Featured Systematic Theology

What is wrong with Systematic Theology being sets of verses addressing topics, with the best ones agreeing with our presumptions.

What is right with Systematic Theology being sets of verses that when modified address topics, such as no one ever seeks after God and the natural man cannot understand anything from the Spirit of God?

 

Coherent bodies of ideas concerning God such as groups of verses addressing a topic about God would seem to meet the definition of Systematic Theology.

What does the whole bible teach concerning the attributes and actions of God?

 

We have touched upon a topic here that perhaps needs to be differentiated from Systematic Theology.
Systematic Theology is an organization of our theological beliefs. We base our beliefs on Scripture but methods of interpretation vary widely from person to person, group to group.

When we read a Systematic Theology text, we are reading an author’s interpretation methods.
I’ve noticed the separation in the way I organize the books in my bookcase.
The different shelves differentiate between doctrine and interpretational methods.

• Books on Systematic Theology on top.
• Books on Interpretation (including a few on Dispensationalism and Covenant Theology)
• Topics of Systematic Theology beginning on bottom shelf

One must recognize the difference between interpretation (hermeneutics) and doctrine.

Hermeneutics can change how we perceive our doctrine, doctrine drives our theology (our study of God).

Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology both rely upon similar fundamental doctrines, but they vary in the way they interpret key elements of Scripture, in important areas this leads to widely different conclusions… all supported by the same Scripture.

Rob

 

@Deacon,
Have you or do you identify what were or bave become your a priori presuppositions?

 

I have a scientific background.

I’ve been working in the medical field for decades.
I deal with probabilities and outcomes daily.
I work in a nuclear stress lab performing exercise stress tests (among other things).
With every patient, everyday, I assess risk and then put my assessment to the test as I exercise patients that we think might have heart disease.

My theology certainly is affected by my background.

(But of course, my presuppositions are right and proper; everyone else’s are wrong - lol)

Rob

 

I am kind of OEC in that I also believes in a literal 6 days in Genesis 1, but from Genesis 1:3-31.

 

An excerpt from a nice booklet and not mentioning the name "Baptist":
https://files.secure.website/wscfus/3107401/uploads/TheFaithBook.pdf

"We live in a day of religious confusion and counterfeit Christianity.

"Under the umbrella term of Christianity can be found literally thousands of conflicting systems of faith and practice, which are steadily increasing every day.

"Most people are completely confused and have no idea how to discern true from false religions.

"Discerning between the "true" and the "false" requires an objective standard for truth.

"Most systems of philosophy today do not acknowledge any universal objective standard for truth, but only admit to relative truth.

"Relative truth changes from person to person and from circumstance to circumstance and is therefore subjective and unreliable by nature.

"Hence, according to such a definition, what is true for you may not be true for someone else or what may be true in one circumstance may not be true in another circumstance.

"However, the Scriptures declare that God is truth (Jn. 14:6 “I am the…truth”) and “thy word is truth” – Jn. 17:17.

"Therefore, according to God’s Word, truth is all that is consistent with the nature and will of God as revealed in the Scriptures.

"Moreover, this is not a conclusion drawn from circular reasoning, but the Word of God can be verified by objective data, such as archeology, prophecy, and pre-modern scientific revelations.

"The Bible also provides a foundation of fundamentals or a skeletal body of essential truths referred to as “the faith” or “the truth” or “the doctrine” or “the tradition.”

new thread: The Faith.

 

Truth need not be redefined to refer to an agenda driven doctrine. Truth is simple, it reflects or has fidelity to the original, thus it reflects actual reality, rather than our mistaken or disingenuous statements concerning reality.

In scripture we learn Jesus is the truth, which is to say He reflects the reality of God's love, justice and mercy. Matthew 22:16

 

I would leave off “with a view…” etc.

 

Here are some Systematic Theologies with some Bible in them;

http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF Books/SystematicTheology-Boyce.pdf

Index of ./John Gill/

https://www.grace-ebooks.com/librar...e/&file=CDC_Vol 1 Definitions of Doctrine.pdf

https://www.grace-ebooks.com/librar...e/&file=CDC_Vol 2 Definitions of Doctrine.pdf

https://www.grace-ebooks.com/librar...e/&file=CDC_Vol 3 Definitions of Doctrine.pdf

http://www.ntslibrary.com/PDF Books II/Simmons - A Systematic Study of Bible Doctrine.pdf

Books & Articles by Arthur W. Pink