By Dr. Norman Geisler, founder and past-president of Southern Evangelical Seminary. 624 pages.
www.amazon.com/Systematic.../0764225510
Anyone else read this (or any other systematic evangelical theology)?
"Prolegomena" refers to the preconditions for theology--philosophical, epestemological, metaphysical, linguistic, hermeneutic, methodological, historical, and so on.
I'm not an evangelical, but I think Geisler gives a thorough account of the basics in this volume of his four-volume series. I may skim the other three volumes, as all in all this work runs around 2,500 pages and I only have the set for a few weeks through inter library loan.
I'd never attempted a Protestant Systematics of this scope before. Curiously, Geisler refers often to Thomas Aquinas, the greatest of Catholic theologians. Not that Geisler is "soft" on Catholicism---he wrote a book about what beliefs Catholics and Evangelicals do and do not have in common---but rather, he values the arguments of Aquinas that are rooted in Scripture and Reason rather than magisterial teaching. Fair enough.
www.amazon.com/Systematic.../0764225510
Anyone else read this (or any other systematic evangelical theology)?
"Prolegomena" refers to the preconditions for theology--philosophical, epestemological, metaphysical, linguistic, hermeneutic, methodological, historical, and so on.
I'm not an evangelical, but I think Geisler gives a thorough account of the basics in this volume of his four-volume series. I may skim the other three volumes, as all in all this work runs around 2,500 pages and I only have the set for a few weeks through inter library loan.
I'd never attempted a Protestant Systematics of this scope before. Curiously, Geisler refers often to Thomas Aquinas, the greatest of Catholic theologians. Not that Geisler is "soft" on Catholicism---he wrote a book about what beliefs Catholics and Evangelicals do and do not have in common---but rather, he values the arguments of Aquinas that are rooted in Scripture and Reason rather than magisterial teaching. Fair enough.
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Boca Raton
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Re: Systematic Theology, vol 1 Prolegomena and Bible
Sat, November 10, 2007 - 10:05 PMIf I'm thinking right, Geisler did his PhD at Loyola University, Chicago.
I think my favorite sys theo is Hodge, which is pretty old. I have also read some of Thomas. He has some interesting things to say. In answer to the question of why did God create evil, Thomas says (I hope I'm remembering correctly) that evil is the lack of something good, rather than a thing with its own existence. An interesting idea, I have yet to come up with a good reason to reject it. If the greatest laws are to love God and my neighbor, then sin is a lack of love?
I like Geisler, I'll have to look at his sys theo someday. -
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Re: Systematic Theology, vol 1 Prolegomena and Bible
Sun, November 11, 2007 - 12:51 PMYeah, Geisler got his Ph.D. from Loyola in Chicago.
I haven't read Hodge, though Geisler quotes him several times in this book.
The idea of evil as a privation is strong in Catholic theology. I don't know of a problem with it either! A great example is blindness: it is the *absence* of sight rather than, say, 'the seeing of darkness only.'
The notion of sin as 'lack of love' has much to commend it (so long as one has a mature understanding of 'love.')
It surprised me how much Geisler refers to Thomas. After all, Thomas is *the* Catholic theologian and Geisler is evangelical as can be and critical of many Catholic teachings. (He's now working on a book addressing the question of whether the Catholic Church is the one true church. He thinks not.) Nevertheless, when Geisler talks about the attributes of God, he draws heavily from Thomas. This shouldn't be a scandal, as Thomas is reasonable and scriptural, but I know a lot of Catholic theologians don't read evangelical ones, so I didnt' expect evangelicals to read many Catholics! -
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Re: Systematic Theology, vol 1 Prolegomena and Bible
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 12:45 PMWhy would anyone need a system of theology? Is there something wrong with the faith as communicated by Christ to the Apostles and so on? -
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Re: Systematic Theology, vol 1 Prolegomena and Bible
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 2:38 PM<Why would anyone need a system of theology?>
"And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:2-3).
Peace,
Peter -
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Re: Systematic Theology, vol 1 Prolegomena and Bible
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 3:48 PMThomas Aquinas had a mystical experience at some point, and stopped his writing, because what had been revealed to him was so much greater than anything he had, or I suppose could, write. There is a danger in pride in our knowledge, but still, Jesus said the greatest commandment is to
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
For me systematic theology is one way to love God with my mind. Of course child-like faith is what we need to know God, but apologetics, which often makes use of theology, can clear away obstacles to faith.
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Re: Systematic Theology, vol 1 Prolegomena and Bible
Mon, November 12, 2007 - 3:39 PMSystematic theology attempts to gather what is revealed in Scripture on a topic, and put it together in a way that answers our questions on that topic, as best we can. For example, there is little or no explicit teaching in scripture on the Trinity, so getting an understanding of the Trinity from what the Bible says about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a task of systematic theology.
Thomas Aquinas wrote in the 13th century or so, and while I found helpful things in his writings, there were other parts that made no sense to me. At least one reason for this is difference in culture and world view. That's why people need to continue to so systematic theology, to bring the unchanging truths of God's word to the present day culture, as clearly as possible.
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Re: Systematic Theology, vol 1 Prolegomena and Bible
Tue, November 13, 2007 - 8:16 AMI agree Dave. After all, human beings are defined as "the rational animal." It doesn't make sense that our faith should not have a prominent place for our minds! This doesn't mean that the entrance exam for Heaven will be in Greek (-or Hebrew, or Latin), but that our minds are the way in which we most resemble God! (That's always been my understanding of 'image and likeness.')
Not everyone who is called to Christ is called to theology but I think many have left churches because they felt they were being asked to check their brains at the door. -
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Re: Systematic Theology, vol 1 Prolegomena and Bible
Wed, November 14, 2007 - 11:30 AMThat seems to go against the Protestant mantra of sola scriptura.
Why/how is this system deemed to be of God and not of man? -
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Re: Systematic Theology, vol 1 Prolegomena and Bible
Wed, November 14, 2007 - 2:56 PM"Why/how is this system deemed to be of God and not of man?"
Luther rejected scholasticism that made heavy use of philosophy.
If a systematic theology consists of systematizing what scripture says on various topics, to me that would make it "of God," with the reservation that whoever does the systematizing is fallible. But are we going to give up all preaching, teaching, etc. because we are fallible?
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