Episode Audio:
Theology! Many Christians flinch a little when they hear that word. We live in an era where theology has become a dirty word, associated with stiff academics and argumentative dogmatists. But theology is at the core of who we are as disciples. If we are genuine in our faith, theology is unavoidable because we naturally ask questions about who God is and how we should follow Him. So we must work to make sure our theology is done well, rooted in the history of the Church that seeks to worship God. And that’s the approach Dennis Okholm takes in his book Learning Theology through the Church’s Worship. The way we live our life in Christ displays our theology just as our theological beliefs influence the way we worship God in our everyday life. And so theology forms a core discipline that we as disciples cannot ignore.
Who is Dennis Okholm?
Dennis Okholm is professor of theology at Azusa Pacific University and adjunct professor at Fuller Theology Seminary. He speaks frequently in church and youth group settings and is a canon theologian for the Diocese of Churches for the Sake of Others. Okholm is the author or editor of many books, including Dangerous Passions, Deadly Sins and Monk Habits for Everyday People. His latest book, Learning Theology through the Church's Worship, shows the inseparable connection between what the Church believes and what the Church does as a worshipping community.
Episode Resources:
Learning Theology through the Church's Worship by Dennis Okholm
Doxology by J. Wainwright
The Cruelty of Heresy by C. Fitzsimons Allison
Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider
Christ and Culture by H. Richard Niebuhr
Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon
Who's Afraid of Post-Modernism? by James K.A. Smith