To be sure, every person does have a system upon which his life is based and to which he is committed either implicitly or ex plicitly. The task o f systematic theology is to seek out that pat tern of truth which God by His grace has revealed to men and thus to think His thoughts after Him, and live in His way. Recent offerings in the field of theology have been vast and varied, all the way from good bib lical studies to the so-called Chris tian atheism. Of particular inter est to evangelicals interested in serious doctrinal study is the posthumous work o f Herman Hoeksema, Reformed Dogmatics (Reformed Free Publishing Asso ciation, $14.95). This is a solid work representing the mature thought o f a thorough-going Re formed theologian. Replete with Scriptural documentation, Hoek- sema’s work goes beyond simply proof-texting in many cases to en hance its value with exegetical discussion of key doctrinal pas sages. Also in the area o f com prehensive doctrinal works, is Doctrines o f the Christian Reli gions (Eerdmans, $6.95 by Wil liam Stevens. Generally conserva tive, however weak in the areas of revelation and inspiration tak ing a Barthian position, this study is a fine survey o f doctrine, with excellent out lines and indices which increase its usefulness. Several good studies of a more popular nature have also been made available. The Living God (Zondervan, $2.50) by Richard DeHaan, studies the attributes and works of the three persons of the Godhead. Constituting mes sages presented on the Radio Bi ble Class, these studies are prac tically oriented, designed to lead the reader into a knowledge of the living God of the Bible and devotion to Him. Lehman Strauss has added to his previous study of the first and second Persons o f the Godhead The First Person (Loizeaux, $3.25). Along with the necessity o f God which is argued from creation and the na-
IA) BOOK Æ f e a t u r e
Systematic
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Theology
L S a u ^ T L D . can never be an end in itself, for God does not give truth fo r truth’s sake, but rather to trans form life, to make man free (John 8:32). It is therefore the founds tion of the Christian life and proc lamation to the world. In many places today, the study o f theology in a systematic way has fallen on dark days. Primary among the reasons for its decline is the departure from the belief that the Scriptures are all God’s Word and therefore can be sys tematized into a unified whole. The modem view which exalts the human authorship of the biblical writings at the expense of the unifying inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is more concerned with demonstrating the contrasts rath er than the complementary dis tinction of the different authors. Systematic theology has also re ceived considerab le disparage ment from its practice of proof- texting and perhaps with some justification. Rather than building theology upon a thorough histori cal-grammatical interpretation of the texts, there has been a danger of using some prima facie. Cur rent studies in biblical theologies have contributed greatly to the diminishing o f this fault. The stu dent of the Scriptures cannot be satisfied with less than the best interpretation of the parts and yet he cannot stop short of sys tematizing these to attain truth.
T he theological study known as Systematic Theology is con cerned with the collection, ar rangement, and vindication o f the truths revealed in the Word of God. This discipline is necessitat ed both by the nature of the Bible and the human mind. What na ture is to the scientist, so the Bi ble is to the theologian. Simply to list the raw data of nature does not constitute a natural science for science is more than knowl edge; it is the organization and correlation of facts into meaning ful laws. Woodrow Wilson point ed out this truth when he said “ . . . Facts themselves do not con stitute the truth. The truth is ab stract, not concrete. . . . It is evoked only by such arrangements and orderings of facts as suggest meanings.” So systematic theol ogy seeks ultimately to translate God’s revelatory truths into a universal biblical or Christian philosophy of reality. Nor is the human mind content with disor ganized facts. Further it tends constantly to rise from facts to laws and finally to the ultimate meaning of the whole as far as this is possible. As such, systematic theology is properly the apex o f theological disciplines seeking the meaning of God’s truth. All others are in some way fractional and there fore contributors to a full system of truth. Systematics, however,
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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