Learning Theology
Tracking the Spirit of Christian Faith
- Theology
- Publisher: Westminster John Knox
- Published: 2018
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Publisher's Description
Theology—the attempt to come to a deeper, more faithful understanding of oneÆs encounter with God—is something to which all Christians are called. In Learning Theology, Amos Yong invites the reader to lay claim to that calling and to see it as yet another opportunity to love God. Written for those taking their first course in the subject, this book introduces the foundational sources and tasks of theology. It asks what difference theology makes in our lives, how it can influence the way we write and study, and how we understand other forms of learning as part of the Spirit’s leadership. Yong encourages the reader to see all of life through the lens of faith, and Learning Theology offers tools to more thoughtfully and faithfully perform that task. Table of Contents Preface Introduction: What Is a Theologian In.1 Macrina as Lay Theologian In.2 Thomas Aquinas as Classical (Professional) Theologian In.3 John Wesley as Pastoral and Practical Theologian In.4 You and I as Those Who Love God and Want to Know and Serve God Part I The Sources of Theology Chapter 1 Scripture: The Word and Breath of God 1.1 Behind of the Text 1.2 The World of the Text 1.3 In Front of the Text 1.4 The Spirit of the Text Chapter 2 Tradition: The Living Body of Christ and the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit 2.1 Church and Tradition: Charisma and Institution 2.2 The Spirit/s of Protestantism 2.3 The Church Catholic as the Fellowship of the Spirit 2.4 The Spirit of Tradition in Its Contextuality Chapter 3 Reason: Renewing the Mind in the Spirit 3.1 Rationality as Traditioned 3.2 Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, and Universal Reason 3.3 Postmodern (Ir)Rationalities(!) 3.4 The Reasoning Spirit Chapter 4 Experience: Life in, by, and through the Spirit 4.1 Socialization 4.2 Intersectionality 4.3 Encountering the Living God, Experiencing Redemption 4.4 The Fullness of the Spirit and the Life of the Mind Part II The Practices of Theology Chapter 5 Theology as Spiritual Practice: What Difference Does It Make in Personal Lives? 5.1 Knowing and Loving God 5.2 Loving and Serving Our Neighbors 5.3 Discerning the Spirit 5.4 Eschatological Rationality Chapter 6 Theology as Ecclesial Practice: By, for, and through the Church 6.1 The Church as One: Dogmatic Identity and Ecclesial Unity 6.2 The Church as Holy: The Social Distinctiveness of the Ecclesia 6.3 The Church as Catholic: Global Cultures and Ecclesial Witness 6.4 The Church as Apostolic: The Many Tongues of the Spirit’s Mission Chapter 7 Starting Out: Researching, Writing, and Studying Theology 7.1 The Initial Contexts of (Undergraduate) Theologizing 7.2 The Theological Research Paper or Project 7.3 Theological Integration and the Christian University 7.4 Theologizing as a Spiritual Discipline Chapter 8 Theology by the Spirit, Trinitarian Theologians 8.1 Starting in the Spirit 8.2 Theologizing after Easter and after Pentecost 8.3 Pentecostal Perspective, Trinitarian Theologian 8.4 The Spirit has the First, Initiating, Word Appendix Becoming a Professional Theologian: Getting There from Here Discerning the Call to Graduate/Doctoral Theological Education Welcome to the Guild/s Navigating Graduate School The Spirit and the Intellectual Vocation Acknowledgments Glossary Index
Endorsements (4)
“Amos Yong’s newest work introduces students to theology through a Spirit-infused Wesleyan quadrilateral approach. Yong engages the sources of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience in an accessible, conversational way that’s simultaneously grounded in sophisticated historical and theoretical work. While he offers a creative model for doing academic theology, Yong also demonstrates that theology is always a spiritual practice—whether it’s in the academy, the church, or one’s personal life. This book invites readers to become persons who live out the liberating faith made possible through Jesus Christ.”
“Amos Yong is one of the most visionary Christian theologians today, and Learning Theology challenges all people to become more mature in their understanding of biblical faith, hope, and love. He instructs us about the sources of theology—Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience—and how to integrate them in ways that are Spirit-led, pro-church, and practically applicable for daily living. Yong challenges us to become more aware of how understand and apply Scripture—contextually and critically, experientially and by the leading of the Holy Spirit.”
“This book is a valuable resource to students and professors alike. Yong enlivens familiar methodological categories, while whetting the reader’s appetite for the discipline and discipleship with which the task of theologizing promises to bring. An engaging and worthwhile read!”
“In Learning Theology Dr. Amos Yong offers a basic framework to understand the resources, themes, and vocations in Christian theology. With accessible language and clarity of ideas, the learning reader discovers the breath and scope of a discipline inspired and grounded by the Spirit where faith, critical reflection, action, and community interplay to revive the long-standing ministry of theological reflection and action. One of the critical contributions of Yong is a recovery of action and spirituality in theological vocations, a gift constantly extended by the Christian communities and their theologians in the global south.”
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