A warm classroom is no place for afternoon classes. This is especially true when you’ve been up since midnight the previous night and when that class is Medieval philosophy. I had just worked the graveyard shift at UPS. I got home at 5:00 am and had class at 7:00 am. On Wednesdays my schedule ran from 7-4. It was a super long day and no matter how hard I tried I could not stay awake in this class, the last class of the day. The room was warm and cozy. Lunch had filled my belly, and there comes a point at which your body no longer cares that you are dumping coffee down your gullet. I knew it was important to stay awake, I knew the subject would be helpful for me, but I just couldn’t keep myself engaged. For many in the church that’s how theology in general feels.
There are many for whom, despite their best efforts and intentions, theology is simply not engaging. They believe it’s important, that they should study it, but they just can’t make themselves do it. Life with all its stresses and business has made them weary and for all its theoretical value theology just doesn’t seem to have practical application. It’s like trying to take a course in medieval philosophy after working the graveyard shift. Life wins out every time. The truth, however, is that good theology helps us deal with and view life rightly. So what we need is not less theology but perhaps theology done rightly. That’s where wonderful books like Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church can help. In this book Michael Lawrence evidences that theology is practical.
What do we mean by the term “Biblical theology”? Lawrence points out that the term can be used in two ways. It can be used to mean “sound” theology, conformed to the teachings of Scripture. One might think of the field of systematic theology in this sense. But the term also means to discover “the unity of the Bible in the midst of its diversity” (15). It is to read the Bible’s metanarrative across all 66 books. Both senses of the word, says Lawrence, are important to the church, both senses of the word are important to Biblical Theology. Lawrence writes:
Reading the Bible means learning how to use the tools of biblical theology, in the narrow sense of the word. Applying the Bible means learning how to use the tools of systematic theology. Strangely, the two disciplines of biblical theology and systematic theology are often pitted against one another. But the church and the pastor need both. And so here we will consider how to do biblical theology, so that we might be better systematic theologians, so that we might become better pastors. (15)
What this means for readers of Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church is that this is a “how-to book.” At its very hear this is a practical work.
The book is broken down into three sections. Section one addresses “The tools that are needed.” Here the author covers the methodology of Biblical theology. He deals with both issues in hermeneutics and in systematics. His discussion on the grammatical/historical method is extremely accessible. In chapters 6-10 Lawrence covers “The Stories to Be Told”. Here he unpacks the metanarrative of Scripture through various lenses: the story of creation, the story of the Fall, the story of love, the story of sacrifice, and the story of promise. Engaging with the Scriptures and their unity across the story helps readers to visualize the “how-to” sections of the book. Finally, in section three he addresses “Putting It Together for the Church.” Here Lawrence gives us a grid to think through moving from text to application. He helps us see clearly just how practical Biblical theology is. These last two chapters may be the most helpful in the whole book. Readers will discover how Biblical theology can shape their preaching and teaching, their counseling and their evangelism. Again, Lawrence shows us just how practical true theology really is.
Readers may find no other book more geared toward promoting healthy, Christ-centered reading of the Scripture. Lawrence doesn’t simply teach readers what Biblical Theology is, he demonstrates it for us in a very accessible manner. Those who fear studying theology because it might be over their heads will find a great companion in this book. I have already found this a great resource in my Free Seminary class on Biblical Theology and have recommended it to a colleague to use it for his Hermeneutics class. Biblical Theology in the Life of the Church is indeed a “guide for ministry,” but more than that it’s a guide to good theology for all Christians.
Sparrow & Heart Soul Care 