The Understanding of Christian Faith

by Schubert M. Ogden

Overview

As an introduction to Christian systematic theology, this volume treats all the main theological topics-from God to last things-seeking to explicate critically the understanding of them implicit in Christian faith itself in terms at once appropriate to Jesus Christ and credible to human existence. Its criteria, accordingly, are the ultimate criteria of on the one hand, specifically Christian experience of Jesus as expressed by the apostolic witness, and on the other hand, generically human experience of existence as expressed by a sound philosophy. And, as befits an introduction, it employs these same criteria to clarify the process of actually doing Christian systematic theology. Thus it begins by explaining both what such a theology has to do and how it is to do it, and ends by considering what it means to do theology as a Christian calling, particularly as a professional theologian.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781621892687
Publisher:	Wipf & Stock Publishers
Publication date:	04/01/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	180
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Schubert M. Ogden is University Distinguished Professor of Theology Emeritus at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. His books include Faith and Freedom: Toward a Theology of Liberation and Doing Theology Today, both available from Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Schubert M. Ogden is University Distinguished Professor of Theology Emeritus at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. His books include The Understanding of Christian Faith (Cascade, 2010), Doing Theology Today (Wipf&Stock, 2006), and Faith and Freedom (Wipf&Stock, 2005).

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Prolegomena: On Theology 1

0.1 Preliminary Remarks

1.1 Theology in General

1.2 Christian Theology in Particular

1.3 Christian Systematic Theology

1.4 Summary and Conclusion

2 On God 21

2.0 Preliminary Remarks

2.1 The Question about God

2.2 God Who Gives Us the Victory through Our Lord Jesus Christ

2.3 The Triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

3 On Creation 37

3.1 The Meaning of "Creation"

3.2 Creation and Emancipation

3.3 The Question of Evil

3.4 Human Existence

4 On Jesus Christ 56

4.0 Preliminary Remarks

4.1 The Constitutive Christological Assertion

4.2 Jesus Who Is Said to Be the Christ

4.3 For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free

5 On the Holy Spirit 81

5.1 Do We Need "a Theology of the Holy Spirit"?

5.2 The Holy Spirit in Christian Faith and Experience

5.3 The Lord, the Giver of Life

5.4 Life in the Spirit

6 On the Church 93

6.0 Preliminary Remarks

6.1 The Constitution of the Church

6.2 The Distinctive Function of the Church

6.3 The Obligations of Church Membership

6.4 The Means by Which the Church Performs Its Function

7 On Salvation 120

7.0 Preliminary Remarks

7.1 The Sin from Which We Are Saved

7.2 Salvation from Sin by Grace Alone through Faith Alone

7.3 Issues in Developing the Doctrine of Salvation

8 On the Last Things 128

8.1 The "Last Things" in Orthodox Theology

8.2 The Meaning of Christian Hope

8.3 Overcoming Some Antitheses in Traditional Eschatology

9 Epilegomena: On Theology as a Christian Vocation 143

9.0 Preliminary Remarks

9.1 The Senses of "Vocation"

9.2 Doing Theology as a Christian Vocation

9.3 Other Features of Christian Vocations

9.4 Conclusion

Bibliography 159

Scripture Index 161

Subject and Name Index 163

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

" . . . [H]is central claim that systematic theology is critical reflection and appropriation of the entire witness of faith. Critical reflection requires, he says, that claims of adequacy with the content of Christian witness are both appropriate to Jesus and credible to human experience. Therefore, Ogden, as a systematic theologian, is the opposite of a reductive theologian either in terms of a commitment to tradition with a blind eye to all other academic disciplines. Rather, he seeks to balance these two poles that vie for position in contemporary academic theology

"Consistent with his earlier thought, Ogden remains a radically Christocentric theologian: in Jesus is revealed the nature of God and thus the nature of what it means to be fully human. That Jesus is decisive for human existence is not simply a call to belief; rather, it is a claim that filters naturally into Ogden's understanding of what it means to be church. . .

". . . [T]he academic will find Ogden's focused argumentation refreshing and challenging. The Understanding of Christian Faith will require the careful consideration of all who take up the task."
—Anglican Theological Review

"All who seek clarity about what Christian faith means and why it is worthy of belief will discover here a cherished companion. Accessibly written and theologically complete, this book excels as an introduction to systematic theology and requires no knowledge of Ogden's distinguished previous work, even while readers familiar with his achievement will find their appreciation of his critical insight extended. Ogden is unsurpassed as a Christian theologian for our time, and this book can be read again and again, always with deeper reward."
—Franklin I. Gamwell
University of Chicago

"For those who have long awaited a summary of Schubert Ogden's systematic Christian theology, this small handbook fits the bill. In every respect, the work provides a model of and a model for constructing an adequate and fitting theology for our time. By covering all the basic questions or topics of classical Christian theology, with proper revisions as needed, one has a basis for seeing what needs to be done and how to do it. Its content rings semantically meaningful and true and existentially significant for human existence. As with all his works, his theology is constructed with maximum candor."
—William L. Power
University of Georgia

"Written with the author's characteristic clarity, integrity, and directness, this constructive brief interpretation of the Christian witness of faith will aid its readers—lay, professional, and in-between—in understanding and pursuing their own theological vocation. By providing a systematic context in which to situate the major contributions made in his previous published works, this book will also assist in the ongoing reception of Ogden's theology by new generations of scholars."
—Charles M. Wood
Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

Editorial Reviews

" . . . [H]is central claim that systematic theology is critical reflection and appropriation of the entire witness of faith. Critical reflection requires, he says, that claims of adequacy with the content of Christian witness are both appropriate to Jesus and credible to human experience. Therefore, Ogden, as a systematic theologian, is the opposite of a reductive theologian either in terms of a commitment to tradition with a blind eye to all other academic disciplines. Rather, he seeks to balance these two poles that vie for position in contemporary academic theology

"Consistent with his earlier thought, Ogden remains a radically Christocentric theologian: in Jesus is revealed the nature of God and thus the nature of what it means to be fully human. That Jesus is decisive for human existence is not simply a call to belief; rather, it is a claim that filters naturally into Ogden's understanding of what it means to be church. . .

". . . [T]he academic will find Ogden's focused argumentation refreshing and challenging. The Understanding of Christian Faith will require the careful consideration of all who take up the task."
—Anglican Theological Review

"All who seek clarity about what Christian faith means and why it is worthy of belief will discover here a cherished companion. Accessibly written and theologically complete, this book excels as an introduction to systematic theology and requires no knowledge of Ogden's distinguished previous work, even while readers familiar with his achievement will find their appreciation of his critical insight extended. Ogden is unsurpassed as a Christian theologian for our time, and this book can be read again and again, always with deeper reward."
—Franklin I. Gamwell
University of Chicago

"For those who have long awaited a summary of Schubert Ogden's systematic Christian theology, this small handbook fits the bill. In every respect, the work provides a model of and a model for constructing an adequate and fitting theology for our time. By covering all the basic questions or topics of classical Christian theology, with proper revisions as needed, one has a basis for seeing what needs to be done and how to do it. Its content rings semantically meaningful and true and existentially significant for human existence. As with all his works, his theology is constructed with maximum candor."
—William L. Power
University of Georgia

"Written with the author's characteristic clarity, integrity, and directness, this constructive brief interpretation of the Christian witness of faith will aid its readers—lay, professional, and in-between—in understanding and pursuing their own theological vocation. By providing a systematic context in which to situate the major contributions made in his previous published works, this book will also assist in the ongoing reception of Ogden's theology by new generations of scholars."
—Charles M. Wood
Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University

From the Publisher