Exploring Christian Theology : Volume 3: The Church, Spiritual Growth, and the End Times

by Michael J. Svigel (editor), Douglas Blount (Contributor), J. Burns (Contributor)

Popular Dallas Theological Seminary professors make basic theology accessible for everyone, including key doctrines on the church, spiritual growth, and the end times.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Religion, Christianity, Nonfiction, School

258 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2014

About the author

Michael J. Svigel, Ph.D. is a patristic scholar, professor, and writer living in Dallas, Texas. His books and articles range from text-critical studies to juvenile fiction. He enjoys books, film, Bob Dylan, coffee, travel, and spending time with family and friends.

Reviews

[Ben Chubb · Rating 5 out of 5]

True to the name of the series, these books give a great biblical and historical overview of Christian doctrines. Doesn’t get too detailed on any specific thing, but gives you a nice foundation to dive deeper.

[Frances · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry wrong edition I read the physical book. It is a good overview of the church and its purpose as well as the different ways of viewing the end times. I particularly like that they neither over emphasize or under emphasize the importance of end time belief but insist that the end times are to inspire us to live dedicated to the teachings of Jesus and building his kingdom in his world.

[Joshua Pankey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helpful series to have on your shelf. A solid broad overview of core doctrine.

[Dillon Reinkensmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

High quality 30,000 foot view of the topics at question. Svigel is unbiased and presents fair points and summations about each topic and the different views on the topics

[Anna Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly great read for anyone wanting a basic overview on ecclesiology or eschatology

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exploring Christian Theology is a part of a series of books summarizing the main theologies of the Christian Church, and summarizing their differences. The general editors of this book are Nathan D. Holsteen and Michael J. Sviegel. The volume gives an overview of the main views of The Church, Spiritual Growth and the end times.

I gave this book three stars because I did not like the first section(By, or edited by Nathan Holsteen) on the Church and spiritual growth. My dislike began when the beginning of the book, in the short overview chapter entitled, 'The Christian Story in Four Acts', started out with a detailed description of the plot of Star Wars. I simply did not see that coming. Yes Star Wars was only used as an example of a so called 'hero cycle' but I don't think the illustration was warranted. Actually, I found it extremely unfitting for, and distracting from, the subject matter about to be dealt with. It didn't stop there, other, in my view, inappropriate movie/novel illustrations were used as well.

There were some good things in the first part, for instance I liked the statement, "…often the church has tended to sacrifice holiness for the sake of unity…" But I just couldn't get past the distracting illustrations. Also, at the end of the section where quotes by the people of the early church are given, it is mentioned that it is a blessing to be able to consider the 'heroes' of the faith, "...What an honor to be able to read the works of Augustine, to contend with the insights of Martin Luther, to marvel at the brilliance of Anselm. Taking regular advantage of this privilege can serve in keeping us grounded…'standing on the shoulders of giants…So what have these giants said about ecclesiology and sanctification?..." They are not giants of the faith, nor would I expect that they would consider themselves as such. Jesus was the Author and Perfector of their faith, they were not the originators of it. God was working in them, and we give glory to Him, not to His instruments(who were flawed by the way). When they stand before God won't they say, "… We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which it was our duty to do."(Luk 17:10 ASV) And yet we almost make it seem like they went over and above the good works God had ordained for them to do(Eph. 2:10)

I'm sorry, I just had to get that out. Now, on the other hand, the second part of the book(By or edited by Michael Sviegel) was what I had expected of the whole book. This section was an overview of Eschatology. The points of agreement amongst Christians, and the points of disagreement. I was pleased that the Premillennial view was admitted to have been perhaps the earliest view, and that Amillennialism started 'taking over' later on. I wasn't in complete agreement with the author's critique of those who watch world events for signs of the end, "Some nuanced treatments said things like 'So-and-so could be the Antichrist' or 'This technology may be used in the tribulation as the mark of the beast'…Besides looking foolish, sign-seekers can do damage to people's faith and to the cause of Christ." I agree that it can be taken too far, if one is dogmatic, but if one is just curious, and simply on the lookout for these events/persons I don't see that it is wrong.

To sum this up, I liked the second part more than the first, it was what I expected of the whole. And here's a quote from the second part to end this review, "…we should live sober lives as citizens of that coming kingdom rather than allowing the wickedness of this age to intoxicate us with its appealing but destructive power. "


Many thanks to Bethany House Publishers for the free review copy of this book(My review did not have to be favorable)

[Doug Hibbard · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s time for a scary book review. Ready? THEOLOGY! BOO! SCARY!!

That’s one of two typical responses to the word “theology” in the modern American Church. The other response is “I don’t need any theology, I just want to love Jesus and let Him love me.” Both of these responses are effectively nonsensical. Every person develops a theology. Even an atheist, who simply examines the concept of “God” (Theos) and decides “ain’t one.” You may not articulate theology, you may not use big words, but you have made mental decisions about what “God” means to you.
The question becomes what type of theology you have developed. Exploring Christian Theology, by Nathan D. Holsteen and Michael J. Svigel (primarily, with contributors,) aims to provide you the reader with a clear, practical view of Christian Theology. They base their work on a view of the Bible as inerrant, and this is simply an assumption throughout this text. This is likely because another volume in the Exploring Christian Theology series will be out later addressing revelation and Scripture.
This volume is focused on “The Church, Spiritual Growth, and the End Times.” If you want to get fancy, that’s ecclesiology, sanctification/discipleship, and eschatology. Those big words, though, are often the scare-points in theology for people, so while they may creep through at times, Exploring Christian Theology studiously avoids them too much. Overall, this book is aimed at the Christian who wants to develop a better theology but is afraid of the big, hardcover books.
Holsteen and Svigel tackle two major concepts here in answering “What is a church?” and “What about the end of the world?” These are not really the two things I would have started with, but I’m not a PhD-holder and professor, so they didn’t ask me. It does feel like Exploring Christian Theology jumps to constructing a second-floor on the house without covering how to build a foundation.
However, taken just on its face, Exploring Christian Theology is an excellent guidebook. The authors strive not only to present their ideas, but also to give some examples of how theology intersects with life. I like this, as well as the extended ‘for the bookshelf’ sections detailing further study points.
I see no problems with using this as a jump-starter for discussions and classes. Certainly for deeper academic work, you’ll need a text that deals with all the major arguments instead of a few, but this is not aimed at that audience. It’s not quite the only theology book you’ll ever need, but it is a good start in the process of formulating a clear theology.

(I did receive a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for the review.)

[Katherine Wacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Exploring Christian Theology: The Church, Spiritual Growth, and The End Times, Drs. Nathan D. Holsteen and Michael J. Svigel have written a basic primer of three significant doctrines of the Christian faith. The book begins with a brief overview of the biblical story from Genesis to Revelation before dealing with the definition and function of the church from a biblical and historical perspective. The book continues by describing the believer’s sanctification and concludes with various views of the end times.
Theology is a topic of interest to me, and I found this volume very helpful with definitions and distinctions. I also enjoyed the history of certain denominations and how they came to hold the positions they do. The authors present the information in a clear and concise way. There are also helpful illustrations, graphs, and charts to clarify their points.
I particularly appreciate the discussion of divine sovereignty and human responsibility in respect to the believer’s sanctification. It is a balanced approach. Typically, theologians favor one aspect over the other but, to their credit, the authors diminish neither. It is a refreshing approach and one that continues throughout the book. Holsteen and Svigel treat each doctrinal difference with respect, and always refer back to Scripture.
I would have appreciated less application and more of the historical background but, all in all, the authors should be applauded for making doctrine understandable. Due to its basic, biblical, balanced, and respectful approach, I give Exploring Christian Theology: The Church, Spiritual Growth and End Times five stars.

I received a free copy from Bethany House in exchange for my honest review.

[Steve Hilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the authors of this book do, they do well. With references and illustrations drawn from current technology and quotations from recent movies and books, this is a very readable book that engages the reader from page one. Other welcome aspects of this book include tight outlines that provide a summary of the doctrine at hand, a brief history of that doctrine throughout the ages, distortions to be aware of and avoid, reading lists for further study, and a glossary of theological terms. The authors have taken "dry and dusty" out of the study of theology, and have not only shown the relevance of a systematic study of the church, spiritual growth, and the end times . . . they have provided numerous examples for how it works out in real life . . . "where the rubber meets the road," so to speak.

I'm looking forward to the finished set.

5 stars for a systematic theology that motivates the reader to do something about it!

[David Herndon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting theology book. It was written for the average church member who wants to grow deeper in the faith, but doesn't want to take a seminary theology course. For the audience it was written to, this book does an admirable job, especially in the first part on the church and spiritual growth. The second half of the book, on the end times, was not as clearly written and I fear it will just make people all the more muddled. Overall though, I must say I enjoyed the writing style. It was refreshing to see theology written in a relevant way, with a sense of humor thrown in. As a pastor, I believe that this book would be helpful to any congregation, especially as it would give me (or another pastor) even more opportunities to dialogue with our (my) congregants about why they believe what they believe.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the most unusual book on theology I have ever read. The first section on the church and spiritual growth is written by Holsteen and is full of references to modern movies and book (everything from Star Wars and Mrs. Doubtfire to Robert Ludlum and Dr. Seuss). The second section written by Svigel is what I would call "normal" writing about theology. These articles are general overviews from an evangelical Protestant base and that part is done well. The difference in writing style of the authors was disconcerting, however. Also, there are principles to apply to life after each section. They were good, but it is rather unusual for a theology book. And then there were pages and pages of quotes from early church fathers, creeds, confessions, etc. Odd to have in a general overview book. So I have mixed feeling about this book. See my full review at http://bit.ly/1b0BuVX.

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exploring Christian Theology
Nathan D. Holsteen, Michael J. Svigel
Copyright 2014

Exploring Christian Theology is a must read for those of us Christians who want to grow closer to Christ, and perhaps understand Theology better than we already do.  I love the way the authors describe ecclesiology as the study of the church must go deeper than that though, in order to study the church you need also to also look at the relationship between the redeemed and the redeemer.  

The authors also point out that we cannot be saved from sin and still live in it...

A few Christians of the generations from the begining of Christianity to present are highlighted.  Christians who helped shaped the Christian Life, and did their best to grow in Christ and help others grow as well.

[Brandon Giella · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I admire most about Svigel's writing is its structure: it is always orderly, sequential, and easily understandable. He writes in a simple, clear, and conversational tone. It reads like a long blog. It's not very literary, sadly, but it's great if you're just getting into theology; it's a wonderful intro. Also, at the end he always provides handy resources, which are great.