robus(t)heology

Definition of systematic theology Systematic theology is the study on what the whole Bible teaches about any given topic. This is discovered by collecting, understanding, and summarizing relevant teachings passages in the Bible regarding each topic. Relationship to Other Disciplines Systematic theology is different from historical theology, philosophical theology, and apologetics in that systematic theology interacts directly with the biblical text to understand what the Bible itself says about various theological subjects Systematic theology makes Scripture the final authority on what we are to believe…not history, philosophy, or logic Systematic theology is different from Old Testament theology, New Testament theology, and biblical theology in that these three disciplines organize their topics historically and in the order the topics are presented in the Bible Biblical theology focuses on the historical development of the biblical authors, original hearers and reade...

I'm avid collector of books and ebooks. Since my favorite subject is theology, most of those books are systematic theologies. I've read and studied from some great ones. One of the best and my favorite by far would be Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology". It's clear, sound, detailed, well-organized, and very accessible. One needs not to have gone to seminary to instantly benefit from it. Being that Dr. Grudem's theology lines up with my own personal theology and seeing that there isn't a historic confession or statement of beliefs that holds to that theology (the exception being John Piper's former church's Elder Affirmation of Faith ...which is excellent), I'll be undertaking the task of presenting Dr. Grudem's Systematic Theology. This may take a year or so but I feel it will yield lifelong spiritual benefits for readers (as well as myself). I recommend purchasing a copy for your own collection. "Systematic Theology" is s...

Here we get a glimpse into the mind of the Black leader, prophet, and theologian Martin Luther King, Jr. concerning his thoughts on Calvinism: Calvinism: A term covering the current of theological thought dating back to John Calvin (1509-1564) whose famous Institutes embodies its historic principles. All of Calvin's thought grows around the view that God is the center of all that is and happens. It is from this premise that five of his basic ideas grow: (1) Double election (2) Limited Atonement (3) Irresistible Grace (4) Total depravity of man (5) Perseverance of the Saints.

Here's a little illustration I used to explain the correct view (Calvinism) of salvation. It's simple yet, in my opinion, conveys important truths of the gospel. Maybe, in the future, I'll put some scripture proofs with it. To get into a theme park  ( the Kingdom of God ) you need a ticket ( justification ). You're broke ( spiritually dead ) so you can't buy ( obtain ) it on your own. Your older brother ( Jesus ) purchases the  ticket  ( justification ) for you. He plans ( predestines ) to  send  ( give ) you this  ticket ( justification ). There is just one problem...you don't have a mailbox ( faith ) to receive it and since you're  broke ( spiritually dead ) you can't buy  ( obtain ) it. Your  older brother ( Jesus ) than sets you up with ( effectually calls you to )  a P.O. box ( faith ). All because of the generosity ( grace ) of your  older brother  ( Jesus ), you now have...

Seminary. That word stirs up different things in different people. To some it could be a far off thing due to tuition costs and even admission requirements. To others, it could be the security of knowing that the one feeding your flock is sound in what he teaches since he is backed by a college board of directors. And even to others, like me, it could be memories of spiritual enrichment and community along with frustration and pressure over exams, lectures, assignments, etc. Whatever thoughts seminary conjures, it is universally accepted for the most part that higher education is important in the religious arena—as in all other arenas. This belief isn’t foreign to the church. After all, bible study and Sunday school emphasizes a church’s importance on education. Now there are those who say, “I don’t need no seminary” or “The Holy Spirit and the Bible is my teacher”. While it is possible to be well versed in the Bible and theology without seminary, one need only to take brief tours ...

There are many myths on both sides of the Calvinism/Arminianism debate. This has lead to needless arguments on issues that neither side holds to. While it would be great for there be a list of myths concerning Arminianism, I am a Calvinist and I felt that I should address what I am most familiar with. So I have compiled a top ten list of myths concerning Calvinism. Some of these are held by non-Calvinists and some are held by some claiming to be Calvinists. The popularity of some of these myths may well be the fact that they are endorsed by some claiming to be Calvinists but in reality are unauthorized ambassadors of the doctrine. Anyone who is familiar with the history of Calvinism will know that none of the Reformed giants such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, Theodore Beza, Jonathan Edwards, or Loraine Boettner (who gave us the five points of Calvinism in the form of the acronym TULIP) ever endorsed these myths. 1. Calvinism denies God’s universal love. A good Calvinist is deemed...

Once one has been fully convinced of the soundness of the doctrines of grace (points of Calvinism), he/she is resolute in their conviction....that is usually until they are called to the carpet on it. You can believe in Unconditional Election wholeheartedly but you seem at a lost when trying to defend your position—especially against those who are seasoned in whatever doctrines they hold to. Or it could be that you know you the doctrine of Irresistible Grace is true but can't explain why. So I narrowed down the top 5 resources for the Calvinist. I'm gonna try to list this from essential or introductory to advanced. 1. Of course number is the Bible . And not just any bible but one that is more formal/literal but that is understandable. Those two things usually come at trade-offs. I would say nothing as literal/formal as the KJV or even the NASB (the NASB is a great version but the KJV to me just isn't readable...most of the time it doesn't even sound like English...