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Tuesday, July 04, 2006

VanWHOzer?

Favourite Evangelical Theologian Poll Result:

Kevin Vanhoozer46%
Don Carson 23%
Sinclair Ferguson 17%
Wayne Grudem 8%
Donald Macleod 6%
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Some readers may be wondering just who is Poll topping theologian, Kevin Vanhoozer? He is Research Professor of Systematic Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.
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In the Preface to The Drama of Doctrine, he writes,
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"At the heart of Christianity lies a series of vividly striking events that together make up the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel - God's gracious self-communication is intrinsically dramatic. Why is in, then, that Christian doctrine so often appears strikingly dull by way of contrast? And not only dull but weak. " (p. ix)
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To remedy this problem, Vanhoozer proposes to use the metaphor of drama to bring theology to life and demonstrate its importance to the Church:
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"This book sets forth new metaphors for theology (dramaturgy), Scripture (the script), theological understanding (the performance), the church (the company), and the pastor (director). It argues that doctrine, far from being unrelated to life, serves the church by directing its members in the project of wise living, to the glory of God. It sets out to convince ministers and laypeople alike not to dismiss doctrine as irrelevant, and to encourage theologians not to neglect the needs of the church. It aims to make the pastoral lamb lie down with the theological lion. Its goal is to refute, once for all, the all too common dichotomy between doctrine and real life. Christian doctrine directs us in the way of truth and life and is therefore no less than a prescription for reality". (p. xii)
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LINKS
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Profile / bibliography here .
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An appreciative, yet not uncritical review of The Drama of Doctrine (WJK 2005) here .
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Vanhoozer on inerrancy here .

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