CHRISTIAN WESTERN BAPTIST COLLEGE

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 8Hodges, Zane C. "The Purpose of Tongues." Bibliotheca Sacra(July 1963)Hoekema, A. Holy Spirit BaptismA good discussion of the difference between tongues and thebaptism of the Spirit.Lightner, Robert P. Speaking in Tongues and Divine HealingA good summary and discussion of difficult verses.McRae, William. The Dynamics of Spiritual GiftsA good summary of the gifts.Pace, Rene. The Person and Work of the Holy SpiritHelpful, easy treatment.Pentecost, Dwight. The Divine ComforterAn easy-to-read summary of the work of the Spirit.Ryrie, Charles C. The Holy SpiritPenetrating insight done briefly.Toussaint, Stanley D. "First Corinthians Thirteen and theTongues Question." Bibliotheca Sacra (October 1963)Unger, Merrill. The Baptizing Work of the Holy SpiritA helpful treatment. New Testament Teaching on TonguesA good treatment. Takes the view that the "perfect" thingof 1 Corinthians 13 refers to the New Testament canon.Walvoord, John F. The Holy SpiritThe best modern-day treatment of the subject.Whitcomb, John. Does God Want Christians to Perform Miracles Today?A brief but excellent discussion of the purpose ofmiracles.Wood, Leon J. The Holy Spirit in the Old TestamentNew areas are developed;h.Hamartiology-AnthropologyChafer, Lewis S. Systematic Theology. Vol. 2He has a good section on the imputation of sin.Davidhaiser, Bolton. Evolution and Christian FaithA helpful presentation.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 9Klotz, J.W. Genes, Genesis and EvolutionA scholarly presentation of the creationist position.Ryrie, Charles C. Balancing the Christian LifeDeals with the nature of man in section one of the book.Walvoord, John F. "Thirty-Three Words for Sin in the New Testament."Bibliotheca Sacra (January-September, 1943)Waltke, Bruce K. "The Genesis Account in Genesis 1:1-3."Bibliotheca Sacra (January 1975-January 1976)Whitcomb, John C. The Genesis FloodA defense of catastrophism versus uniformitarianism. The Early EarthExcellent on creation versus theistic evolution. A six-daycreation position. The World That PerishedPopular presentation of the flood and its ramifications.i.SoteriologyBoettner, Loraine. The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination.Holds to the strict Calvinist position.Chafer, Lewis S. SalvationA beginning study of soteriology. GraceGood treatment of what is involved in grace.Erickson, Millard J. Salvation:God's Amazing PlanGromacki, Robert G. Salvation is ForeverAn introductory survey of the biblical doctrine ofsecurity.Horne, C. SalvationA helpful book on soteriology. It takes a strict Calvinistview.Lightner, Robert P. The Death Christ DiedAn excellent treatise of the moderate Calvinist position.Morris, Leon. The Apostolic Preaching of the CrossA good discussion of the meaning of terms.Packer, J.I. Evangelism and the Sovereignty of GodA clear position of both God and man’s part in salvation.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 10Pinnock, Clark. Grace UnlimitedA book opposing a Calvinistic interpretation.Pentecost, Dwight. Things Which Become Sound DoctrineA study of the doctrines of salvation such asjustification, security, etc.Ryrie, Charles C. The Grace of GodA good section on liberty, legalism.Strombeck, J. Shall Never PerishBrief but standard presentation on security.Van Gilder, H.O. Election and . . .Past president of Western. A lucid treatment.Walvoord, John F. Jesus Christ Our LordSee sections on redemption, propitiation andreconciliation.j. AngelologyBarnhouse, Donald G. The Invisible WarAn introduction to the conflict with Satan.Bellshaw, William G. "The New Testament Doctrine of Satan."Grace Journal (Fall 1968)Chafer, Lewis S. SatanGood treatment. Same as in his Systematic Theology.Dickason, C. Angels, Elect and EvilA good book with valuable information.Gaebelein, Arno C. The Angels of GodAn older presentation.Graham, Billy. Angels, God’s Secret AgentsA brief, concise work.Pentecost, Dwight. Your Adversary the DevilA good treatment as he is sensitive to the conflict ofSatan and God.Unger, Merrill. Biblical DemonologyA standard text in this area. Demons in the World TodayHe reconsidered the matter of demon possession in thiswork. A good study.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 11k. EcclesiologyDuty, Guy. Divorce and RemarriageRepetitive in many cases but does examine the meanings ofwords.Ellison, S. Divorce and Remarriage in the ChurchAn easy to read survey of a problem area.Getz, Gene, Sharpening the Focus of the ChurchSome good challenges to rethinking a philosophy concerningthe church.Jackson, Paul. The Doctrine and Administration of the Local ChurchA helpful book. Has sample letters and forms in it.Lloyd-Jones, D. Martyn. The Basis of Christian UnityAn exposition of John 17 and Ephesians 4.Murray, John. DivorceAn exegetical study of the subject of divorce. Excellent.Peters, George. "Divorce." Moody Monthly (May 1970)Radmacher, Earl D. The Nature of the ChurchA treatment on the universal church.Ryrie, Charles C. The Place of Women in the ChurchA contribution to a difficult area.Saucy, Robert. The Church in God’s ProgramThe best single treatment. Good on officers. Also, the modeof baptism is good, though his conclusion is poor. Takes adifferent view on the meaning of communion.Schaeffer, Francis. The Church at the End of the Twentieth CenturyDiscusses present direction of the church. An important reevaluation of where the church is presently.Stedman, Ray C. Body LifeThe purpose of the church when assembled is correctlydeveloped here. The last chapter of the body life serviceis the poorest part.----------."Giving Under Grace." Bibliotheca Sacra(July 1950- April 1951)Walvoord, John F. The Church in ProphecyDispensational.Van Gilder, H.O. The Church Which is His BodyA defense of the universal church.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 12l.EschatologyAllis, Oswald T. Prophecy and the ChurchAmillennial A presentation against dispensationalpremillennialism.Armerding, C.E, and Gasque, W. Ward. Dreams, Visions, and OraclesLargely an anti-dispensational approach. Mostly anamillennial approach.Boettner, Loraine. The MillenniumPostmillennial.Clouse, R. (ed.) The Meaning of the MillenniumA debate on the four major views relating to themillennium.Cohen, Gary. Understanding RevelationDeals with the chronology of the book of Revelation.Good conclusions.English, E. Schuyler. Re-Thinking the RaptureSees άποοταοί α in 2 Thessalonians 2 as the rapture.Erickson, M. Contemporary Options in EschatologyA good survey of the millennial and tribulational views.Gromacki, B. Are These the Last Days?A beginning book, yet helpful for students of prophecy.Gundry, Robert. The Church and the TribulationMost recent defense of posttribulationism.Hoehner, H. "Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ."Bibliotheca Sacra (January 1975)McClain, Alva J. Daniel’s Prophecy of the Seventy WeeksA clear, succinct treatment of Daniel 9.Pache, Rene. The Return of Jesus ChristPremillennial.----------. The Future LifeA companion to above work. Deals with heaven, hell, etc.Pentecost, Dwight. Things to ComeA complete work of prophetical themes.----------. Prophecy for TodayGood discussions of pertinent prophetic subjects.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 13Ryrie, Charles C. The Basis of the Premillennial FaithStandard presentation of premillennialism.Sauer, Erich. From Eternity to EternityA survey of God’s program from the beginning to the end.Walvoord, John F. The Blessed Hope and the TribulationThe book is a collection of articles refuting theposttribulation position, especially the position of RobertGundry.DanielIsrael in Prophecy.Nations in Prophecy.The Rapture QuestionGives briefly pretribulational arguments.RevelationWeber, Timothy P. The Future ExploredA moderate premillennial survey.Wood, L. The Bible and Future EventsA good summary of eschatology.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 14C.The Method of Theology1.2.Seen In the divisions of theologya.Bibliology - a discourse on the Bibleb.Theology Proper - a discourse on Godc.Christology - a discourse on Christd.Pneumatology – a discourse on thee.Hamartiology – a discourse on sinf.Anthropology – a discourse on mang.Soteriology - a discourse on salvationh.Angelology – a discourse on spirit beingsi.Ecclesiology – a discourse on thej.Eschatology - a discourse on future eventsSpiritchurchSeen in the demands of theologiansa.Saved. The first demand for a theologian concernshis salvation. Because of some important changes which take placewhen one is saved, a Christian has a new perspective towardunderstanding the Bible. The unsaved do not welcome the truths ofScripture. The reason is because they view them as foolishness (1Corinthians 2:14).b.Spiritual. A theologian must be more than merelysaved. He must be spiritual. Being spiritual means that a believer isin a growing grown-up relationship to the Spirit of God. A spiritualChristian is not a babe (1 Corinthians 3:1), but one who has matured(1 Corinthians 2:15}.A believer becomes spiritual by being continuallycontrolled by the Holy Spirit. When a believer ceases to be Spiritcontrolled, one is unable to mature. Immaturity results in a sluggishand slow understanding of God’s truths (Hebrews 5:11). In this state,one has to be taught the: ABC's of the Word. A spiritual believer, incontrast, has the benefit of divine teaching (1 John 2:27). Theappalling ignorance of many students of Scripture is apparently dueto the fact that not all believers are spiritual; that is, not allhave a grown-up relationship with the Holy Spirit.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 15c.Studious. Scripture states that believers are to"study to show themselves approved unto God, a workman that needs notbe ashamed" (2 Timothy 2:15). Though the term "study might best berendered "to make haste, to exert one's self, give diligence,” studyis necessary if he is to be approved before God. Such study willinvolve being a laborer, a workman. The result should be thestraightforward exegesis of God's Word.Being prepared, the student is now ready to enter intoa study of Scripture itself. The first doctrine to be investigated isthat of Bibliology.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 16II.BIBLIOLOGYA.The Origination of ScriptureThe Bible is very clear as to how the Scriptures wereconceived. Their origination is viewed both negatively andpositively.1.Seen negativelya.Not from man's desire. Peter says, "For theprophecy came not in old time by the will of man. . ." (2 Peter1:21). This is the reason for his previous statement that "noprophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation"(2 Peter1:20). Here two words are significant. In the first place, the word"interpretation" should be translated so as to speak of one's"unloosing" or "endeavor." Second, the term "is" comes from a wordindicating "to come into being." In other words, prophecy ofScripture did not originate by man's endeavor. As previouslyindicated, the reason is because prophecy came not by man’s desire.b.Not from man’s design. Scripture did notoriginate either by man’ s design. This fact is proven by the apostlePaul in his statement of 1 Corinthians 2:9. He writes, “But as it iswritten, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered intothe heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them thatlove him." In this passage, Paul is not speaking about heaven asmight appear but about the origin of Scripture. The following contextdemonstrates this. Thus Scripture is viewed as not coming by man'ssenses (eyes hath not seen, nor ear heard) nor by man's understanding(entered into the heart of man). Scripture did not come into being byman’s design.2.Seen positivelyViewed positively, Scripture has its origin in God (2 Timothy 3:16).This conclusion is further developed under the sections of revelationand inspiration of Scripture.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 17B.The Revelation of Scripture1.The Examination of the TermWith respect to the term "revelation," the basic meaning isthat of "unveiling." In the context of special revelation, usuallythe term speaks of making truth known.2.The Examination of the TextScripture indicates that the writers of God’s Word were therecipients of revelation. As Paul stated, "But God hath revealed themunto us by his Spirit" (1 Corinthians 2:10). The word "us" in thiscontext is not applicable to all believers. Instead, it primarily hasreference to the apostle Paul and by application to the writers ofScripture. To them specifically did God make known the truth which Hehad prepared for them that love Him.3.An Exposition of the TopicTwo areas need investigation concerning the subject ofrevelation. One involves the methods of revelation, the other themanner of revelation.a.The Methods of Revelation(1) Vocal communication. God often spokedirectly to man by the use of actual wordswhich resembled a humanvoice (1 Samuel 3:1-14).(2) Dreams. A dream was another method ofrevelation which took place while one was asleep (Daniel 2:1-2).(3) Visions. Visions are closely related todreams, though this method seemed to be operative when one was fullyawake (Ezekiel 1:28).(4) Trances. A trance was closely associatedwith visions and seems to involve supernaturally-imposed sleep (Acts10:10; 11:5).(5) Inner Communication. God is also ableto speak directly to the hearts of men. In this method, no actualwords are heard (Philippians 3:15).

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 18(6) Appearances of God. Often God appeared andspoke face to face. In this method, God used actual words (Exodus3:1-4:17).(7) Written communication. Previously writtenScripture could also serve as one of the methods of revelation(Matthew 4:14-16).b.The Manner of Revelation(1)It is progressive. Truth is unveiled inScripture progressively. Thus not all of God's message was revealedto Adam nor is all of it contained in the Old Testament. In failingto understand progressive revelation, one has the tendency to readback his knowledge into certain scriptural passages. To do this is tofail to understand the meaning of many important parts of Scripture.To illustrate the principle of progressiverevelation, one might consider whether or not faith in the person ofJesus Christ was a matter of Old Testament revelation. While at firstone might say ''yes", the fact is that it was not. Paul stated inGalatians three that before the faith (note the definite article,emphasizing the previously mentioned faith—the faith in Jesus Christ)came, the Jews were kept under the law (Galatians 3:22-23). They wereshut up unto the faith which was to be afterwards revealed. Thus itis quite clear that the Old Testament Jew was not given the sameobject of faith during the period of the Old Testament as thebeliever has today.To further substantiate the point of progressiverevelation, one also needs to consider the significance of the NewTestament mysteries. A mystery is a previously unknown truth (Romans16:25). Thus very clearly is the fact that the Bible containsprogressive revelation.(2) It is permanent. That the New Testamentrevelation is permanent is seen in several passages. One is Hebrews1:1-2 which contrasts God having spoken in the past by the prophetswith God having spoken presently in his Son. Since the Son preauthenticated only that which is written in the New Testament, anyadditional revelation cannot be of God since the Son has not spokenwith respect to it. Any question that the Son speaking refers to theNew Testament is cleared up from Hebrews chapter two. Here the OldTestament, that message brought by angels, is contrasted with thegreater surety and inviolability of the "so great salvation; which atthe first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 19unto us by them that heard Him" (Hebrews 2:3). In addition, thisrevelation was authenticated by the working of signs, wonders, andmiracles.Also supporting this conclusion are the verses ofJude 3, Revelation 22:18, and 1 Corinthians 13:8.C.The Inscripturation of Scripture1.The Diverse Process of InscripturationAfter Paul discussed the origination and revelation ofScripture in 1 Corinthians 2, he states the process of writing theScripture. This process is described in verse thirteen. Here it isstated that the Holy Spirit was comparing or fitly joining togetherspiritual things with spiritual (A.V.). Because one of the words isin the neuter gender and another apparently is to be understood asmasculine, this verse should read, ’’comparing spiritual things(truths revealed by the Spirit) with spiritual words (words chosen bythe Spirit)." In all that was written in Scripture, this process wasinvolved. The Spirit took the truths of God and fitted them to thewords of the writers, that is, with their style and vocabulary. Thisprocess brought into written form the truths which God wantedrevealed to the hearts and minds of believers.This process is similarly illustrated in the work ofthe Spirit in guiding prophetic messages (2 Peter 1:21). In thiscase, the Spirit moved (bore along) the prophets who spake from God.2.The Diverse Positions of InscripturationThere are numerous theories which have been espousedconcerning the fact that the Bible is confluent (product of twoagents, human and divine).a.The Dictation TheoryThis theory emphasizes the divine authorship tothe exclusion of the human authorship. It is disproved because of thevarious styles of the different authors.b.The Partial Inspiration TheoryIn this theory, inspiration extends only to thedoctrinal teachings and precepts. This view separates the twoauthorships of Scripture.

CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY - Page 20c.The Conceptual TheoryThis view suggests that God imparted ideas butleft the human writers free to express themselves in their ownlanguage. Scripture never speaks of just concepts being given; thewords constitute the medium of the message.d.The Intuition TheoryThis theory speaks of men who had spiritualinsight. It ignores divine authorship.e.elevating ofilluminationpossesses byGod, and theThe Illumination TheoryThis theory merely speaks of the intensifying andthe religious perceptions of Christians. Thisis in a greater degree than that which every believerthe Spirit. In this view, the Bible contains the Word ofmen only were inspired.f.The Dynamic TheoryIn this view, a supernatural work of God isinvolved. But here inspiration is said to belong, not only to the menwho wrote the Scriptures, but to the Scriptur

Systematic Theology. Systematic theology is a science of Scripture which systematizes into a whole the teachings of Scripture. e. Practical Theology. This system of theology . Geisler, Norman L. and Nix, William E. A