 Don’t know much about history  The Presbyterian Layman Volume 34, Number 5, Posted July 6, 2001
Far from resulting in bliss, this theological ignorance is a key component of our current ecclesiastical chaos. One important step individual Presbyterians and entire congregations could take toward a more coherent corporate future would be to recover a sense of our theological connectionalism, a heritage that can steer us away from past pitfalls as we seek to be faithful today. Three new books offer trustworthy guidance to all inclined in this direction. From Peter Abelard to Ulrich Zwingli, from Arianism and scholasticism through Arminianism and Calvinism to liberation theologies and postmodernism, The Dictionary of Historical Theology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), edited by Trevor A. Hart, concentrates on “figures, schools of thought and significant texts in the development of Christian theology.” The 314 articles, by Christian scholars from around the world, run from 500 to 15,000 words. Offered as “a resource to all those with a serious interest in the history and development of Christian theology,” this Dictionary should be on the shelves of all who wish to engage in substantive theological discussion. Edited by Walter A. Elwell, the second edition of Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001) takes shorter looks at more topics. Most of the approximately 1,300 entries range between a paragraph and a page in length. All are carefully cross-referenced and contain brief bibliographies. About 100 pages and 215 new articles were added for this edition of a work that has rightly become a standard reference. Beliefs impact the way we live Finally, Donald McKim wrote Introducing the Reformed Faith: Biblical Revelation, Christian Tradition, Contemporary Significance (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001) “for those with no previous theological background.” Designed for individual or class use, the book offers a Reformed perspective on 15 key doctrines including Scripture, sin, salvation, church and the person and work of Christ. Written in clear, non-technical language, the doctrinal chapters offer sections on Biblical bases, Reformed emphases and contemporary significance. Those who come to this book with little or no knowledge of their Reformed theological heritage will, one hopes, come away having learned “to recognize that what we believe theologically does impact the ways we live.” Perhaps those who undertake such a study will even come to recognize that our theological beliefs have an enormous impact on the way we live together; that remembering our theological history and heritage not only binds us together in the present but prepares us to shape and share a common future. Robert P. Mills |
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