Integrative Theology is designed to help graduate students in a pluralistic world utilize a standard method of fruitful research. Each chapter on a major doctrine: (1) states a classic issue of ultimate concern, (2) surveys alternative past and present answers and (3) tests those proposals by their congruence with information on the subject progressively revealed from Genesis to Revelation. Then the chapter (4) formulates a doctrinal conclusion that consistently fits the many lines of biblical data, (5) defends that conviction respectfully, and finally (6) explores the conclusion’s relevance to a person’s spiritual birth, growth and service to others, all for the glory of God. Why the title Integrative Theology? In each chapter, steps 2-6 integrate the disciplines of historical, biblical, systematic, apologetic and practical theology.

The doing of theology comes in many different guises and styles. This volume is concerned with Integrative Theology, a discipline which serves participation in the mission of God. It is a practice of discernment by which we aim to be attentive to God in God's world, God's word, and God's work, so as to grow in our understanding of what God wants for and is doing in the world. We seek this knowledge so that we may align ourselves with God's desire in relation to specific realities and issues and serve what we discern to be God's purpose with wisdom and courage. When we do that, we are participating in the mission of God. By means of an explanation of Integrative Theology, its aims, goals, and methods, and then through a series of essays illustrating the results of such a theology, this volume serves as a textbook for doing Integrative Theology. Students and faculty alike will find in this volume a valuable resource for doing theology in the early twenty-first century.

The revised edition of A Theology for the Church retains its original structure, organized under these traditional theological categories: revelation, God, humanity, Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, and last things. Each chapter within these sections contains answers to the following four questions: What does the Bible say? What has the church believed? How does it all fit together? How does this doctrine impact the church today? Contributions from leading Baptist thinkers R. Albert Mohler, Jr., Paige Patterson, and Mark Dever among others will also appeal to the broader evangelical community. Included in this revision are new chapters on theological method from a missional perspective (Bruce Ashford and Keith Whitfield) and theology of creation, providence, and Sabbath that engages current research in science and philosophy (Chad Owen Brand). Chapters on special revelation (David Dockery) and human nature (John Hammett) have also been updated.

Written by a skilled theologian with over two decades of classroom experience, this introduction to evangelical theology explains how connecting to five sources of Christian theology--Scripture, tradition, reason, experience, and community--leads to a richer and deeper understanding of the faith. Graham McFarlane calls this the "evangelical quintilateral," which he recommends as a helpful rubric for teaching theology. This integrative model introduces students to the sources, themes, tasks, and goals of evangelical theology, making the book ideal for introductory theology courses.

With clear writing and a contemporary approach, emphasizing how each doctrine should be understood and applied by present-day Christians, Making Sense of the Future explores the fulfillment of Scripture—the bodily return of Christ.Topics include but are not limited to the primary views of the Millennium (thousand years): Amillennialism—the reign of Christ is now being fulfilled; Postamillennialism—Christ will return after the millennium; Premillennialism—Christ will come back after the millennium.Whichever view the reader subscribes to, the end result is clear: there will be a sudden, personal, visible, bodily return of Christ.Written in a friendly tone, appealing to the emotions and the spirit as well as the intellect, Making Sense of the Church helps readers overcome wrong ideas, make better decisions on new questions, and grow as Christians.

How and why do people believe? This comprehensive guide provides an overview of Christian apologetic approaches and thinkers in a way that even the nonspecialist can understand and practically apply. Even-handed and respectful of each apologist and their contribution, this book provides the reader with a formidable array of defenses for the faith.

Christians strongly disagree about the extent of the atonement. Some believe that the atonement only extends to the elect, those whom God chose to save before the foundation of the world. Others believe the atonement is unlimited, that Jesus died for all people whether they ever believe in him or not. Despite the differences in these two traditional understandings they share one thing in common: both believe that Jesus died for a single, intended purpose. But what if God's intentions in the atonement are multiple, not single? The Bible teaches exactly this, that Jesus died both to pay for the sins of all people and to secure the salvation of those God chose to believe in him before time began. This book explains and defends a multi-intentioned view of the extent of the atonement, asserting that this view does the best job of understanding all of what the Bible says about the extent of the atonement, is more theologically comprehensive than the traditional views, and has the best potential for consensus on who exactly Jesus Christ died for when he was crucified for our sins.

Dancing With God is an exploration of the divine gifts of courage and grace in the face of evil. Moreover, it is a doctrine of God as the source of that courage. Baker-Fletcher presents an understanding of the work of the Trinity with regard to the problem of crucifixion, a metaphor she uses for unnecessary violence. She develops a process of relational, womanist theology that considers the empathetic omnipresence of God in the midst of unnecessary suffering and the healing power of God in movement of the Holy Spirit. She engages the contributions of a diversity of theologians like Paul Tillich, Karl Barth, Gordon Kaufman, John Cobb, Jr., Majorie Suchocki, Charles Hartshorne, Andrew Sung Park, and Katie Cannon in her discussion of the dance of the Trinity in creation, and the problem of sin, evil, and suffering. Through creative works like that of Alice Walker's The Color Purple and journalist Joyce King's account of the James Byrd, Jr. murder in Jasper County, Texas, Baker-Fletcher reveals the healing, encouraging power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of survivors of unnecessary violence.

This book demonstrates how the author of the Song of Songs employed certain literary devices for a specific rhetorical purpose to convey certain therological truths. These are the author's use of first person personal pronouns, rhetorical questions, and the various characters that inhabit its pages

The meaning of "the millennium"--the thousand-year reign of Christ spoken of in Revelation 20--has been controversial for much of the church's history, and even the main perspectives on the matter turn out to be more variegated than is often realized. This book takes the oldest of those options, premillennialism, and offers an excellent introduction to a variety of models of premillennialism currently available, including classical dispensationalism, progressive dispensationalism, historic premillennialism, thematic premillennialism, and historic premillennialism in Asian context. The product of collaboration between a systematic theologian and a New Testament scholar, this book provides a fascinating reference tool for anyone interested in what Scripture teaches about the last things of redemptive history, the Parousia, and the millennial kingdom.