History as Thehology
Theology is the study of God from a religious perspective. It has been commonly defined as reasoned discourse about God or the gods, or more generally about religion or spirituality. It could be contrasted with religious studies, which is the study of religion from a secular perspective. Theologians use various forms of analysis and argument (philosophical, ethnographic, historical) to help understand, explain, test, critique, defend or promote any of myriad religious topics. It may be undertaken to help the theologian:
Friend who noticed my reading habits asked, "Why would anyone want to study theology by reading A Bunch of Dead Guys? Shouldn't you focus mostly on current works, or risk becoming an irrelevant theological fossil?"
My answer: the truth about God is timeless. The last infallible book of theology was written nearly 200 years ago. In theology, if it is new, it probably is not true.
The best of the men featured here knew that. Though they are dead, they still speak (cf. Heb. 11:4). Scripture was their supreme rule of faith. Their theological line of descent is clearly traceable from the Reformers, to Augustine, to the Apostle Paul, to Isaiah, to Abraham—all the way back to the first promise God made to Adam in the Garden (Gen. 3:15).
The entrance is at the top center of the map. Watch your step, though. As you walk through The Hall of Church History, if you veer too far to the right or to the left, you will encounter people whose tendency has been to enshrine tradition over Scripture, or to pursue what is innovative and novel at the expense of what is sure and steadfast.
These dark corners of The Hall of Church history could be interesting and informative. But we encourage guests to spend most of their time in the central hall, which takes you from the Church Fathers, through the Medieval Churchmen, down a narrow, treasure-filled hallway devoted to the Puritan and Reformed writers, to the more recent stalwarts of the faith. We have named this corridor "Berean Hall," in honor of those noble recipients of the apostolic message, who "received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11).
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