SECOND EDITION

Practicing Christian Doctrine

An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically

Beth Felker Jones

a division of Baker Publishing Group

Grand Rapids, Michigan

© 2023 by Beth Felker Jones

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakeracademic.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Jones, Beth Felker, 1976– author.

Title: Practicing Christian doctrine : an introduction to thinking and living theologically / Beth Felker Jones.

Description: Second edition. | Grand Rapids, Michigan : Baker Academic, a division of Baker Publishing Group, [2023] | Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Identifiers: LCCN 2022057969 | ISBN 9781540965141 (paperback) | ISBN 9781540966445 (casebound) | ISBN 9781493440085 (ebook) | ISBN 9781493440092 (pdf)

Subjects: LCSH: Theology, Doctrinal.

Classification: LCC BT75.3 .J66 2023 | DDC 230—dc23/eng/20230315

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022057969

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations labeled ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016.

For my students—

“May the mind of Christ our Savior live in us from day to day”

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: To Practice Doctrine

1. Speaking of God: Theology and the Christian Life

2. Knowing God: Doctrines of Revelation and Scripture

3. The God We Worship: Doctrine of the Trinity

4. A Delightful World: Doctrines of Creation and Providence

5. Reflecting God’s Image: Theological Anthropology

6. The Personal Jesus Christ: Christology

7. The Saving Work of Jesus Christ: Soteriology

8. The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life: Pneumatology

9. One Church in a Diverse World: Ecclesiology

10. Resurrection Hope: Eschatology

Benediction: A Prayer for the Practice of Christian Doctrine

Scripture Index

Subject Index

Acknowledgments

This project was born of teaching, and I’m grateful to my students at Huntington University, Wheaton College, and Northern Seminary, to whom this book is dedicated. Being in conversation with you is one of my greatest privileges, and you give me hope for the church. I wrote this book for you. Thanks for your good questions, your thoughtful conversations, and your desire to put faith into practice. You have helped make doctrine come alive for me.

Many thanks to deans over ...

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About Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically, Second Edition

This introductory theology text helps students articulate basic Christian doctrines, think theologically so they can act Christianly in a diverse world, and connect Christian thought to their everyday life of faith.

Written from a solidly evangelical yet ecumenically aware perspective, this book models a way of doing theology that is generous and charitable. It attends to history and contemporary debates and features voices from the global church. Sidebars made up of illustrative quotations, key Scripture passages, classic hymn texts, and devotional poetry punctuate the chapters.

The first edition of this book has been well received (over 25,000 copies sold). The second edition has been updated and revised throughout and includes a new section on gender and race as well as new end-of-chapter material connecting each doctrine to a spiritual discipline.

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Table of Contents