The Method of Christian Theology

A Basic Introduction

Rhyne Putman

• Publisher: B&H Academic
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781535933339
• eBook ISBN: 9781535933346
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Theology

When handling the things of God, our method matters. Everyone who thinks about God has a method for approaching the subject, whether they recognize it or not. A theological method addresses foundational questions such as: What is theology? How should we approach Scripture? What is the role of tradition, philosophy, and experience? How do we use theology in ministering to others? These questions are vital for anyone studying God and his Word—how one defines theology, sees its task, and uses its sources will shape one's doctrine, for better or worse. In The Method of Christian Theology, Rhyne Putman guides readers through the essential "first words" of systematic theology. Written for entry-level theology students, this book provides clear guidance for using theological sources, reasoning through difficult questions, and applying theological reflection in paper writing and preaching. By studying the foundations of theology, readers will be better equipped to serve God's people in whatever ministry they are called to.

Part OnePrinciples

Understanding the nature of Christian theology and its tasks

1Defining Theology and Its Tasks

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

—Ephesians 1:17

What is theology? The commonly given short answer, though not necessarily the most precise or helpful one, is that theology is “the study of God.” After all, theology draws its name from two Greek words: theos, meaning “God,” and logos, which means “word,” “reason,” or “speech.” In contemporary usage, we usually associate the suffix -ology with the study or science of something. One may think of theology as the “study of God” in much the same way biology is the study of living organisms, cultural anthropology is the study of human cultures, and bracketology is the study of college basketball tournament schedules. We do, in fact, study theology to learn about God.3

But this description is thin and somewhat misleading. The so-called study of God is categorically different from any other science. God cannot be seen through a telescope or observed in a petri dish. No theologian studies God as a detached or neutral observer, nor can we ever “master” the only “subject matter” who knows us better than we know ourselves. In some ways, the idea of “studying” God is like Harry Potter studying J. K. Rowling or Atticus Finch researching Harper Lee. Like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, we are merely created characters in the divine drama God is writing through our lives. We only know this God because he purposely makes himself known to us.

Theology must be more than an intellectual novelty, an academic program, or a lucrative career option. (Just trust me on that last one.) Theology begins and ends with the God who created us, loves us, and knows us better than we know ourselves. When pursued properly, the study of theology can help us strengthen and affirm our personal faith, equip the body of Christ, reach the nations with the gospel, smash the idols of our culture, and find deep, lasting satisfaction in the rewards of serving our eternal King.

Yet before we can achieve these marvelous ends, we must learn how to come into theology in the right way, to take the right first steps. That is the duty of theological method. Before we can set about detailing the business of theology, we must first describe what it is theology does. How one defines theology will shape the way one practices theology.

How Has Theology Been Defined?

Though the word theology appears nowhere in Scripture, the Bible is a very theological book—or better stated, a library of theological books. God did not choose to inspire a systematic theology textbook, but as Bruce Ashford and Keith Whitfield astutely observed, the Bible (1) anticipates the task of systematic theology, (2) provides the narrative framework for theology, and (3) provides the trajectory for the theological task.4

Scripture anticipates the task of theology in providing the content of theology, in calling people everywhere to love its principal object of study, and in shaping the way we think about God’s world. Every biblical author wrote “ad hoc theology” with doctrinal and practical instruction directed toward circumstances in Israel or the early church. Christian theologians work to interpret these context-specific messages, to re­construct the belief system behind them, and to apply them to the needs of the church today.

The Bible may anticipate theology, but the formal development of theology as a discipline took more time. Christians and non-Christians alike have used the term theology in several ways throughout history.5 One of the earliest known uses of theologia is found in the works of Plato, where the philosopher used it unfavorably to describe pagan myths about the gods.6 Plato rejected the “theological” stories of Greek poets who characterized the gods like the crazy guests on a daytime talk show, always “warring, fighting, or plotting against one another.”7 Aristotle also dismissed the ancient “theologies” or mythologies that used the gods to explain natural phenomena.8 Greek philosophers later described their respective philosophies of religion as theologies, a use that resonated with the earliest Christian theologians.9

For the first eleven centuries of the faith, Christian thinkers predominantly used the word theologia to describe the Christian doctrine of God.10 Today, we specify this use of the term as theology proper. Theology proper is a specific category of Christian doctrine that explores the existence, essence, attributes, and activity of God. Theology proper bears some family resemblance to the way Greco-Roman philosophers approached the philosophy of religion, but the God Christian theologians speak of is not “the god of the philosophers.”11 He is the triune God who has “spoken to us by his Son … the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of his nature” (Heb 1:2–3).

The earliest Christian theologians appropriated the term theologia to describe Christian doctrine and their defense of the faith. The first Christian theologies were responses to heretical theologies. The teachings of heretics forced orthodox Christians to explain their own beliefs.12 Justin Martyr (c. 100–c. 165) offered apologetic responses to Jewish and Greek critics of Christianity.13 Second- and third-century theologians Irenaeus (c. 130–c. 202) and Tertullian (c. 155–c. 240) wrote theological treatises in response to the heresies of groups like the Gnostics, who denied the incarnation of Christ and the goodness of creation.14 The late-second-century theologian Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–215) wrote of “the theology of the ever-living word,” which he contrasted with the “theology” of pagan philosophers and myth-makers.15

The adjective theological can also describe individual and cultural beliefs about God or gods. Everyone, whether deeply religious, apathetic toward religion, or adamantly opposed to religion, has some belief about God, their origins, and their final destiny. Consequently, everyone is a “theologian” in this extremely broad sense of the word, though most people never stop to think critically about their religious beliefs.16 While everyone has what Arthur Holmes called a “world-viewish theology,” few stop to analyze their underlying beliefs about God. Even fewer take up the task of studying Christian theology critically.17

One common use of the term theology is everything taught and affirmed within a local Christian church or denomination. In this sense, theology is synonymous with doctrine. This is what people mean when they say, “That church has good theology,” or “That televangelist has a bad theology.” While this usage of theology is common, I want to make a more careful distinction between theology and doctrine, which I will explore in the next chapter.

The adjective theological can also describe any academic discipline taught in a Bible college, seminary, or divinity school.18 I regularly tell my students my systematic theology classes are the most important classes they will take in seminary because the word theological is in the name of our institution. (I’m not sure my colleagues at the seminary are as amused as I am.) But of course, this broader, academic sense of theological also applies to a wide range of disciplines outside of doctrinal studies, including but not limited to biblical studies, church history, philosophy of religion, pastoral ministries, discipleship ministries, counseling ministries, church leadership courses, and worship studies.

Broader Academic Usage of Theological	Doctrinal Studies	Within Systematic Theology
Doctrinal Studies Biblical Studies Church History Pastoral Ministris	Systematic Theology Biblical Theology Old Testament Theology New Testament Theology Historical Theology Philosophical Theology Practical Theology Christian Ethics Christian Apologetics	Theological Method Revelation Theology Proper (the doctrine of God) Theological Anthropology (humanity) Hamartiology (sin) Christology (the person and work of Christ) Soteriology (salvation) Pneumatology (the Holy Spirit) Ecclesiology (church) Eschatology (last things)

Finally, most scholars associate “theology” with the scholarly and critical study of doctrine, what Christians believe and teach. The four traditional branches of doctrinal studies are systematic theology, biblical theology, historical theology, and philosophical theology. Biblical theology is often divided into Old Testament theology and Ne...

Table of contents

• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Part One: Principles
• Part Two: Preparations
• Part Three: Procedures
• Part Four: Practices
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• General Index
• Scripture Index