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Description
Flashcards by Johan Gertzen, updated more than 1 year ago
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Created by Johan Gertzen
about 8 years ago
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| Question | Answer |
| THE METHOD OF THEOLOGY | We have said that theology is a science. That means in part that it has a definite procedure. |
| Collection of the Biblical Materials | The first step will be to identify all the relevant biblical passages dealing with the topic being investigated and then to interpret them very carefully. This is the process known as exegesis. |
| The exegete will want to use the very best of theological tools and methods. | These tools include concordances, commentaries, and, for the person who knows the original languages, the biblical texts, grammars, and lexicons. |
| careful evaluation of our interpretational tools is important. | We should consider the position of the author of a commentary, for example. We should at least be aware of the author’s theological perspective so that presuppositions inconsistent with our own general orientation are not imported unknowingly. |
| the crucial consideration is to determine precisely what the author was saying to his particular audience. This will involve the study of biblical backgrounds so that we understand, as it were, the other partner in the dialogue. | Such biblical inquiry will involve examination of various types of biblical material. In some cases we will do word studies; examine didactic passages of Scripture in which an author addresses a particular topic in forthright fashion. More difficult, but also extremely important, are the narrative passages. |
| Unification of the Biblical Materials | It is important to learn what a biblical author says in different settings about a given subject. Doctrine, however, is more than a mere description of what Paul, Luke, or John said; and so we must draw these several witnesses together into some sort of coherent whole. In this, the theologian is following a procedure that is not totally different from that of other disciplines. |
| Identification of the Essence of the Doctrine | Bearing in mind that the biblical teachings were written to specific situations and that our current cultural setting may be in some respects considerably different from that of the biblical writers, we must make sure that we do not simply re-express the biblical message in the same form. We must discover the underlying message behind all its specific forms of expression. |
| The other danger is that we will, in the process of attempting to declare the message, so alter it that it becomes in effect a different genus rather than a different species within the same genus. | This task of identifying the permanent truth within temporary forms of expression is so important |
| Illumination from Sources Beyond the Bible We said earlier that the Bible is the primary source of our doctrinal construction. While it is the major source, it is not the only one. God has revealed himself in a more general sense in his creation and in human history. | An example is the question of the image of God in humankind. we are not able to determine from Scripture what the image of God involves specifically. The behavioral sciences, however, may give us some insight into the image of God by enabling us to identify what is unique about the human among the various types of creatures. |
| It is worth noting that in the history of biblical interpretation some nonbiblical disciplines have in fact contributed to our theological knowledge— sometimes despite the reluctance of biblical exegetes and theologians. Natural sciences, particularly geology, have contributed to our knowledge of what God did. | We need to make certain, however, that the Bible is the primary authority in our endeavor. We also need to be certain that we do not draw conclusions prematurely about the relationship between biblical and nonbiblical materials. |
| Contemporary Expression of the Doctrine Once we have determined the abiding essence or permanent content of the doctrine, we must express it in a fashion that is reasonably accessible to persons of our day. One of the ways this might be done was first formulated by Paul Tillich and is known as the method of correlation. | The first step is to inquire what questions are being asked by our age. By this we mean not simply the immediate existential issues that individuals face but the whole way in which the general culture views reality. |
| These questions then become the starting point for our presentation of the Christian message; that is, we relate the content of biblical theology to them. To be sure, we must not allow the non-Christian world to set the agenda completely, for in many cases it may not ask or even recognize the existence of the most important questions. | Although our age seems to be increasingly characterized by depersonalization and detachment, there are indications that there is a craving for a personal dimension in life to which the doctrine of the God who knows and cares about each one can be profitably related. |
| And although there has been a confidence that modern technology could solve the problems of the world, there is a growing awareness that the problems are much larger and more frightening than realized and that humans are the greatest problem to themselves. | Today it is popular to speak of “contextualizing” the message. This term is frequently used in the discipline of missiology, where there is a need to translate concepts from one’s own culture to a different contemporary culture. |
| The first we may call length. This involves taking the message from biblical times to the present and re-expressing it. | The second dimension we may call breadth— Christianity may assume different forms of expression in different cultures. Western missionaries must be certain that they do not simply carry their own culture to other parts of the world. |
| There is also the dimension of height. A message can be expressed at different levels of complexity and sophistication. | One should not, for example, communicate the Christian message in the same form to a child as to a university professor. Beyond that, there is the question of background in biblical and theological concepts. |
| Development of a Central Interpretive Motif It is not always necessary for individual Christians to formulate a basic central characterization of their theology. | Sometimes this motif reflects one’s denomination. For example, some persons of the Reformed tradition stress the sovereignty of God, whereas some Lutherans emphasize the grace of God and the role of faith. |
| The way in which we characterize our theology is often related to our own personality and background. The customizing touch will make biblical truth more functional when we install it into our own lives. | Stratification of the Topics It is important that we decide what the major issues of theology are and what the subpoints or subissues are. The more major a given point, the greater should be the degree of tenacity with which we insist on it. |
| In part, this is a matter of simply outlining our theology so that we can determine the major points, the subpoints, and the topics that are subordinate to the subpoints. | For example, the doctrine of Scripture is fundamental because our understanding of all other doctrines is derived from it. Further, the doctrine of God is basic because it supplies the very framework within which all other theological construction is done. |
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