Model for Evangelical Theology

Graham McFarlane

Description

Written by a skilled theologian with over two decades of classroom experience, this introduction to evangelical theology explains how connecting to five sources of Christian theology--Scripture, tradition, reason, experience, and community--leads to a richer and deeper understanding of the faith. Graham McFarlane calls this the "evangelical quintilateral," which he recommends as a helpful rubric for teaching theology. This integrative model introduces students to the sources, themes, tasks, and goals of evangelical theology, making the book ideal for introductory theology courses.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 15 septembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493422364
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Endorsements
“Clear and accessible, this book serves evangelical students and church people alike. McFarlane guides readers to help them to form their theological commitments and articulation, and—while he draws on a range of thinkers—he never deviates from conclusions and discussions which are textured by evangelical theological commitments and emphases. This is a good introduction for any evangelical wishing to think more about the faith in which they so passionately believe: it opens up the vast horizons of theological wisdom which can be explored in praise and love of God for all eternity.”
— Tom Greggs , FRSE, University of Aberdeen
“Like the wise steward in Jesus’s parable, Graham McFarlane brings out of the storehouse things old and new. A Model for Evangelical Theology presents the best insights from a wealth of theological sources, creatively woven into a fresh presentation that is a manifesto for the theological endeavor and, more importantly, a celebration of the high vocation of the evangelical theologian. McFarlane rehabilitates the Wesleyan Quadrilateral as an Evangelical Quintilateral, adding community to Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience, arguably bringing out what Wesley himself emphasized: that theology is only possible in the presence of God and of all others with whom we are formed and transformed. This is innovation on the theological tradition at its energizing best.”
— Andrew Stobart , Wesley House, Cambridge
“At a time when the word ‘evangelical’ is increasingly misunderstood or politicized, McFarlane’s comprehensive and systematic account of an evangelical theological method is a breath of fresh air. His writing is clearly the product of decades of teaching theology, allowing curiosity and questioning to shape his approach, engaging heart and mind in equal measure. McFarlane’s proposal of community as a fifth dimension to the method of evangelical theology places theology right where it should be—at the heart of the church, and as the calling not of the academic elite but of all who are baptized into the body of Christ. This book will not only deepen your understanding of the foundations of your faith but also increase your love for the God of the gospel and his mission in the world today.”
— Hannah Steele , St. Mellitus College, London
“A preoccupation with theological method has been described as clearing one’s throat. If that is true, Graham McFarlane has accomplished this so well that those who read this book will speak with a more profound theological voice. McFarlane provides us with a truly evangelical prolegomena that goes further and deeper than anything that has been published, unpacking five dimensions of the theological enterprise in the company of a wide range of practitioners. He dissects, clarifies, and exemplifies the process of theological thinking that will assist us in remaining true to the Word and relevant to the human situation.”
— Dennis Okholm , Azusa Pacific University; author of Learning Theology through the Church’s Worship
“McFarlane provides a much-needed critical-confessional model for evangelical theology revisited for the ecclesial realities of the twenty-first century. Thoughtfully engaging Albert Outler’s descriptive Wesleyan Quadrilateral of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience, McFarlane offers a systematic consideration of theology that is almost abandoned or at least overlooked in evangelical discussions. I highly recommend this book for students and individuals seeking a model for theology that is robustly evangelical and relevant for theological engagement today.”
— Joy J. Moore , Luther Seminary
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2020 by Graham McFarlane
Published by Baker Academic
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakeracademic.com
Ebook edition created 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-2236-4
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations labeled The Message are taken from THE MESSAGE , copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress. All rights reserved. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
Dedication
To my wife, Hilary
Contents
Cover i
Endorsements ii
Title Page iii
Copyright Page iv
Dedication v
Preface xi
Part 1: Evangelical Theology and Its Method 1
1. Framing the Skill of Being a Theologian 3
Theology Is about Asking Questions
Theology Is about Our Worldview
Theology Is about Communication
Theology Is about the Whole Person
Theology Is about Developing Habits
Suggested Reading
2. Working Definition 37
The Ordinary and the Academic
What Is Theology?
Suggested Reading
3. The Relational and the Revelational 47
The Relational
The Revelational
Concluding Remarks
Suggested Reading
4. Theological Method 59
The Evangelical in Theological Method
An Integrated Theological Method
Integrative Theology versus Integrative Theological Method
Suggested Reading
Part 2: An Integrated Model for Evangelical Theology 69
5. Scripture 71
The Supremacy of Scripture
Scripture Speaks and Acts with Authority
Scripture Is Inspired
Why Scripture Does What It Does
Reading Scripture as Indwelling Scripture
Scripture as Revelation
Scripture as a Living Text
Concluding Remarks
Suggested Reading
6. Tradition 101
Tradition Defined
Tradition in Scripture
Continuing the Tradition: Gospel Tradition Process
Continuing the Tradition: Tradition and Orthodoxy
Continuing the Tradition: Tradition in the West
Concluding Remarks
Suggested Reading
7. Reason 133
Setting the Scene
Engaged Reason
Implications for an Evangelical Theological Method
Reason and the Church
An Alternative Evangelical Reason
Foundations
Toward a Reasonable Solution: Reason as Wisdom
Suggested Reading
8. Experience 167
The Great Experiment
Defining Experience
The Problem of Experience
Theological Experience
What Controls Experience?
Suggested Reading
9. Community 203
The Fifth Dimension
Doing Theology Coram Deo —in the Presence of the Triune God
Love and Fidelity
Integration
Formative and Transformative
Neighborly Community
Doing Theology Missio Dei : On the Mission of the Triune God
Concluding Remarks
Suggested Reading
Conclusion: The Quintilateral as a Dynamic Theological Method 239
Notes 247
Bibliography 277
Index 297
Back Cover 306
Preface
Lovers are the ones who know most about God; the theologian must listen to them.
Hans Urs von Balthasar, Love Alone Is Credible 1
T his is a book I have wanted to write for nearly three decades. It has taken me this long to understand why systematic theologians are advised to publish only toward the end of their lecturing years. It probably takes us this length of time not only to identify the issues facing the contemporary church but also to propose a mature solution. After all, we only get one shot per annum at giving our lectures, so we develop them, and then, in the busyness of academia, file them for the next year. I am a natural evangelical—I have too much energy for my own good, I like quick solutions, and I prefer action to reflection. Theological method was simply a distraction from getting on with the job! Indeed, being Scottish, I knew that there were superb faculties of divinity in my homeland that would earth a student in this skill for an entire first year of undergraduate studies, if this is what was desired.
My fascination with theological method began when I spent a research sabbatical at the hospitality of Asbury Theological Seminary in Kentucky. It was a privilege to spend time with Wesleyans and Methodists. In addition to discovering a gentle and deeply holistic spirituality, I was struck by their commitment to a theological method premised on John Wesley’s approach. While Wesleyan scholars have now moved on from this position, on the whole, exposure to what has come to be known as the Wesleyan Quadrilateral did its damage to me! I became aware of theological method permeating every aspect of faith . As a result, I also became all too aware of the inadequacy of my own theological tradition and training in particular and, in general, the wider inadequacy of evangelical theology to address the mercurial nature of early twenty-first-century Western culture. Evangelicalism is, after all, a product of modernity and is ill fitted to the vagaries of postmodernity, let alone post-Christendom.
This awareness set me on a personal and professional inquiry: What might a specifically evangelical theological method look like? I quickly discovered just how difficult it was to convince others—in this instance my colleagues—that this was an issue worth putting in an evangelical theological curriculum. What galvanized my inquiry into the possibility of teaching an evangelical theological method was the challenge presented to the faculty at London School of Theology (LST) by the board of governors to come up with a new MA program. It became clear very quickly to me that there was no MA program in theological method for evangelical students. So, being in the position to pursue this trajectory, I convinced my faculty colleagues that an MA in evangelical theological method was worth developing. Over a period of several months, we pulled on our expertise and worked collaboratively—even joined by my colleague Conrad Gempf, whose Lutheran