Practicing Christian Doctrine

An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically

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Pub Date 15 Apr 2014 | Archive Date 01 Sep 2014

Description

This introductory theology text explains key concepts in Christian doctrine and shows that doctrine is integrally linked to the practical realities of Christian life. In order to grow into more faithful practitioners of Christianity, we need to engage in the practice of learning doctrine and understanding how it shapes faithful lives. Beth Felker Jones helps students articulate basic Christian doctrines, think theologically so they can act Christianly in a diverse world, and connect Christian thought to their everyday life of faith.

This book, written from a solidly evangelical yet ecumenically aware perspective, models a way of doing theology that is generous and charitable. It attends to history and contemporary debates and features voices from the global church. Sidebars made up of illustrative quotations, key Scripture passages, classic hymn texts, and devotional poetry punctuate the chapters.

This introductory theology text explains key concepts in Christian doctrine and shows that doctrine is integrally linked to the practical realities of Christian life. In order to grow into more...


Advance Praise

Practicing Christian Doctrine is a timely and important reminder that doctrines are not merely ideas to be debated but truths to be done. Jones’s evangelical and ecumenical approach to each doctrine is also most welcome: she does a good job balancing the centripetal force of evangelicals’ focus on the gospel with the centrifugal force of the gospel’s historical reception in many places and times. Practicing Christian Doctrine joins the short list of one-volume introductions to Christian theology that I am happy to recommend.”—Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

“Beth Felker Jones’s Practicing Christian Doctrine is a wise, well-written introduction to the wonder and joy of Christian doctrine and to the importance of actually practicing what Christians affirm to be true. I can’t think of a better text for introducing Christians to the riches of our theological heritage and to the call to live out that legacy well in the world today.”—Christopher A. Hall, Eastern University

“Beth Felker Jones has written an introductory theology for evangelical Christians that affirms what is praiseworthy about this distinctive movement within Christianity, while at the same time drawing on the rich tradition offered by other voices and movements in the global church to enrich and nurture their understanding of the gospel. Written in an accessible and winsome style, this book will be a valuable teaching tool for years to come.”—Barry Harvey, professor of theology, Honors College and the Graduate Faculty in Religion, Baylor University

“A good theology text will outline the contours of doctrine with clarity and verve. Jones does an admirable job of this, introducing the rich tradition of Christian thought across the ages and around the globe. However, she goes beyond the ‘what’ of theology to draw the reader into the ‘So what?’ with lively reminders of the joy and gratitude that should permeate theological exploration. Perhaps the most helpful feature of this book, though, is that it never loses sight of the ‘Now what?’ question, as Jones embeds evocative indicators of how Christian thought is to be embodied and lived.”—Steven Wilkens, professor of philosophy and ethics, Azusa Pacific University

“In Practicing Christian Doctrine, Beth Felker Jones presents a rich and engaging survey of Christian doctrine, showing how good theology is not merely to be believed but also lived. As she demonstrates in each chapter concerning every major doctrine of the faith, orthodox theology should nourish spiritual growth and inspire faithful Christian living. I highly recommend this book, whether as a classroom text or for personal use.”—James S. Spiegel, Taylor University

Practicing Christian Doctrine is a timely and important reminder that doctrines are not merely ideas to be debated but truths to be done. Jones’s evangelical and ecumenical approach to each doctrine...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9780801049330
PRICE $25.99 (USD)

Average rating from 3 members


Featured Reviews

Jones, Beth Felker. Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic 2014. 256 pages. ISBN-13: 978-0801049330.
Reviewed by E. Jerome Van Kuiken, Asst. Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Oklahoma Wesleyan University, Bartlesville, OK.
Dr. Jones is a Wesleyan Theological Society member, United Methodist pastoral spouse, and at the time of writing was a Wheaton College theology professor. Having authored studies of theological anthropology (The Marks of His Wounds: Resurrection Doctrine and Gender Politics), pneumatology (God the Spirit: Introducing Pneumatology in Wesleyan and Ecumenical Perspective), and Stephenie Meyer’s fantasy bestsellers (Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga), Jones has now released an introductory systematic theology textbook aimed at undergraduate students. As the title suggests, she intends to inculcate that doctrine is meant to be lived out, not just thought about. The book’s introduction and concluding benediction, as well as each chapter’s final section, emphasize this intent.
The introduction also identifies Jones’ theological perspective as evangelical and ecumenical. Regarding the former, she situates herself within the matrix of multiple scholars’ definitions of evangelicalism. Regarding the latter, she emphasizes both the unity of consensually-held theology and the diversity of theologians. Consequently, the following chapters unfold a traditional Protestant ordering of doctrines – revelation and Scripture, Trinity, creation and providence, theological anthropology, Christology, soteriology, pneumatology, ecclesiology, eschatology – liberally sprinkled with quotes from patristic and feminist thinkers, Thomas Aquinas and Julian of Norwich, Calvin and Wesley, Pope (emeritus) Benedict XVI and non-Western theologians. Doctrinal content befits a theologian teaching at Wheaton: discreet defenses of classical theism and masculine God-talk; confession of creatio ex nihilo coupled with ease about contemporary scientific models of the “how” of creation; commitment to Scripture’s verbal, plenary inspiration, Chalcedon’s Christology, and the Reformation’s solas; and concern for sociopolitical and ecological exploitation worldwide. Jones tips her Methodist hand in Chapter One by introducing the Wesleyan Quadrilateral but is even-handed in her coverage of Arminianism versus Calvinism. While not minimizing the two systems’ significant disagreements, she stresses that both of them are fundamentally grace-based as opposed to Pelagius’ and Charles Finney’s overconfidence in human free will.
Jones is also gracious in her handling of other points of theological divergence. As with the Arminian-Calvinist divide, at some points she simply sketches the rival views and affirms their common denominator. She takes this approach, for instance, in debates over biblical inerrancy versus infallibility, holistic dualism versus nonreductive physicalism, and the assorted millennialisms. Elsewhere, such as with cessationism, she appreciates the element of truth in it before rejecting it. On other occasions she integrates multiple perspectives, as with views of the imago Dei and models of atonement. Her recurrent nemeses are idolatry, which she sees several heresies as entailing, and Gnosticism.
A brief textbook like Practicing Christian Doctrine cannot cover everything. Jones assumes that her readers are already acquainted with Scripture’s overarching story and its details. She elects to discuss in some depth the divine attributes of immutability and impassibility but simply to affirm the “omni” attributes. Likewise, she surveys various Protestant positions on the Eucharist but not on baptism. Such selectiveness gives a somewhat uneven feel to her coverage, but this is easily countered in an introductory theology course by class lectures or use of a supplemental textbook like Greg Boyd and Paul Eddy’s Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology. Jones’ frequent citation of historic Christian thinkers without introductions may strike uninitiated students as irrelevant name-dropping. Again, a supplemental survey of Christian intellectual history could prove valuable.
Other instances of unevenness or omissions involve terminology. One example distills the issue: Chapter Two opens with the line, “The big reveal is a familiar trope in ‘reality’ television,” then notes how superficial media “revelations” contrast with transformative divine revelation, of which one “locus” is Scripture (p. 31). Here Jones’ popular-culture reference establishes rapport with readers and demonstrates insightful application of doctrine to practice; these positive points, though, are blunted by jargon like “locus,” with which many undergraduates are unfamiliar. Similar instances arise across the book. Jones’ many insightful remarks and occasional references to current culture (e.g., Harry Potter) make the text well worth reading. Here and there, however, she falls into comments that assume advanced terminological knowledge, including etymological knowledge. Aggravating the text’s terminological trouble is that key terms are in bold print, but without any corresponding glossary. On the positive side, the occasional diagrams and the many sidebars with descriptions of concepts and with quotes from Scripture, creeds, theologians, and poets add variety and value to the text and should be retained.
Practicing Christian Doctrine insightfully, informatively introduces the practice of theology. It fills a niche for the educator who wants a beginning theology textbook from a broadly orthodox, evangelical perspective more distinctively Wesleyan than Stanley Grenz’s Created for Community or Alister McGrath’s Theology: The Basics but less so than Sam Powell’s Discovering Our Christian Faith. The availability of Practicing Christian Doctrine as an ebook, including hyperlinked endnotes, enhances its attractiveness for classroom use.

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