How to Read Theology for All Its Worth: A Guide for Students

by Karin Spiecker Stetina

Too many Christians avoid reading theology for fear they won't understand it or out of a misconception that it's only meant for the academic elite. Similarly, students in introductory theology classes can feel overwhelmed by the concepts and terminology they encounter. Yet theology can be read with enjoyment and discernment. In How to Read Theology for All Its Worth , professor, author, and devoted reader Karin Stetina introduces students to the basic skills of intelligent reading, applied especially to theological works. Anyone who'd like to read theology well, whether a formal student or interested layperson, will benefit from the simple steps Stetina outlines. Steps How to Read Theology for All Its Worth will equip readers not only to understand theology but also to insightfully engage authors' ideas. With the basic tools in hand, everyone can read with confidence and enjoy "conversations" with theological works.

Genres: Theology, Christianity, Christian, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2020

Reviews

[Brianna Smith Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent primer for how to read theological works carefully and productively. It’s an ideal book for students of theology, whether in the academy or in the broader church context.

[T. Ryan Dillon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a fantastic, easy to read, guide on reading and critically engaging with theological texts. Contains a host of helpful tools and questions to ask as well as examples and short exercises at the end of each chapter. I’m excited to use this book for my “Intro to Theology” sophomore course. I believe the students will benefit from Stetina’s work greatly.

[Mark Jr. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in an afternoon; very basic—but very well done. A really ideal introduction for (undergraduate, I’d say) students. She’s not quite where I am theologically, so I’d quibble with a few minor comments and give a pretty different list of significant works; but she’s careful and concise and clear and wise. I was really impressed. Short review coming out in Bible Study Magazine.

[Kat Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had this resource 20 years ago when I was trying to discern which books to read. This is going to be a wonderful resource for students and I'll likely be buying a slew of these to hand out when folks have concern about certain books.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where should a person begin when he or she wants to study theology? Most of us begin with the recommendation of a friend or church leader. But how do we evaluate the book that is in our hands? Should we accept what the author says or not and if so, why? This book guides the reader in the “how” of reading theology. Over eight chapters the author unfolds foundational principles for an appropriate “critical” reading of theology.
Although (unfortunately) many beginning students will not read this work, it provides wise guidance for careful reading in theology. Not only does the author provide specific principles for reading theology, but she also emphasizes that such reading must serve the purpose of knowing and loving God and others. The study of theology is not just to gain information or win a theological debate but to influence the life of the reader in his or her walk with God. In general, this is a very helpful guide and should be useful both for beginning students and for teachers who want to help beginners get off to a good start in reading. A few limitations of the work may be noted. First, some of the examples the author uses are fairly far removed from the literature that a beginning student would most likely be reading. It would have been more helpful to use examples from books that most potential readers would encounter as they begin to study. Second, the author would provide more direction on where to start. In an apparent effort to appeal to a wide audience, the author gives almost no direction for where a student might begin his or her study. A recommended basic bibliography would be a valuable addition to this book.
Despite a few limitations, most readers will profit from what they find here.

[Kim Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this readable volume, Dr. Karin Spiecker Stetina outlines why and how to read theoloy. She encourages first of all humility and prayer as we read what others have written. She moves on to encourage us to look at the author of the work and his biases. We are to look closely at the context of a work. What is the writer's life experience, sociopolitical reality, and education. To whom does the writer direct her arguments? These are questions we should ask as we read theology so that we can come to a clear understanding of the work.

Stetina encourages careful reading of all theological works. In an age where people want to read quickly in order to get on social media and be the "first" person to talk about a book, careful reading may seem unwelcome, but it is necessary. Stetina also reminds the reader that we don't read theology to have answers, but rather to be shaped and taught by what we read.

In every chapter, Stetina includes questions for discussion, so that this book could be used with a group of people. Ideally, this book would suit an upper level high school student and into college and university. I could see it being very useful in helping keen students navigate difficult material.

I've been reading theology a long time, but Stetina's reminders about how to ask questions from a text and to mark and underline the text to engage with it were good reminders for me.

[Tolivar Wills]

This was a really helpful book; one which every student of the bible and theology should read. Most folks assume they know how to read well, but don't realize that reading intelligently is more than just the mechanics. Instead, it is learning to read in context, not only of the piece of literature one is reading but within various other fields of theology, historically, and other important categories of theological study. This book, along with Mortimer Adler's masterpiece, How to Read A Book, are a few of the seminal books on how to read and do thoughtful research. Learning is more than just taking in a lot of information but knowing how to have a conversation with various other learners along the way. Heartily recommend!

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a must-read for anyone who seeks to grow in their ability to engage with theological texts. This book provides a comprehensive overview of how to read theology, what questions to ask, and the why behind these hows and whats. The glossary and appendixes also contain helpful information, and each chapter begins with a relevant quote and bible verse, engaging the reader.

[Mark Nichols · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some parts were overly simple, but a good introduction to theological reading. I was disappointed that the book isn't as iconic as the "How to read the Bible..." similarity in the title suggested. I'm looking forward to engaging with the "Selected List of Significant Theologians and Theological Works" in Appendix Two!

[Chad Gibbons · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good, but too basic to be of much use. It's written for people first delving into theological works, but even then I'd hesitate to recommend it. The idea is a good one, but it's practicality was lacking.