Well said
Eddie Arthur asks, "what's wrong with systematic theology?":
Now, I might be awkward, but I’m far from convinced that studying a systematic theology is a good way to learn about the Bible. To be honest, I’m not sure it’s a good way to learn anything, apart from the cultural and theological presuppositions of the author.Amen.
The problem with systematic theologies, is that they are systematic. God’s revelation to us in the Bible is not systematic. It’s messy, it’s complicated, it tells the story of people who mess up, of God who gets involved in the life of his creation and redeems it. The Bible narrative is compelling; sometimes exciting, sometimes complicated but it is not systematic. God did not give us a system, he gave us a story.
posted by Milton Stanley at 9:11 AM
2 Comments:
You say that “God’s revelation to us in the Bible is not systematic. It’s messy, it’s complicated…”
Does this mean that our preaching/teaching needs to be “messy and complicated?” Biblical revelation is ‘messy and complicated’ because it occurs in the context of human experience and history. A systematic theology is simply a way of presenting biblical truth in an organized “systematic” approach. Paul did just this thing in Romans: he explained the nature of God and revelation, then sin and the human condition, then he explain grace and salvation, and finally he explained Christian ethics and holiness.
He also states, “I’m far from convinced that studying a systematic theology is a good way to learn about the Bible.” That’s probably true. A systematic theology is not intended to teach Biblical theology, but simply the development of theological truths (revelation, God, man, sin, Christ, Spirit, Salvation, Eschatology) over the course of history. A biblical theology, however, can do just what it say: it can show the major theological themes conveyed from Genesis to Revelation. It doesn’t delve into theological issues that are not explicitly in Scripture.
In the life of the Christian student, there is a place for both disciplines.
Brad, Meg, and EM: Thanks for joining the discussion. Peace.
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