Bringing Theology to Life: Key Doctrines for Christian Faith and Mission, By Darren C. Marks

Bringing Theology to Life

Key Doctrines for Christian Faith and Mission

by Darren C. Marks

Bringing Theology to Life
paperback
  • Length: 190 pages
  • Dimensions: 6 × 9 in
  • Published: July 08, 2009
  • Imprint: IVP Academic
  • Item Code: 3852
  • ISBN: 9780830838523

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In this engaging text Darren Marks provides a refreshing introduction to Christian faith that will be of special interest to university and seminary students. Innovative in his organization, Marks explores seven key doctrines and highlights the profound interconnections among them in a way that points us beyond the mere theological formulations to the living God of the Bible. Engaging academic discussions of the past and the present, Marks contextualizes these doctrines and shows their meaning for the day-to-day life of a faith community. Including illustrative narrative callouts and study questions, this book ultimately aims to inspire, illuminate and encourage Christians toward a vital and relevant life of worship, discipleship and mission.

"In this incisive little book, Darren Marks undertakes theology in its proper diaconal mode: as a discipline in service to God and his people, the church. In doing so, he winsomely articulates the importance of theological understanding for Christian discipleship. Theology is not some intellectual option that makes us 'smart' Christians; it is the graced understanding that makes us faithful disciples. This generous, accessible primer is an antidote to the church's slide into theological illiteracy."

James K. A. Smith, associate professor of philosophy, Calvin College

"A very useful guide to some classic Christian doctrines, and recent theological reflection about them."

Alister McGrath, professor of theology, ministry and education, and head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, King's College, London

"Darren Marks masterfully achieves his central goal of bridging the gap between the theological academy and the life of the church. Laypersons and undergraduate students will be introduced to the major themes of the Christian drama of redemption and invited to participate in the story and worship God through the renewal of their minds. Bringing Theology to Life shows that theological substance does not need to be sacrificed for accessibility, or vice versa!"

Amos Yong, professor of theology and director of the Ph.D. program in renewal studies, Regent University School of Divinity, Virginia Beach, Virginia

"A welcome, accessible, introductory text on Christian faith."

Matthew K. Thompson, Religious Studies Review, September 2010
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CONTENTS

Introduction
1 The Doctrine of the Trinity
2 The Doctrine of Sin
3 The Doctrine of the Incarnation
4 The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
5 The Doctrines of the Bible and Sacraments
6 The Doctrine of Heaven
7 The Doctrine of the Church
Name and Subject Index
Scripture Index

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Darren C. Marks

Darren C. Marks (DPhil, University of Oxford) is assistant professor of Theology and Jewish Studies at Huron University College at the University of Western Ontario. He holds degrees in science and theology from the University of Toronto and advanced degrees in theology from the University of Oxford. He has also studied at the Friedrich Wilhelms Universitat (Bonn). He is the author of over a dozen articles in systematic theology and the author/editor of several texts in theology including Blackwell Companion to Protestantism, Shaping a Theological Mind, and Shaping a Global Theological Mind. His primary research area is contemporary systematic theology, although his doctoral work dealt with nineteenth-century German Protestant theology. Dr. Marks is currently the North American Review Editor for the Journal of Anglican Studies and is director for the Centre for Public Theology in Canada. He has been invited as a Luce Hall conversationalist to the Centre of Theological Inquiry (Princeton) and is now a fellow of the Centre for Advanced Holocaust Studies in Washington D.C. His research interests include global theology, public theology, Jewish-Christian relationships, and science and theology.