Theology and Doxology

Domenico Gargiulo, “David before the Ark of the Covenant”

Theology and doxology are inseparable.  Praise of God and faith in Him must spring from speaking about God using the Word of God.  The Word's own claims of power unto salvation drive us to confess the truth of the word that we obediently convey to the world in the discipline of theology.  The Word of God is never a dead letter, rather being spirit and life, it gives life and salvation to us who are dying and by nature damned sinners.

Who, when granted such a salvation, would not break forth in paeans of glory to the God who becomes man for our sakes in Christ?  Who would not praise the one who breaks the darkness?  Who would not offer prayers to honor the God who debases Himself in our Lord Jesus for our sakes?  Theology that does not echo in prayer and praise to God is not theology but self-babble, the blather of those confined to theological navel gazing.  It is an abuse of the word theology when it is not also doxology.

Praise of God also admits the true limits of theological talk.  What God has said we may repeat.  What God has not said, we may not say.  It is neither theology nor doxology to speculate about what God has not revealed in these last days by His Son.  True praise of God thus also includes faithful acceptance of the limitations that God has placed on us to distinguish us from Him.  He knows all.  We do not.  He reveals some things about Himself to us, others He has not.  We speak of what we know.  We remain silent when we do not.  Like rests are music, silence may also be eloquent praise too.  Our speculations about God must be made in silence, that God only may be praised.

Rev. Dr. Scott R. Murray

Two Natures in Christ: Lectures by Rod Rosenbladt

This morning I finished listening to a set of MP3s featuring Dr. Rod Rosenbladt lecturing on Martin Chemnitz' book The Two Natures in Christ.  I read this book about five years ago^† and was both impressed and overwhelmed.  After listening to the lectures, rereading the book seems in order.

The audio sessions are available at Fighting for the Faith beginning here and presented intermittently over three months worth of shows.  If you wish video format, links can be found at the website for Faith Lutheran Church, Capistrano Beach, CA.

Incarnation Notes for Two Natures Lecture


^† The edition I read can be found here.  An updated edition is available from CPH.  It is thick (542 pages) and packed full of good stuff.

Modern Theological Terms

The following list by Benjamin Mayes demonstrates the postmodern influence on theology insomuch as the meanings of words are dictated by the subjective whim of the user rather than a known objective standard.^†

Begetting — creation.

Creation — the eternal generation of the world.

Demonic (according to Tillich)—fixed, unchanging; for example, orthodox theology.

Dynamic — changing, variable; NOT: powerful.

Economic Trinity — a god that changes and develops ontologically, usually taking three modes, “revealing” him- or herself to be father (or mother), Jesus, and the holy spirit (or “sophia”). This is the god of modern theology.

Eschatological — changing, variable; NOT: having to do with the visible return of Jesus.

Freedom — the state of being ontologically changeable, variable.

Heilsgeschichte — the view that God and religion are changing, variable; NOT: scholarly writing about the history of God’s Old and New Testament people and his relationship with them.

Historical — changing, variable; NOT: written about in a former time.

Idolatrous (according to Sallie McFague) — Absolutizing one tradition of images for God, not being pluralistic. Note: According to this definition, the Christian church was idolatrous from its beginning until modern times.

Immanent Trinity — God the Holy and Blessed Trinity per se, considered separately from his creation. Modern theology hates this God.

Passionate — changing, variable, able to be changed or harmed by others (passio), used by modern theologians especially of their god; NOT: genuinely concerned or interested.

Personal — changing, variable, ontologically dependent on the existence of others.

Relational — relative, changing, variable, ontologically dependent on the existence of others.

Static — having the character of “one who does not change,” and “who is the same,” and “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Modern theologians hate this quality, especially if it is used to describe God.

Theology of the Cross (according to Moltmann) — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit suffered and died on the cross. NOT: One of the Holy Trinity suffered for us.


^† Taken from LOGIA, Volume 18, Number 4, 53.