Reformed Doctrine

Why the study of theology is important

Richard Phillips, a popular reformed pastor, once said that today “peo}
ple are bored with theology, which is another way of saying that they
are bored with God.” It is the belief of the teacher that there is much
truth in this- the fact that if you are bored with theology, you are bored
with God.

Many men and women have done theology badly, many others have
misrepresented what it is as well. It is a fact of today’s culture to be laid
back, lazy, and disengaged. This class challenges all three of those, be}
cause God challenges us. We cannot come to God with anything less
than a humble heart. Doctrine, or the dogma of the church, is a valuable
study, for as you will hear your teacher say again and again, “it will
transform your life. Because studying theology is a journey that takes
you to the face of God, and like Isaiah before you- you will be undone.”

Methodology
This class has a two fold focus: who God is and who we are. Utilizing
both the wonderful gifts of systematic theology and biblical theology
we look at the story of the Bible through the categories given to us.
(Theology Proper, Christology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, etc.) To this
end one must properly understand what the Bible is and what it does.
Renowned theologian NT Wright explained it this way;

“The Bible isn’t there simply to be an accurate reference point for

people who want to look things up and be sure they’ve got them
right. It is there to equip God’s people to carry forward his pur}
poses of new covenant and new creation. It is there to enable
people to work for justice, to sustain their spirituality as they do
so, to create and enhance relationships at every level, and to pro}
duce that new creation which will have about it something of the
beauty of God himself... The Bible is there to enable God’s people
to be equipped to do God’s work in God’s world, not to give them

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an excuse to sit back smugly, knowing the possess all God’s

truth.”1

It is the strong conviction of your teacher that theology is essential for

the Christian life (2 Tim: 3:16-17) as you learn more about yourself, the
triune God, and your mission in this world.

A word about dialogue and conversation. This class depends on ac}

tive student participation. Grades are given that equals the student’s
effort. There is such a thing as healthy conversation about the Bible,
and that discussion is easily ruined, soured, destroyed, etc., by arro}
gance and a lack of love. God designed the body of Christ, of whom
Christians are vital members of, to learn from one another. Enter with
humility.

Textbooks
• Christian George, Godology: knowing God changes everything
(Moody, 2009)
• Various essays by selected authors (Tim Keller, Michael Horton, Mar}
tin Luther, and others)

Assessment
• Tests - upon the conclusion of every module your knowledge will be
tested by both objective (vocabulary) and subjective means (short
answer and essay)
• Quizzes - every Friday that we have school there will be a short quiz
on objective vocabulary from that week
• Essay - one essay on the question “Why I am (or am not) a Calvinist?”
The paper length must be at least 1200 -1500 words. Your grade will

1 NT Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense, (HarperCollins, 2006), 182-184

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be deducted if it is too long. Prepare yourself accordingly. This pa}

per is due November 20th, 2009 (the Friday before our Thanksgiving
break).
• Extra Credit - available only once - a book review of one of the fol}
lowing works:
• Michael Horton, Putting Amazing Back into Grace, (Baker, 1994),
319 pages.
• RC Sproul, What is Reformed Theology, (Baker, 2005), 240 pages.
• Christian George, Sex, Sushi, and Salvation, (Moody, 2008), 192
pages.
• Kevin DeYoung and Ted Kluck, Why we are not Emergent, (Moody,
2008), 256 pages

Qualifications for the book review.

1000 words summarizing the purpose of the book recounting the
author’s intent and thesis. (Why was this book written? To whom was
this book written? And what is this book about?) Any good book re}
view focuses on the argument of the author. To do this one must fol}
low the thesis and how it is developed. By the end of the book the
reader should have an overwhelming understanding of the thesis. (That
is if you read it closely.) Pay attention to what bothers you, to what ex}
cites you, to what challenges your thinking. Tell me how the book does
each of those things.

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