Plain Theology for Plain People

by Charles Octavius Boothe, Walter R. Strickland II (Introduction)

“Before the charge ‘know thyself,’ ought to come the far greater charge, ‘know thy God.’” In this short textbook first published in 1890, Charles Octavius Boothe simply and elegantly lays out the basics of theology for everyday people. A Baptist pastor born into slavery, Boothe brought the heights of academic theology to his congregants, so that they might be filled with good things. Walter R. Strickland II reintroduces this forgotten masterpiece

Genres: Theology, Christian, Faith, Nonfiction, Christianity, African American, Religion

176 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Jeremy Canipe · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Plain Theology for Plain People, Claude Octavius Boothe provides a solidly Biblical, clearly written, and very understandable introduction to Biblical theology. From the distance of 129 years, the reader will be impressed by the degree to which he succeeded, in his roles as pastor and educator. He took the scholarship of systematic theology from the late 19th century and distilled its essence, “the first principals of divine truth.” (p. 3)

Boothe, His Era, and His Mission

To understand this book, we must begin with its author and his time. Claude Octavius Boothe was born in 1845 into slavery in the Cotton South state of Alabama. In 1865, at the end of the Civil War, Boothe was saved and went on to serve as founding pastor of the Baptist church whose pulpit would be made famous by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Claude Octavius Boothe also worked in many projects to bring literacy and learning to his fellow former slaves, such as through the Freedman’s Bureau and schools. In this story, we are reminded of the study of how greatly African Americans sought literacy in bondage and afterwards, a history well told by Professor Heather Williams in Self-Taught: African American Education in Slavery and Freedom.

Boothe first published Plain Theology for Plain People in 1890. He wrote this text as a sort of handbook to instruct church members who lacked significant formal education to the overarching and key truths of God contained in the Bible. His book placed the theology of the African-American church squarely in the historical evangelical tradition. Today, the book can serve as a useful primer for persons not acquitted with formal theology, and a reminder to white American evangelicals, like myself, of the important contributions and experience of African American Christians.

Sadly, Boothe seems to have despaired over time with the prospects for uplift, education, education, and interracial cooperation. In 1910, he relocated to Detroit, just ahead of the Great Migration of African Americans from the Cotton South to the urban centers of the northern states. Little is known of his last years before passing in 1924.

Scope and Plan of the Book

Claude Octavius Boothe provides a fine and clear introduction to many key teachings of biblical Christianity. In closely reading, I fund only a few places to mark up the text with questions. He was deeply ingrained with the Bible. I can fairly say he was a truly great man of God, a fine expositor of the Bible, and a clear teacher of Biblical truth. Moreover, partially with his growing up in slavery and suffering during the career of Jim Crow, Boothe’s clarion call for Gods’ people everywhere and in all times to be unified around the common call of God in Christ is bracing and convicting.

The book is broken into nine chapter, each discussing one core doctrine and certain subparts. All chapters are deeply supported and supplemented by reference to relevant biblical texts.

The first chapter focused on God and his character. This should be heartily approved, as a correct theology can only begin from the foundation of an appreciation of God as holy, sovereign Creator and Lord.

Next, in chapter 2, Boothe explains humanity. We learn God created Adam and Eve, as the start of his special creation of this crowing part of his creation, uniquely made in God’s image, yet in rebellion against God’s holy and righteous reign by our choice to sin. Having explained our common and fearful position under God’s righteous judgment against sin, in Chapter 3, Boothe lays out the Bible’s teaching that salvation can only be found through repentance for sin and faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

In chapter 4, Claude Octavius Boothe provides a fuller explanation of the Bible’s teaching on Jesus, as God’s son, Jesus, who is wholly God and wholly man in the incarnation. Boothe reminds his readers of the deep and specific prophecies of Christ’s coming, the incarnation, his role in taking the wrath of God for our sin, death, burial, resurrection, and present work as the great high priest in Heaven and as King even now.

Chapter 5 focuses on the “Gifts Flowing From the Grace of God. “(p. 61). Boothe affirms that God sovereignly elected individuals for salvation through Christ from eternity past. He teaches on repentance, regeneration, faith in God through Jesus, sanctification, justification, and the perseverance of the saints.

Chapter 6 is titled “How Christians Should Work and Labor.” Boothe rightly stresses that baptism by immersion is commanded to the new believer. He also stresses the Biblical command to become a part of a local church. In these local bodies, Christians are called to edify, strengthen, and support each other in a hostile world. He goes on to commend personal witnessing, missionary work, and the support of missionary work for the spread of the gospel of grace in Christ throughout the entire world. Boothe closes the chapter with a charge to Christians to truly and practically love one other in the context of the local church. Particularly poignant is this chapter when we recall with sadness and repentance that his fellow white believers did not accept African American believers in this fashion at all, which flies in the face of the same Bible they shared.

Chapter 7 brings us around to the Bible. Perhaps one might have expected Boothe to treat this subject sooner, as it was already deeply clear that he had very high view of the Bible as God’s Word. He examines the Scripture’s self-testimony of itself as God’s self-revelation of Himself, which revealed the God’s mind and character, and demonstrates with strongest proof its divine origin by means of the many fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah. Boothe also covered the several ways in which God had reveled His word and His purpose in such wonderful self-disclosure.
He followed up this with an exposition of the Bible’s teaching on the Christian church in Chapter 8. Boothe insisted that the church was God’s adopted family, saved by grace, through the blood of Jesus, in all ages, as well with reference to local church bodies. Boothe wrote that no one could become a church member without repenting of their sins and putting their faith in the risen Christ as Savior and Lord. So, too, must any believer be baptized by immersion, consistent with his Baptist creed.

In chapter 8, Boothe also teaches on the offices of a church as established by the New Testament. God calls certain men to serve as pastors and some others as deacons. The pastor is to pray, to study the Bible, to preach the Bible, and to love the people of the church God gives him to lead. Deacons are also required to be spiritually mature Christian men, but are called to serve the church so that the pastor can focus on his ministerial duties. As a Baptist by conviction, not as a child but as an adult, and a deacon in my own church, I will heartily agree with his convictions and its biblical foundation. Lastly, he writes about the need for biblical church discipline, a place where modern churches, even those claiming a deep devotion to God and His word routinely neglect.

Boothe closed out his book in Chapter 9 on Last Things. He does not start with the end of the age, but with seeking to cultivate a Christian attitude on death. We are called to recall we will be headed to an eternity with God after our last death, which ought to give each of us a lack of terror. He goes on to discuss what we know from the Bible about the intermediate state and then the Resurrection. Boothe then covers the judgment of all humanity, with the lost condemned to an eternity in Hell, separated from God and all that is good, and to the redeemed, an eternity with God in Heaven.

In conclusion, Claude Octavius Boothe provided a fine introduction to Christian doctrine to his congregation. He labored that they might have a solid understanding of the Bible’s teaching on many key doctrines. I am sure that there are points with which one might quibble, even coming from a Baptist view on certain of these topics. Yet, I can state pretty clearly that, as a layperson, having been privileged to sit under solid Biblical teaching for about 15 years, having read through the Bible about 5 times in full, I still have much more to learn and I did profit and was encouraged by the path set forth by Claude Octavius Boothe in Plain Theology for Plain People.

[Mark Roossinck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm on a plan to read various books on doctrine and theology from various perspectives. This was a timely choose, as Boothe was a black theologian from 19th to the 20th century. The title didn't disappoint. His plan was to write to his less educated brethren who served their black congregations. I liked the unique the author presented his material, not like other systematics. In fact, everything was supported by the citing of much Scripture (I would say that about 2/3 of the material was the reciting of Scripture).

[Steve Stanley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Interviews:
https://podcasts.moodyradio.org/Equip...
https://walterstrickland.wordpress.co...

Reviews:
https://credomag.com/article/plain-th...
https://www.booksataglance.com/book-r...

[Joseph Henry Kester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple and beautiful. This book is so good. It may be the best short systematic theology I've ever read. Highly recommend.

[Brennen Schmitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

short book, but dense with a scriptural path through your basic theological ideas (God, man, church…). tough to get through the KJV references, but helpful to summarize and refresh the fundamentals

[Michael Philliber · Rating 5 out of 5]

G.K. Chesterton once penned, “Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes, our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about” (“Orthodoxy”). Lexham Press has taken a good stab at this “democracy of the dead” by resuscitating “Plain Theology for Plain People” written in 1890 by an emancipated slave who became a Christian preacher, Charles Octavius Boothe. This small, 151 page re-typeset, reworked paperback was written by Boothe to help fellow emancipated slaves, who had little education and little time to obtain formal instruction, grow deeper in the depths of God’s love in Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is easily accessible for folks from every walk of life. As Boothe put it, “this little book’s only mission is to help plain people in the study of the first principles of divine truth” (3).

“Plain Theology for Plain People” is something of a Bible-saturated Systematic Theology, or Manual of Christian Doctrine. It runs through nine major loci from “The Being and Character of God” to “The Last Things.” Boothe walks his students through Scripture on each of these subjects, giving them hand-holds and waypoints in their trek. The author’s presentation is thoughtful and thorough, without getting lost in the side trails. His Baptist insignia shows forth clearly in regard to baptism as only immersion, and in his ecclesiology. And his “Calvinism” comes out in his very gracious and charitable handling of predestination, election, justification and sanctification. A relentless theme that refreshingly streams forth from Boothe’s pen in several places is that “the more we think of the sinfulness of sin, the more wonderful the love of God will appear” (33). It was an easy read that can quickly lend itself to a devotional book!

There is also an introduction written by Walter R. Strickland II, assistant professor of Theology and Associate Vice President for Kingdom Diversity at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. This short overview gives a brief biography of Charles Octavius Boothe, and how “Plain Theology for Plain People” came about. It left me with a greater desire to learn more about Boothe and his other works.

“Plain Theology for Plain People” is a worthwhile voice from “the most obscure of all classes.” It is also a valuable work displaying sound, biblical theology from the pen of an emancipated American slave who became a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I strongly encourage you to snatch up a copy and give this brother your ear and your time.

My hearty thanks to Lexham Press for providing, upon my request, the free copy of the book used for this review. The assessments are mine given without restrictions or requirements (as per Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255).

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one so much. A very concise systematic theology.

[David Lasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great encouraging read. Lots of quotable statements that have stuck with me. Really appreciate his comments on obedience, baptism, mission, safety in Gods Word alone, and death. His circumstances only add value to these helpful teachings.  Tons of KJV references of course making it a little challenging to read. But it’s a small price to pay for the pastoral care, theological reflection, and wisdom in this book. 

[John Rimmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a catechism. Sadly even this presentation of the abiding truth in simplest terms would be lost on the willfully ignorant in our time. Our time is not one of plain people, but proud fools.

[Jeremy Mueller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biblical, simple reflections on the teachings of the Bible. Ten points for creativity with the title :)

[Andrew Hillaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plain Theology for Plain People: By Charles Octavius Boothe, intro by Walter Strickland II. Lexham Press 2017
Theological study has often been thought of as a subject only for those behind a wooden pulpit or in the ivory towers of academia. This thought has infiltrated much of Christian thinking throughout the last two millennia. From monks to priests to pastors, many Christians have thought that only those in “direct” Christian ministry need to understand the intricacies of the Christian faith. Few worse untruths have been spread in Christian circles. Among many others, Charles Octavius Boothe (1845-1924) thought this needed to change. In Plain Theology for Plain People (Lexham Press 2017), Boothe sets forward a systematic theology that is simply and easy to understand.
It is important to have a work like this, as Strickland writes, because the theological heritage of Western Christianity seems so much to be “white-washed.” By that, I do not mean it in a negative sense but in that, most of the “big-name” theologians in American Church history are white with little thought to those from minorities that contributed to the theological growth of the Church. For those like myself who are unfamiliar with Boothe, Walter R. Strickland II provides background information on Boothe. Boothe, a black man, was born as a slave, eventually becoming pastor of the First Colored Baptist Church in Meridian, MS and Deter Avenue Baptist Church (now King Memorial Baptist Church), in Montgomery, AL (ix). Strickland states that Boothe’s primary goal was to educate the black population because, “. . .an educated black populace contradicted the notion among whites that blacks would regress into “savagery”” (viii). The entirety of Boothe’s work revolves around making a Systematic Theology accessible to one who had little to no education, and especially no formal theological training (2).
Boothe follows a similar pattern to other systematic theologies grouping his chapters under one main idea and then dividing that out into further sub-points throughout. Boothe’s theology truly is for “plain” people. As one who has extensive theological training, I know what complex theological writing looks like. Most of the time, this complex writing seems to be written simply to be complex. Boothe’s theology does not feel the same. Boothe’s Plain Theology reads much more like a commentary than a true systematic theology. This helps with the readability of the text. Often with systematic theologies, one can be lost in the trees and miss the forest. Boothe does a good job of keeping everything in perspective.
While Boothe’s writing is accessible, it is certainly thorough. Boothe does not hesitate to dive into deep theological issues. For example, Boothe discusses the work of Jesus Christ as the “Great High Priest in Heaven” which he spends no less than 5 pages explaining. Boothe does not shy away from any issue. Even on the topic of the “doctrines of grace,” Boothe does not shy away from discussing them in a positive light. In fact, Boothe argues, rightly in my opinion, about the terminology used regarding the security of salvation for believers. He argues that the “P” in the TUILP acronym should be “Preservation” rather than “Perseverance” because it points back to the “preserving power and grace of God” (72). This shows the level of detail that Boothe wants his reader to understand, all the while making it easy to understand.
Boothe wrote with the accuracy and depth of a scholar, but with the communication skills to explain deep theological issues a way that a congregation with limited theological training could grasp. Boothe, as Strickland wrote, was not interested in simply teaching his readers facts, but wanted them to understand their theology better so it would influence how they live. The book was a quick read because of Boothe’s style as much as its length (under 160 pages). I would suggest that you pick up a copy and see how Charles Octavius Boothe still has a lasting impact on American Christianity.

[Dougald · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are several aspects of this work that I enjoyed.

First, his use of the Old Testament. Far too many systematic theologies quote from the Old Testament sparingly. He quotes throughout.

Second, was his simplicity. I would not mind handing this to new believers so that they can get used to some of the terminology. He was clear to explain terms like omnipotence to his reader.

Third, I liked his engaging style. It was not a stuffy read and at times it was an impassioned plea. When talking about the afterlife for non-believers he says calls the unbeliever to put their trust in Christ.

Finally, I liked that his "Last Things" section began with death. For most in the world, this is the last thing for them. You usually don't find that in most systematics.

[Kyle "Bapo" Roque · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a secret gem of the church. When people talk about good theology books for beginners, you get your Packer, Berkoff, and other Systematic Theologies. This book though is (in my opinion) a book that you can give to every indvidual member of your flock to learn about the things of God in a deep, simple, and impactful way. The richeness of the word of God to back every doctrinal statement is crucial for me. You also have it plain. No pun intended, but so many theological works are deep rooted in opinions and thoughts from all different generations (which is good for certain tasks). This work by Boothe is now apart of my set that I would give mature believers in a class to go deeper from "Christianity 101."

[Bill Berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great systematic in plain language. In fact, I would highly recommend this book to those who are "gun shy" when it comes to theology due to the overly academic feel some systematic theologies may have. Boothe fills this volume with Scripture and takes theology from the ivory tower and delivers it into our hands at the workplace.
This book also shatters any myth that rural southern African-American pastors did not have a passion for pursuing a deep understanding of Scripture. I pray that one day these great men of God will have their stories told for the benefit of us all.

[Kristin Stitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boothe's writing was as advertised: easy to follow and encouraging. His writings on the character of God and the Last Things are beautiful and I will come back to his thoughts on death and heaven.
The book dragged through the middle sections where a few sentences of his thoughts would be followed by pages of scripture quotations with no interpretation.
I would recommend this book to someone who is interested in learning more about theology, but maybe not ready for a lengthy systematic tome.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of systematic theology organized by topic. Set up to be open and go for a layman to read and understand what Scripture says about various topics- death, the Church, the congregants role, baptism etc. Saturated in Scripture with some commentary, but not much- more used to point out what was meant in the biblical passage being discussed. Written by a Baptist Pastor, so interpretation is based on that (baptism as an example.) A solid, biblical overview of the big themes of Scripture.

[Josh McInnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charles Octavius Boothe's systematic theology accomplishes what it sets out to be: a basic systematic theology in plain language. I recommend this book as accessible and informative to those interested in the basics of Christianity and looking for an introduction to Reformed theology. Boothe is heavy on Scripture, and some of his strongest excerpts are on tithing, election, and Christian living.

[JD Tyler · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book for those who want to dive into the basics of theology in a manageable form. Boothe is straightforward, concise, readable, and deeply enmeshed in the Scriptures. Thankful for this re-print so the church today can hear this brother’s voice again.

[Tyler Burton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, inspirational, helpful.

Boothe redefined and clarified a few potentially tricky doctrines for me.

The church has much to learn from this man. Not only in his content, but also in how he has crafted his theology. I
We need more plain theology for plain people in the church today.

[Cameron Barham]

“It is in benevolence and love that the spiritual deficiency of Christians is often sadly manifest. It is worthy of note that Christ represents the last judgment as bestowing its rewards and its punishments in proportion as men have abounded or been lacking in benevolence and love.”, p. 121

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read. An excellent, concise intro in theology.

[Trevor Atwood]

A short, simple systematic theology book from Charles Boothe.

[Rebecca Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super thankful that Dr. Strickland revived the publication of this important work.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This primer on the Christian faith is both beautiful and simple. Highly recommend.

[Andrew K · Rating 3 out of 5]

trying to build a bigger table. he just verse-dumps though, doesn't really anything new (although perhaps this is a good thing)

[Rob 2272 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. The author was born into slavery. Became a Christian and pastor after the civil war. He wrote this book to help former slaves understand the theology of the Bible.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, concise, and biblically saturated theology book for the pastor and the layman.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good faithful and fairly short systematic. Accessible except some older English language. Good intro by Strickland and story of Boothe is really cool.

[Taylor Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomal overview of Christain doctrine for the believer. Everyone and anyone who wants to God and make Him known needs this work in their collection.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The outline is very good, and so understanding to the premise of the book - plain theology- here’s the steps. I just always struggle with KJ or old English language, in keeping focused.