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Theology and the Student
  • Application
  • Notes / Further Reading

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Theology and the Student

Jerry Solomon

  1. Application

    1. We can conclude from these nine areas of theology that God cares about (a) what you read/believe, (b) how you think, (c) who your Master is, (d) your spiritual condition, (e) how you view yourself and your world, (f) where you find your strength for living, (g) your social life, (h) your protection, (1) your future. The Bible is truly the student's overriding textbook. Our study of theology shows that the Bible applies to every area of life, and is therefore our best source for developing a consistent world view.

    2. How does one continue to develop a biblical world view? By studying and applying the Bible. This process is called inductive Bible study, and includes the following steps:

      1. Observation-What do I see?
        Literary analysis. This involves asking who? what? where? when? why? and how? Who is the author? Are there comparisons or contrasts to be noted?

      2. Interpretation-What does it mean?
        1. Cultural context. What are the philosophies being dealt with? How was their culture different than ours?
        2. Historical context. What were the major political issues and events during that period?
        3. Scriptural context. How do other scriptural truths bear upon this passage?
        4. Literary context. How do the passages immediately before and after affect this passage?

      3. Application-What does it mean to me?

        How does this passage apply to my personal life and issues? How does it impact the world around me and the world views of today?

Notes
  1. Donald Bloesch, Crumbling Foundations (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing Co., 1984), 54.
  2. David Wells, No Place for Truth (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993), 100.
  3. Hugh T. Kerr, editor, A Compend of the Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin Philadelphia, Pa.: The Westminster Press, 1939), 13.
  4. "Spiritual America," U.S. News and World Report (4 April 1994), 53-59.
  5. St. Augustine, quoted in Michael Green,Illustrations for Biblical Preaching (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1989), 389.
  6. Let God Be True (Brooklyn, N.Y.: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, Inc.), 101.
  7. Francis Schaeffer, The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer, 5 vols. (Westchester, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1982), 3:390.
  8. The Westminster Confession.
  9. "The Death of Jesus," Newsweek (4 April 1994),53.
  10. Kurt Cobain, quoted in R. C. Sproul, Choosing My Religion Student Guide, 38.
  11. Wm. R. Newell, "At Calvary" The Baptist Hymnal (Nashville, Tenn.: Convention Press, 1991),138.
  12. Student from Daytona Beach, Fla., quoted in R. C. Sproul, Choosing My Religion Student Guide, 22.
  13. George Barna, The Frog in The Kettle (Ventura, Calif.: Regal Books, 1990),141.
  14. Paul Churchland, Mind and Consciousness (Cambridge, Mass: The MIT Press, 1988), 26.
  15. "How Man Began," Time (14 March 1994),6.
  16. Student in Gainesville, Fla., quoted in R. C. Sproul, Choosing My Religion Student Guide, 23.
  17. Dick Day, "Pneumatology" section, The Julian Center Notebook Julian, Calif.: Julian Center, 1988), 1.
  18. Handout given to answer questions about "Momentus Training Seminars," division of Mashiyach Training Services Ministries, Santa Rosa, California.
  19. Ernest Southcott, quoted in Chuck Colson The Body (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1992), 275.
  20. Sinead O'Connor, quoted in R. C. Sproul, Choosing My Religion Student Guide, 5.
  21. C. S. Lewis, quoted in Clyde S. Kilby, A Mind Awake: An Anthology of C.S. Lewis (New York: HBJ Books, 1968),104.
  22. Lou Whitworth, "The Angel Quiz" radio transcript (Richardson, Tex.: Probe Ministries, 1994), 1.
  23. Lewis, quoted in Kilby. A Mind Awake, 101.
For Further Reading

Buswell, J. Oliver. A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion. Grand Rapids, Mich.:Zondervan Publishing House, 1962.
Still considered a standard systematic theology today, Buswell's work gives a thorough and detailed overview from a Reformed perspective.

Colson, Charles. The Body. Dallas: Word Publishing, 1992.
The church is in an identity crisis. Colson argues that Christians have been sucked in by the radical individualism of secular culture and the soothing sermons of the feel-good gospel. He also dares Christians to renounce the petty, sectarian divisions that blunt the church's witness in the world and calls us to affirm our oneness even as we celebrate our diversity.

Horton, Michael Scott, ed. The Agony of Deceit. Chicago: Moody Press, 1990.
The fall of several popular televangelists has forced the church to take a closer took at the teachings of her more visible preachers. Horton's books presents the real underlying problem of many of these ministers-that of deep theological error.

Kerr, Hugh T., editor. A Compend of the Institutes of the Christian Religion. by John Calvin Philadelphia, Pa.: The Westminster Press, 1939.
Calvin's work is foundational to any understanding of the Protestant church today, and Kerr's edition provides a comprehensive and clear summary of it.

Schaeffer, Francis. The Complete Works of Francis A. Schaeffer. Westchester, Ill.: Crossway Books, 1982.
The books of Dr. Schaeffer have marked a watershed in Christian thinking and have deeply affected a generation of readers. This five volume set presents all of Schaeffer's works, and today is still a beginning point for developing a Christian world view.

Wells, David. No Place for Truth. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1993.
Written to encourage a renewal of evangelical theology by exploring the interaction between the Christian faith and the modern world, by examining the collapse of theology in the church and culture, and by raising questions about the future of conservative Protestant faith

©1998 Probe Ministries
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