A review by ninjakiwi12
Practicing Christian Doctrine by Beth Felker Jones
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Fun(ny) fact(s): Not much except I needed this for school, and it was much better than I could have expected.
Favorite quote/image: "All four are connected: the heart's passion, the soul's yearning, the power God grants us, and the intellectual task of seeking the truth of God. This means that study of doctrine is an act of love for God: in studying the things of God, we are formed as worshippers and as God's servants. To practice doctrine is to yearn for a deeper understanding of the Christian faith, to seek the logic and the beauty of that faith, and to live out what we have learned in the daily realities of the Christian life." (pg. 2)
Honorable mention: "The sacramental life of the church is central to the goodness of our holy–sacred–life together. In sacrament, we learn that the church's sacred life is a life in which body and soul, material and spiritual, are united. It is a life perfectly fitted for the material and spiritual human beings who are the people of God. In the church, we are born of water and the Spirit, and we are fed, body and soul, at the family table." (pg. 209)
Why: Jones provides a thoughtful, coherent overview of the major Christian doctrines, weaving together a nuanced and balanced collection of voices from the tradition, to introduce students to the basic tenets and debates of the faith. I would wholeheartedly recommend this as an approachable primer to Christian theology.
Favorite quote/image: "All four are connected: the heart's passion, the soul's yearning, the power God grants us, and the intellectual task of seeking the truth of God. This means that study of doctrine is an act of love for God: in studying the things of God, we are formed as worshippers and as God's servants. To practice doctrine is to yearn for a deeper understanding of the Christian faith, to seek the logic and the beauty of that faith, and to live out what we have learned in the daily realities of the Christian life." (pg. 2)
Honorable mention: "The sacramental life of the church is central to the goodness of our holy–sacred–life together. In sacrament, we learn that the church's sacred life is a life in which body and soul, material and spiritual, are united. It is a life perfectly fitted for the material and spiritual human beings who are the people of God. In the church, we are born of water and the Spirit, and we are fed, body and soul, at the family table." (pg. 209)
Why: Jones provides a thoughtful, coherent overview of the major Christian doctrines, weaving together a nuanced and balanced collection of voices from the tradition, to introduce students to the basic tenets and debates of the faith. I would wholeheartedly recommend this as an approachable primer to Christian theology.