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The Quest for Truth: Theology for a Postmodern World
The "inescapable questions of life" are answered from the standard of God's authoritative Word. This invaluable tool seriously discusses profound truths that apply to every facet of life. Biblical truth should be made applicable to the total personality.
- GenresTheology
572 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 10, 2012
It has been some time since I have read a systematic theology book, but I was deeply moved by Dr. Forlines' work. There are so many things that could be said about this book. For me it was an eye-opening study. I have always been a non-Calvinist but leaned towards a more Wesleyan approach to Arminianism. With the new upsurge of Calvinism I found myself confronted with questions that I honestly was not sure how to answer. Fortunately, Forlines' work was suggested to me for perusal and I am so glad I did. Although, I was already beginning to realize that I was a Classical Arminian, this book solidified that position even more and if the free-will Baptist would accept a Pentecostal I might be inclined to join their ranks.
Forlines begins with an examination of the culture we currently face. His theology is designed to speak to someone who may not have a background in theological thought. He explains that his method is meant to bridge academic, practical, and devotional in order to speak to the entire personality of the reader. He believes that theology should permeate all levels of the human personality. We should "think and feel our way through a study of theology." He does not believe that intellectual pursuit should be detached from feeling. This "head and heart" approach guides the rest of the journey as he follows the train of thought that led to the development of the post-modern view of this present culture.
Forlines distinguishes between upper story truth and lower story truth. He believes that a worldview should provide an answer for the inescapable questions of life. When modernism failed the culture it turned to a pessimistic perspective that places little stock in objective truth. While lower story truth such as math,science, history, etc remains in tact, upper story truth is under attack. Upper story truth is the spiritual realities that shape our worldview and seek to answer the inescapable questions of life. At times I felt that he either oversimplified or simply included a few things that are more a style than a philosophy, however, I felt that overall he gave an accurate description on our time. He is very endearing because he like a grandpa who tells you truth that you need to hear from his generation.He stops sometimes in the discourse to give instruction and practical truths that are needed.
Theologically he is on bubble. His understanding of the scripture and his rigorous pragmatic approach gave him a very balanced look at Bible doctrine. His assessment of the Trinity was good. He does reject the notion of the eternal Sonship of Christ which I had mixed feelings about. While it is true that the term "eternal generation" does seem contradictory, I am not sure that I am ready to reject it yet. That was something I wish he would have spent more time elaborating on. His thoughts on the nature of God were standard and while there was nothing groundbreaking about them, they were solid and similar to what one might find in any other theology book. The only real complaint I had was I felt that his perspective on God's relation to time was confusing and I am still not certain what he was trying to communicate. He has a strong commitment to the inerrant nature of scripture and he has a high view of the holiness of God which causes him to have a strong stand against sin.
Like the Calvinist he affirms the truth of Total Depravity which I have whole-heartedly accepted. It is a difficult act to juggle in order to affirm man's innate sinfulness while still maintaining that there is some rudiment of the image of God remaining in the human person. I thought he was able to walk that line in a way that was in agreement with the Calvinist definition. His perspective of atonement was awesome! The chapter on justification and atonement was by far the most powerful chapter in the entire work. His explanation really opened my eyes to the truth of what Christ has done for us. While I believe in penal substitution he strengthened my commitment to this viewpoint. In fact, I am amazed that Arminians can hold to the Governmental theory of atonement as it seems to undermine the great provisions Jesus made for us with his death. His review of the provisionary aspect of the atonement was logical and really helped to clarify the nature of atonement as it relates to limited vs. unlimited.
His doctrine of sanctification was orthodox and solid. There was nothing groundbreaking like in his section on the atonement but there was nothing amiss either. I appreciate his thoughts about apostasy and the irrevocable nature of it. This is a position held by Classical Arminians and Forlines does not take issue with that. His comments on election were rich. He does a small exegetical study on Romans 9 in order to bring it into focus. He takes John Piper to task on his book "The Justification of God." Forlines was a formidable opponent and having read both Piper and Forlines I definitely think that Forlines got the better of this exchange. While I don't know about conditional election and my feelings about it, I certainly see it as a viable option and when his views are coupled with his particular views about the nature of faith it makes a lot of sense. In fact, every time that Forlines stops to do a mini-sermon out of the book of Romans I had to perk up. Everything he said about Romans was absolutely incredible and I have to read his commentary on Romans that was done for Randall House Bible Commentary.
He returned back to the point of origin at the end of the book. A great deal of the final chapter was a repeat of things that were said in the beginning. It was a real impassioned plea for ministers and Christians to boldly speak into the culture and bring the light of the gospel. He encouraged people to listen with the ears and their heart to the things that are happening in the world around us. There is a battle raging against the truth and it is the responsibility of God's people to stand for the truth in a world that is attempting to deny its existence. Overall, I can say that this book was well-worth the time I invested in it and I know that I will be returning again and again as I study the Bible over the coming years. If you have to have one Classical Arminian theology book this is certainly the one you should reference. He has affirmed my faith in Classical Arminianism and more than that he has strengthened my understanding of all things that Jesus has done for me through his life and death. Two thumbs up!
Forlines begins with an examination of the culture we currently face. His theology is designed to speak to someone who may not have a background in theological thought. He explains that his method is meant to bridge academic, practical, and devotional in order to speak to the entire personality of the reader. He believes that theology should permeate all levels of the human personality. We should "think and feel our way through a study of theology." He does not believe that intellectual pursuit should be detached from feeling. This "head and heart" approach guides the rest of the journey as he follows the train of thought that led to the development of the post-modern view of this present culture.
Forlines distinguishes between upper story truth and lower story truth. He believes that a worldview should provide an answer for the inescapable questions of life. When modernism failed the culture it turned to a pessimistic perspective that places little stock in objective truth. While lower story truth such as math,science, history, etc remains in tact, upper story truth is under attack. Upper story truth is the spiritual realities that shape our worldview and seek to answer the inescapable questions of life. At times I felt that he either oversimplified or simply included a few things that are more a style than a philosophy, however, I felt that overall he gave an accurate description on our time. He is very endearing because he like a grandpa who tells you truth that you need to hear from his generation.He stops sometimes in the discourse to give instruction and practical truths that are needed.
Theologically he is on bubble. His understanding of the scripture and his rigorous pragmatic approach gave him a very balanced look at Bible doctrine. His assessment of the Trinity was good. He does reject the notion of the eternal Sonship of Christ which I had mixed feelings about. While it is true that the term "eternal generation" does seem contradictory, I am not sure that I am ready to reject it yet. That was something I wish he would have spent more time elaborating on. His thoughts on the nature of God were standard and while there was nothing groundbreaking about them, they were solid and similar to what one might find in any other theology book. The only real complaint I had was I felt that his perspective on God's relation to time was confusing and I am still not certain what he was trying to communicate. He has a strong commitment to the inerrant nature of scripture and he has a high view of the holiness of God which causes him to have a strong stand against sin.
Like the Calvinist he affirms the truth of Total Depravity which I have whole-heartedly accepted. It is a difficult act to juggle in order to affirm man's innate sinfulness while still maintaining that there is some rudiment of the image of God remaining in the human person. I thought he was able to walk that line in a way that was in agreement with the Calvinist definition. His perspective of atonement was awesome! The chapter on justification and atonement was by far the most powerful chapter in the entire work. His explanation really opened my eyes to the truth of what Christ has done for us. While I believe in penal substitution he strengthened my commitment to this viewpoint. In fact, I am amazed that Arminians can hold to the Governmental theory of atonement as it seems to undermine the great provisions Jesus made for us with his death. His review of the provisionary aspect of the atonement was logical and really helped to clarify the nature of atonement as it relates to limited vs. unlimited.
His doctrine of sanctification was orthodox and solid. There was nothing groundbreaking like in his section on the atonement but there was nothing amiss either. I appreciate his thoughts about apostasy and the irrevocable nature of it. This is a position held by Classical Arminians and Forlines does not take issue with that. His comments on election were rich. He does a small exegetical study on Romans 9 in order to bring it into focus. He takes John Piper to task on his book "The Justification of God." Forlines was a formidable opponent and having read both Piper and Forlines I definitely think that Forlines got the better of this exchange. While I don't know about conditional election and my feelings about it, I certainly see it as a viable option and when his views are coupled with his particular views about the nature of faith it makes a lot of sense. In fact, every time that Forlines stops to do a mini-sermon out of the book of Romans I had to perk up. Everything he said about Romans was absolutely incredible and I have to read his commentary on Romans that was done for Randall House Bible Commentary.
He returned back to the point of origin at the end of the book. A great deal of the final chapter was a repeat of things that were said in the beginning. It was a real impassioned plea for ministers and Christians to boldly speak into the culture and bring the light of the gospel. He encouraged people to listen with the ears and their heart to the things that are happening in the world around us. There is a battle raging against the truth and it is the responsibility of God's people to stand for the truth in a world that is attempting to deny its existence. Overall, I can say that this book was well-worth the time I invested in it and I know that I will be returning again and again as I study the Bible over the coming years. If you have to have one Classical Arminian theology book this is certainly the one you should reference. He has affirmed my faith in Classical Arminianism and more than that he has strengthened my understanding of all things that Jesus has done for me through his life and death. Two thumbs up!
May 13, 2021
This is my go-to theology book. Excellent!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews