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.
I like this photograph my wife took on our recent trip to Indiana. She's getting better both at shooting, and at editing. We're thinking about investing in "the next level" in equipment and software. We'll see....
The HBC Podcast is now available in the iTunes Music Store. Do a search for "Highland Baptist Church" and look for the orange art.
Check us out!
www.highland-baptist.org
Commenting on Genesis 12 tonight, Larry asked, "Is this a case where we have a mountain of Mishnah out of a molehill of Torah?" I thought that was a brilliant way to ask the question. Larry modestly said he didn't come up with it, which is probably true (though he's quite witty enough to have come up with it on his own). The image refers to extra-biblical Jewish literature that comments on the text including laws and tradition.
Genesis 12 has generated a lot of scholarly literature. Some of it excellent, a lot of it highly speculative. We talked briefly of the proper role of speculation in theological method. There is a time and place where it is appropriate, principally for testing the rational coherence of an interpretation. However, it is wise to make sure hypothetical and speculative interests don't outweigh the more important questions the text is asking and answering. The point is well-illustrated in a proverbial story in which a student asked his theology professor, "What was God doing before He created the world?" The professor made his point by replying, "Creating Hell for the overly curious!"
Good theological method works to "keep the main thing the main thing"--properly prioritized, and well-disciplined when faced with the temptation to speculate.
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