Theology

"For my own part I tend to find the doctrinal books often more helpful in devotion than the devotional books, and I rather suspect that the same experience may await many others. I believe that many who find that 'nothing happens' when they sit down, or kneel down, to a book of devotion, would find that the heart sings unbidden while they are working their way through a tough bit of theology with a pipe in their teeth and a pencil in their hand."C. S. Lewis

The word theology brings certain images to mind—aged scholars in tweed jackets with leather elbow patches and thick glasses reading enormous dusty tomes in chilly rooms accessed only by a stone spiral staircase, or young university students smoking pipes and drinking black coffee while discussing the influence of Tillich on the doctrine of the hypostatic union of the the anthropic person. Academic theologians are seen as studious, patient, intellectual. . . boring.

In our postmodern culture, ideas are expressed not held. Since we can't know anything for sure, why try? Life is busy and stressful enough; we'd prefer to spend our free time doing something fun instead of poring over hard-to-understand books. And tweed passed out of fashion a long time ago (though pipes and black coffee are making a come-back).

But academic theologians aren't theology. Theology—from the Greek theos (God) and logos (to know)—is the study of God. In a broad sense we are, every one of us, theologians. Paul said even unbelievers have knowledge of God (Rom. 1:18-23). As Christians we have definite beliefs about God. Sometimes those beliefs are unclear because we haven't taken time to study them, so we downplay their importance. We act like theology is optional, claiming "no creed but Christ." But the question isn't whether we're going to have a theology or not, it's whether our theology will be true or false. Because we want true theology, we base our study on God's Word where He has revealed Himself.

Theology is intensely practical: as one fellow said, it comes out our fingertips. It's not just mental exercise, it affects everything we do. God is concerned with what we believe because it influences the way we live. As Christians, we are new creations who want to serve Him (2 Cor. 5:16-18).

Disclaimer:

Our goal is to provoke theological discussion and thought. To that end our selection of theology offers a significantly different perspective than you'll find nearly anywhere else—at least all in one place. (We don't think we're heretics.) While we aren't dogmatic in our defense of all of them, we aren't apologetic either. We don't mean to be rude or divisive, but we aren't afraid to step on toes if it leads others to reflection. We believe generous dialogue is necessary among Christians to help us clarify what we believe and introduce us to new ideas (Prov. 27:17). It is our prayer that the books we offer help unify the Church, not divide it.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

 

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Adopted By God
by Robert A. Peterson
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Back To Basics
by David Hagopian, editor
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$16.00 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible
by Robert H. Stein
from Baker Academics
for 11th-Adult
in Scripture & Hermeneutics (Location: XBI-HERM)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church
by Michael Lawrence
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Biblical Theology (Location: XTH-BIB)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Blessed Are the Hungry
by Peter Leithart
from Canon Press
in Communion (Eucharist) (Location: XWO-SAC2)
$15.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Bondage of the Will
by Martin Luther
from Revell Publishing
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$8.50 (1 in stock)
Call of Grace
by Norman Shepherd
from P&R Publishing
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$4.00 (2 in stock)
Call the Sabbath a Delight
by Walter J. Chantry
from Banner of Truth Trust
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in Worship & Sabbath (Location: XWO-SABB)
$9.00 $4.00 (1 in stock)
Calvin: Commentaries
Library of Christian Classics
by John Calvin, edited by Joseph Haroutunian
Icthus Edition from Westminster Press
for Adult
in Various Theology (Location: XTH-MISC)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Chosen by God
by R. C. Sproul
from Tyndale House
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$17.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Christ of the Covenants
by O. Palmer Robertson
from P&R Publishing
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Christian Baptism
by John Murray
from P&R Publishing
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Christian in Complete Armour
by William Gurnall, edited and introduced by James S. Bell, Jr.
from Moody Press
for Adult
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$5.00 (1 in stock)
Christianity: A Total World and Life System
by Abraham Kuyper
from Plymouth Rock Foundation
for Adult
in Various Theology (Location: XTH-MISC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Contemporary Worship Music
from P & R Publishing
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cornelius Van Til
by John Frame
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$16.00 (1 in stock)
Counted Righteous in Christ
by John Piper
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Covenant of Grace
by John Murray
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Day and the Hour
from American Vision Press
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Dispensationalism
by Keith Mathison
from P&R Publishing
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$12.99 $6.50 (4 in stock)
Easy Chairs, Hard Words
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
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$12.00 $7.00 (3 in stock)
Erasing Hell
by Francis Chan, Preston Sprinkle
from David C. Cook
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$12.50 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Essential Truths of the Christian Faith
by R. C. Sproul
from Tyndale House
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$17.99 $10.00 (2 in stock)
Explicit Gospel
by Matt Chandler
from Crossway Books
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$14.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Faith That Is Never Alone
by P. Andrew Sandlin
from Kerygma Press
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in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$17.50 (1 in stock)
Five Points of Calvinism
by David Steele, Curtis Thomas, S. Lance Quinn
2nd edition from P&R Publishing
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Five Points of Calvinism
by Edwin H. Palmer
from Baker Books
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$2.00 (1 in stock)
Getting the Message
by Daniel M. Doriani
from P&R Publishing
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$5.00 (2 in stock)
God Gave Wine
by Kenneth Gentry
from Oakdown Books
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$13.95 $7.00 (1 in stock)
Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh Volume 1
by Klaas Schilder
from Inheritance Publications
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Gospel Treason
by Brad Bigney
from P&R Publishing
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$7.50 (1 in stock)
Grace Abounding in a Believer's Life
by Charles Spurgeon, compiled and edited by Robert Hall
from Emerald Books
for Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
He Gave Us Stories
by Richard L. Pratt Jr.
from P&R Publishing
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in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$14.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
House for My Name
by Peter Leithart
from Canon Press
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in Bible Surveys (Location: XBI-SURV)
$21.00 $12.00 (3 in stock)
How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
by Douglas Stuart, Gordon D. Fee
3rd edition from Zondervan
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$16.99 $8.50 (2 in stock)
Imputation of Adam's Sin
by John Murray
from P&R Publishing
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Institutes of Christian Religion (abridged)
by John Calvin
from Baker Books
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$24.00 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Invocations and Benedictions for the Revised Common Lectionary
by John M. Drescher
from Abingdon Press
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$11.00 (1 in stock)
Is Jesus Coming Soon
by Gary DeMar
2nd edition from American Vision Press
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$7.00 (4 in stock)
Johannic Baptism
by James W. Dale
2nd edition from P&R Publishing
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
John Calvin Reformer for the 21st Century
by William Stacy Johnson
for Adult
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Justification and the New Perspective on Paul
by Guy Prentiss Waters
from P&R Publishing
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$16.99 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Legacy of John Calvin
The Calvin 500 Series
by David W. Hall
from P&R Publishing
Biography for 9th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
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Let Us Make Man
by Linleigh J. Roberts
from Banner of Truth Trust
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Life in the Father's House
by Wayne A. Mack, David Swavely
from P&R Publishing
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$3.00 (3 in stock)
Life of Christ
by James Stalker
2nd edition from Christian Liberty Press
for 7th-12th grade
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$14.50 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Liturgy Trap
by James Jordan
3rd edition from Athanasius Press
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$8.95 $4.50 (1 in stock)
Method of Grace
by George Whitefield
from Curiosmith
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in Justification & Sanctification (Location: XTH-JUS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Mind of the Maker
by Dorothy L. Sayers, with an introduction by Madeleine L'Engle
from HarperCollins
Christian Philosophy for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$17.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Music & Ministry
by Calvin Johannson
2nd edition from Hendrickson Publishers
for Adult
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$9.50 $5.00 (1 in stock)
None Like Him
by Jen Wilkin
from Crossway Books
for Adult
in Knowing & Loving God (Location: XCL-KNOW)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Passion of Jesus Christ
by John Piper
from Crossway Books
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in Various Theology (Location: XTH-MISC)
$2.00 (6 in stock)
Plan of Salvation
by Benjamin B. Warfield
from Wipf and Stock Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Pleasures of God
by John Piper
from Multnomah Books
for 11th-Adult
in Theology Proper: The Study of God (Location: XTH-GOD)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms
by Cherith Fee Nordling, David Guretzki, Stanley J. Grenz
from InterVarsity Press
for 10th-Adult
in Various Theology (Location: XTH-MISC)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Primeval Saints
by James Jordan
from Canon Press
Biography for 10th-Adult
in Bible Commentaries (Location: XBI-COMM)
$14.00 $7.50 (2 in stock)
Principle of Protestantism
Lancaster Series on the Mercersburg Theology
by Philip Schaff
from Wipf and Stock Publishers
Theology for Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$21.50 $17.00 (1 in stock)
Renewing Your Mind
by R. C. Sproul
from Baker Books
for 9th-Adult
in Various Theology (Location: XTH-MISC)
$15.00 $4.00 (3 in stock)
Resurrection
by Hank Hanegraaff
from Thomas Nelson Publishers
for Adult
in Evidential Apologetics (Location: XAP-EVI)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Reverberation
by Jonathan Leeman
from Moody Press
for 11th-Adult
in Scripture & Hermeneutics (Location: XBI-HERM)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Sabbath Readings for the Home Circle
by M. A. Vroman
from A. B. Publishing, Inc.
for 5th-Adult
in Morality Tales (Location: FIC-WH05)
$5.50 (1 in stock)
Sacramental Teaching and Practice in the Reformation Churches
by Geoffrey W. Bromiley
from Wipf and Stock Publishers
for Adult
in Reformed Theology (Location: XTH-REF)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Singing and Making Music
by Paul S. Jones
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Worship & Sabbath (Location: XWO-SABB)
$8.00 (3 in stock)
Sociology of the Church
by James Jordan
from Wipf and Stock Publishers
for Adult
in Ecclesiology (Location: XTH-ECC)
$34.00 $20.00 (1 in stock)
Suffering and the Sovereignty of God
by John Piper & Justin Taylor
from Crossway Books
for Adult
in Suffering & Hope (Location: XCL-SUF)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
The Atonement
by Gordon Haddon Clark
from Trinity Foundation
for Adult
in Various Theology (Location: XTH-MISC)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
The Church
by Edmund P. Clowney
from InterVarsity Press
for Adult
in Ecclesiology (Location: XTH-ECC)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
To A Thousand Generations
by Doug Wilson
from Canon Press
for 11th-Adult
in Baptism (Location: XWO-SAC1)
$10.00 $4.50 (1 in stock)
To You and Your Children
by Benjamin K. Wikner, editor, with various contributors
from Canon Press
for Adult
in Covenant Family (Location: XFA-COV)
$6.00 (5 in stock)
Tools of Dominion
by Gary North
from Institute for Christian Economics
for 11th-Adult
in Biblical Law (Location: XTH-LAW)
$38.00 (1 in stock)
Tozer on Worship and Entertainment
by A. W. Tozer, compiled by James L. Snyder
from Wingspread Publishers
for Adult
in Worship & Sabbath (Location: XWO-SABB)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Trinity Psalter
by Presbyterian Church in America
for Adult
in Hymnals & Psalters (Location: XWO-HYMN)
$5.00 (4 in stock)
What Christians Believe at a Glance
from Rose Publishing
for 9th-Adult
$8.00 (1 in stock)
What Do Presbyterians Believe?
by Gordon H. Clark
from P&R Publishing
for Adult
in Creeds, Confessions & Catechisms (Location: XTH-CREED)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
What is Providence?
Basics of the Reformed Faith
by Derek W. H. Thomas
from P&R Publishing
for 10th-Adult
in Basics of the Faith (Location: XNC-BAS)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Whatever Happened to Worship?
by A. W. Tozer
from Christian Publications, Inc.
for Adult
in Worship & Sabbath (Location: XWO-SABB)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Word of God in English
by Leland Ryken
from Crossway Books
for 10th-Adult
in Scripture & Hermeneutics (Location: XBI-HERM)
$7.50 (3 in stock)