Church and Theology

As a part of my “pedagogical experience” at Wheaton College this semester, I was required to draft a syllabus for an introduction to Christian theology. Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments. Note: the length of this syllabus doesn’t necessarily correspond to the difficulty of this course Contact Information Email: [REDACTED] Phone: [REDACTED] Office Hours (Buswell Library Carrell): T, W, R, 15:00–17:00. Course Description This course is an introduction to the methods of systematic theology and the major topics within biblical revelation....

For my “Pedagogical Experience” requirement at Wheaton, I’m helping to teach a masters-level Christian Theology course. Yesterday, I got to teach a lesson on justification and sanctification. A lot to cover in a 95-minute class session! If you’re interested in what I covered, here are my slides (in PDF format). [Justification and Sanctification Slides ](https://joshuapsteele.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/19.-Justification-and-Sanctification.pdf)[Download](https://joshuapsteele.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/19.-Justification-and-Sanctification.pdf)And here is the handout (Word document). [Justification and Sanctification Handout ](https://joshuapsteele....

SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGIES: A LIST I put together the following list, using the 10th edition of John Glynn’s Commentary and Reference Survey (Kegel, 2007) as a starting point. I’ll be updating this list in the future, but I could use your help. If there’s something that needs included, please let me know in the comments! Systematic Theologies Barth, Karl. Church Dogmatics, 5 vols. In 14 parts. (T&T Clark, [1932–1967] 1936–1969). Bavinck, Herman....

This upcoming semester, I’ll be taking a seminar on the Doctrine of Creation from my supervisor Marc Cortez. I’ll also be doing my “pedagogical experience” in a Christian Theology course—also with Marc Cortez. Anyways, in case you’re interested, I thought I’d share what I’ll be reading for each course. Have you read any of these works? If so, what did you think? What will you be reading this semester? Doctrine of Creation Colin Gunton, The Triune Creator: A Historical and Systematic Study....

While reading Beth Felker Jones’ Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically, I came across the following list of extremely helpful questions to ask while reading theology (on page 29). What are the key Christian teachings being articulated? What is the author’s driving concern or main theme? What counts for the author as authoritative (Scripture, tradition, reason, experience…)? Is the author’s theological method implicit or explicit? How does the author deal with the witness of Scripture?...

Kevin J. Vanhoozer, affectionately known by some as “KJV,” has written one of the best, briefest overviews of what theologians (should) do. The entire piece is filled with gems like the following: To become a theologian, you must be willing to bear true witness and call out false witnesses, casting down idols and ideologies. That’s the shadow side of theology, but the best part is speaking light and truth in astonished indications of God’s goodness....

Based upon my work over at Rookie Anglican, I was asked by The Telos Collective to write a blog post about the different ways that people are coming into Anglicanism. What’s drawing them in? You can read my full post over at the Telos Collective blog, but here’s a taste: Anglican Christianity, precisely because of its weirdness, can remind us that, in the words of Brad Harper and Paul Louis Metzger in Exploring Ecclesiology, “The church is a cultural community....

Previously, I catalogued a bunch of different takes on Jordan Peterson, before giving my own take. Since that post, two other pieces about Jordan Peterson have been written that I’d like to share. “Jordan Peterson, Custodian of the Patriarchy,” by Nellie Bowles (New York Times) Nellie Bowles writes Mr. Peterson, 55, a University of Toronto psychology professor turned YouTube philosopher turned mystical father figure, has emerged as an influential thought leader....

UPDATE: Read my post, “Two More Pieces about Jordan Peterson.” If I remember correctly, I first heard of and listened to Jordan Peterson on an episode of The Art of Manliness podcast. (Or perhaps it was this episode.) However, I could be mistaken, because Peterson’s been popping up in conversation all over the place in my circles. Blog posts, podcast episodes, conversations with friends – Peterson has been popping up everywhere, so it seems....

I was recently privileged to see one of my favorite bands, The Oh Hellos, in concert at the House of Blues in downtown Chicago. I love all of The Oh Hellos’ music, but one song, in particular, has remained poignant to me ever since I first heard it. The song is called “The Truth is a Cave,” and I think it provides a beautiful picture of what I’m calling “the theological journey” – the stages one goes through in one’s knowledge of God....