia Snell Herzog A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New  by G.K. Beale The Next ...