Grace & Peace

My Greek prof at DTS, Dan Wallace, has a heart for fundamentalists who tend to put all doctrines on equal footing, such that, for one to disagree with a particular theory of Bible translation, for example, is to disagree with all subsequent categories of doctrine. He's known too many students who were raised in strict fundamentalism walk away from the faith when they found that their particular theory of Bible Translation was untenable.

So, in Greek III, he spends a good amount of time talking about the importance of developing one's "Doctrinal Taxonomy" while in seminary. This is essentially a prioritization of doctrines. In other words, through your studies with your guides and peers, you will learn that the doctrine of the Trinity is much more important than one's beliefs about spiritual gifts, etc. (As an aside, if you're thinking about going to seminary, having wise people guide you through the process of thinking out this taxonomy is worth the trip. Before I went to DTS, I had a very vague notion of how to sort out the important questions/issues, from less important or even inconsequential matters. EVERYTHING seemed equally important, which after a lot of reflection, simply isn't the case.)

My close friend and fellow pastor, John Gram, has written an eloquent and succinct post outlining the difference between "Domino Theology" and "Archery Theology." It's Wallace's illustration for being savvy and wise when it comes to "keeping the main things the main things." And/or "How not to despair and give up on Christianity when some postmodern PhD asks you a hard question about the Problem of Evil." The post is easy to understand, and quite helpful. Click here.