Theology Derived from Scripture (Berkhof)

 One chief characteristic of Christian doctrines or "dogmas" is that they originate in Scripture.  I appreciate how Louis Berkhof explained this near the opening of his introduction to systematic theology (prolegomena): Their Subject-Matter is derived from Scripture. The Bible is God’s Word, the book which is His continuous revelation of redemption for all successive generations. …

Knowledge, Reason, and Theology

 I like this paragraph from Kevin Vanhoozer's Drama of Doctrine (p. 301). "Getting knowledge is more like plotting one's position with a set of maps than it is building a house on a foundation or catching fish in a net.  Theological cartography is a dramatic exercise of holy reason.  Reason is holy not in the sense …

An Outline of Horton’s ST (Part II)

 I'm still enjoying Michael Horton's The Christian Faith very much.  I really appreciate Horton's trinitarian emphasis - the doctrine of the Trinity is woven throughout each theological topic.  It is solidly trinitarian!  Also, I love how Horton continually points out the errors of Deism and Pantheism by stressing the Creator/creature distinction and the analogical nature …

Vanhoozer on the Church’s Drama

Sort of on the same lines as the last few posts on worship, here's Vanhoozer on the church's drama (he's not talking about movies or skits!). "It is an unfathomable, if not unpardonable, sin to drain the drama out of the biblical story of redemption.  Dedramatization happens in one of two ways: either one dilutes …