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Friday, July 31, 2009

Theology through the ages

I just finished with a class called Patristic Theology. It was taught by a professor named Richard Muller who is from Calvin Seminary and he is an excellent scholar. I have really appreciated this class because it has made me aware of where the things I believe have come from. I think it is important that we do theology from a historical perspective. So often I hear people talking about what they think is correct doctrine, but it ends up having no biblical or historical support. We must look back and see the issues that the Church Father's stuggled with and what they came to terms with and we must do the same things today. It is important to look back see what those who have come before us believed. If you are interested in the doctrine of the Trinity don't just go by what you have been told, but do some critical research and look back and see what Augustine, Ambrose, Athanasius, and later John Calvin and Martin Luther thought. Theology is a progression. It started with Christ and it developed over time. Christ is our starting point and theology must continue to develop from there while understanding the history of theology and its context. We often loose sight and respect for those who have theologized befor us, but without their theology, without their insight, we ourselves would have no theology to deal with. Theology is about looking back and then looking forward.

Andrew Esqueda