Learning Theology with the Church Fathers
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About this ebook
The early church fathers were great theologians--though they did not think of themselves as such. They were working pastors, involved in the daily life and leadership of their congregations. Yet they were wrestling with many of the great and formative questions of the Christian faith, such as the Trinity, the incarnation, the providence of God and the nature of the church. These beliefs were defined in the crucible of spiritual leadership, pastoral care and theological conflict, all set against the background of the great cultural movements and events of their day. For the church fathers, theology was a spiritual exercise woven into the texture of life. What would it be like to sit under the preaching and instruction of these great men, to look over their shoulders as they thought and wrote, or to hear them debate theological issues? Learning Theology with the Church Fathers offers us that experience. With the same insight and love of his subject that he brought to Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, Christopher A. Hall opens the door on patristic theology. Focusing on the great questions, we view these issues in their settings and find greater appreciation for the foundations and architecture of our Christian faith.
Christopher A. Hall
Christopher A. Hall (PhD, Drew University) is the president of Renovaré. He is associate editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, and his books include Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers, Learning Theology with the Church Fathers, and Worshiping with the Church Fathers. Hall previously served at Eastern University for over twenty years in several roles, including chancellor, provost, dean of Palmer Seminary, dean of the Templeton Honors College, distinguished professor of theology, and director of academic spiritual formation.
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Reviews for Learning Theology with the Church Fathers
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- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hall's format and writing style are easy to read and engaging. He focuses on a specific church father for each topic and chapter, thus providing a clear introduction to both the father and the subject and avoiding the confusion that's easy to get into with any study of patristics.The conservative bias of the book is apparent at a number of points, and the book doesn't not fully consider that history (and theology) are written by the victors. Many, if not most, "heretics" were as pious and genuine believers as their orthodox counterparts and in many cases heresies were the result of the difficultly of translating between languages and poorly defined terminology. Further, certain examples and quotes that Hall are going to be understood in an entirely different way by the modern mind than they were by the late ancient, and he does not give adequate attention to those differences.Those concerns aside, the clear writing style and excellent format of the book make it a good place to begin familiarizing oneself with patristic theology.