*Below you will find what some blog readers (and others) have requested–a model Statement of Faith of a Christian community. I wrote this for the seminary where I taught for 22 years–at the request of the then seminary dean. The faculty voted to approve it as the official Statement of Faith of the seminary. I make no claims about this statement of faith other than it is an example of one. This follows the previous blog post here about the... Read more

Why Doctrine Matters This is Part Three of a series that began with Why Theology Matters. The second installment was about “systematic theology” and whether it matters. I don’t know how many installments this series has or where it is going, exactly. It doesn’t even have a title! So stay tuned… How many times have I heard “Doctrine divides; Jesus unites!?” The sentiment is not always expressed in those words, but it remains the same, even in other words. But... Read more

*The following is a guest blog post by my former student and now pastor Ross Shelton. I do not expect Ross to respond to questions or comments; that is up to him to decide. If you decide comment, please make sure your comment is civil, respectful, relatively brief, and shows that you read the whole essay. Do not misrepresent it or use it as a springboard for your own sermon or essay. If you agree, say why concisely. If you... Read more

But Does Systematic Theology Matter? So, then, it’s settled that theology matters. (See the immediately preceding blog post.) Theology matters because God cares what we think and say about him. But another question emerges: Does systematic theology matter? Let me explain the question. “Theology” can mean a lot of things. One variety of “theology” is what is commonly known as “systematic theology”—a particular subcategory of what Germans call Dogmatics. Dogmatics is any relatively comprehensive exposition of Christian doctrine. But not... Read more

Why Theology Matters I have often been asked, in various words, why theology matters. I have devoted much of my life, all of my adult life, to the study and teaching of theology—focusing on Christian theology. I admit that I have grown weary of hearing the question and answering it. I also admit that it’s a good question and I should not be weary of it. Unfortunately, however, some people, even some good Christians, seem impervious to any answer. No... Read more

The “Joker/Jester” Asks Christian Fund Raisers… For those of you who have not been following this series, the “joker” or “jester” is (my term here for) a person appointed within a church or Christian organization to ask hard questions about traditional beliefs, practices, customs, habits of that church or Christian organization. He or she is promised by the leadership that there will be no negative repercussions for asking such questions. He or she can ask anything, so that the church... Read more

Why I Gave Up on Writing a Critical Survey of the History of Christian Ethics A publisher wanted me to write a critical survey of the history of Christian ethics—something like I wrote about the history of Christian theology (The Story of Christian Theology) and about the history of modern theology (The Journey of Modern Theology). I agreed to do it and immersed myself in reading secondary and primary sources—going back to the 2nd century. I wrote and wrote and... Read more

The Joker/Jester Asks “Why ‘Chosen’?” For those new to this series, occasionally I take on the role of a church-appointed joker or jester, someone given by the church the right without penalty to question anything—anything said or done by the church, its leaders especially, but also customs, habits, traditions of the congregation or denomination. It is my strongly held belief, based on many years of experiences in numerous American Christian congregations, that many of them (and denominations) develop beliefs, customs,... Read more

A Movie about Calvinism?   For those of you who have been following the series The Joker, please excuse this break. The “joker” will return in due time. One of my favorite movies is “The Truman Show.” I absolutely love it. But I didn’t know others who love it. Most people I’ve mentioned it to say they haven’t seen it. That’s sad; it’s truly one of the best movies ever. One Youtube movie critic agrees. See “The Truman Show: A... Read more

The “Joker” Strikes Again: Why Do Churches … ? For those of you who have not read my previous blog post explaining what I mean by “the joker,” this is simply a word I use here for my proposed role of the question-asker in a church. My proposal is that every church, even every Christian organization, have a person whose assignment is to ask hard questions about why it does things. My experience is that most churches (and Christian organizations)... Read more