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A Grammar of Christian Faith: Systematic Explorations in Christian Life and Doctrine
A Grammar of Christian Faith is a two-volume set that aims to confront the widespread disarray in the language and practices of Christian faith today. As a 'grammar,' it explains how Christian faith provides special ways of speaking and acting that make sense of human life by giving it meaning, practicality, and hope. It advances the thesis that learning how to speak Christian language in worship and life is crucial to learning how to be a Christian. Rather than supposing that Christian language and theology need continual updating in order to be relevant to the world, Jones urges the church to recover anew how Christian concepts and understanding are intended to form Christian life in all its rich depths. Construing theology as confessional theology in the context of the church, Jones understands the church as that liberative and redemptive community called into being by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to witness in word and deed the triune God for the benefit of the world. The full range of doctrinal themes that are deemed essential to the witness of the church are explored, including clear explanations of why they are essential and how they are to be understood. In pursuit of a truthful and beneficial witness of the church, the work centers on a trinitarian understanding of God, in which God freely and lovingly interacts with the world as Creator, Reconciler, and Redeemer. The work throughout affirms the belief that the gracious triune God is the Ultimate Companion who will redeem all creation.
- GenresTheology
784 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 10, 2020
A strong systemic with remarkable consistency and several innovative ideas. Jones is deeply indebted to Wittgenstein for its general approach to epistemology and language and the impact of these ideas onto the theology that follows. I found this work to be a great launching point for personally working through theology systematically. It was comprehensive but left space for diving deeper and fleshing out further.
August 18, 2016
I think this is an excellent systematic theology. Jones is precise and articulate. His thinking has been well developed by reading Yoder, Barth, Hauerwas, and many others.
Jones' approach is a "grammatical" approach to doctrine, which looks analytically at the embodied rules by which a doctrine is true. It is an approach that was developed mainly by George Lindbeck, using Wittgenstein's understanding of language as use. The result is a more holistic attempt to think through what a doctrine means.
Some of the best parts of the Grammar is his treatments of the Trinity, which does a great job at bringing together the different biblical passages with theological categorizes like personhood and unity. His extended treatments on the nature of the knowledge of Christ and his work are excellent. He works through misunderstandings of the atonement very well, dismantling cheap understandings of penal substitutionary atonement . His eschatology chapter dismantles "double predestination" arguing for the hope of universal restoration. His chapter on Christian life is excellent. It is very rare to see a systematic theologian offer an extended treatment on the meaning of virtue, love and forgiveness.
On the downside, the book is very dry, even for a systematic theology. The back cover has a recommendation by Hauerwas saying that this book is theologically key to Christians recovering their voice after modernity. He ranks the book alongside McClendon's and Jenson's systematic theologies. The three form, I think, for a three strand cord of post-liberalism. Jones' precision, McClendon's ethical and literary anabaptist brilliance, and Jenson's use of Patristics to construct his doctrine of the Trinity.
Jones' approach is a "grammatical" approach to doctrine, which looks analytically at the embodied rules by which a doctrine is true. It is an approach that was developed mainly by George Lindbeck, using Wittgenstein's understanding of language as use. The result is a more holistic attempt to think through what a doctrine means.
Some of the best parts of the Grammar is his treatments of the Trinity, which does a great job at bringing together the different biblical passages with theological categorizes like personhood and unity. His extended treatments on the nature of the knowledge of Christ and his work are excellent. He works through misunderstandings of the atonement very well, dismantling cheap understandings of penal substitutionary atonement . His eschatology chapter dismantles "double predestination" arguing for the hope of universal restoration. His chapter on Christian life is excellent. It is very rare to see a systematic theologian offer an extended treatment on the meaning of virtue, love and forgiveness.
On the downside, the book is very dry, even for a systematic theology. The back cover has a recommendation by Hauerwas saying that this book is theologically key to Christians recovering their voice after modernity. He ranks the book alongside McClendon's and Jenson's systematic theologies. The three form, I think, for a three strand cord of post-liberalism. Jones' precision, McClendon's ethical and literary anabaptist brilliance, and Jenson's use of Patristics to construct his doctrine of the Trinity.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews