The truth of God is rich and multifaceted. Though a coherent body of revelation, the Bible comes to us through a variety of inspired authors, metaphors, and themes highlighting the many facets of God's truth. Likewise, our theological formulations capture manifold emphases--distinct perspectives on the whole--which collectively enable us to gain a fuller understanding of the truth. Poythress explains, We use what we have gained from one perspective to reinforce, correct, or improve what we understood through another. I call this procedure 'symphonic theology' because it is analogous to a blending of various musical instruments to express the variation of a symphonic theme. The implications of this approach are far-reaching for theology and praxis.

What is education? How and why do educators do what we do? And, in what way can and ought education be distinctively Christian? These are a few of the probing questions for which this book seeks answers. Among other contributions, Currivean’s book explores a biblical philosophy of Christian education with unprecedented breadth and depth. To accomplish this objective, it considers what education is (chapter 1), what philosophy of education is (chapter 2), and what the ultimate goal of education is (chapter 3). Additionally, this book provides a never-before, Christian overview of twelve philosophies of education (chapters 4–15). Each of those chapters provides an introduction of a particular philosophy of education and some of that philosophy’s exemplars. Each of those chapters also contributes a constructive, Christian critique. Chapter 16 highlights a biblical philosophy of Christian education—featuring some people, some principles, and some priorities for a biblical philosophy of Christian education, viz. pursuing excellence for the glory of God.

Reading Christian Theology in the Protestant Tradition offers a distinctive approach to the value of classic works through the lens of Protestantism. While it is anachronistic to speak of Christian theology prior to the Reformation as "Protestant†?, it is wholly appropriate to recognize how certain common Protestant concerns can be discerned in the earliest traditions of Christianity. The resonances between the ages became both informative and inspiring for Protestants who looked back to pre-reformation sources for confirmation, challenge, and insight. Thus this book begins with the first Christian theologians, covering nearly 2000 years of theological writing from the Didache, Justin Martyr, and Origen to James Cone, José Míguez Bonino, and Sallie McFague. Five major periods of church history are represented in 12 key works, each carefully explained and interpreted by an expert in the field.

Vern Poythress, one of today’s leading Reformed theologians, has made many vital contributions to evangelical scholarship— particularly a vision to glorify Christ as Lord over all areas of human life in order to redeem all realms of human thought. In honor of his many years of faithful thinking and writing, twenty evangelical scholars have come together to produce a set of essays on topics of importance throughout his ministry: biblical exegesis, the doctrine of the Trinity, worldview, history, and ethics.

Men and women embarking on the study of systematic theology quickly find themselves awash in a sea of unfamiliar theological terms, historical names, and philosophical "-isms." The Survivor's Guide to Theology is both a life preserver to help stay afloat and a compass to help navigate these often unfamiliar waters. While many books on systematic theology provide introductory material, still the reader is often forced to dive right into actual theology without adequate framework for understanding. Resources for building this framework are available but scattered. This unique book brings them together in one place. The Survivor's Guide to Theology is ideal for both introduction and review/reference. - The first part deals with the question, "What is Theology?" It addresses issues, categories, theory of knowledge, and more. - The second part surveys nine major theological systems. For each, the author provides history and background, overview of content and theological distinctive, and a critique. - The final part provides the reader with biographical sketches of significant theologians, a brief dictionary of common theological terms, and an annotated bibliography of major theological works.

As the church in the global south continues to grow at a rapid pace, the question of how to develop local theologies becomes more and more urgent. This book charts a path forward through exegetical, theological and cultural analysis by scholars who are wrestling with the issues in their own situations around the globe. The contents were developed under the auspices of the World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission at the Oxford contextualization consultation. This book was published in partnership with the World Evangelical Alliance.

Historically, the Reformed and Charismatic streams have seemed to be almost mutually exclusive. In recent years, this exclusivity has been being challenged by a new generation of Reformed thinkers. This work aims at considering the contribution of John Wimber, the late leader of the Vineyard Churches, to contemporary theological reflection within the Reformed tradition. Taking into account John Wimber's unique theology of the "radical middle," which is somewhere between Pentecostal and Evangelical, this book asks whether Wimber may be a possible alternative source for the contemporary Reformed Churches as they approach ministry and mission in the twenty-first century. Written from a confessional Presbyterian context in Northern Ireland, Word and Power places Wimber in his theological context and asks whether Wimber's view of power evangelism, discipleship formation, and ministry training might be a model that Reformed Churches--and Presbyterians in particular--could adopt for their ecclesiology today.