Preface: An Invitation

Note: this is from a series where I attempted to blog through systematic theology. Spoiler alert: I didn’t make it far.

I’m a theologian. (You are too, believe it or not.) This blog is my sandbox; a place for me to come and play… to dig, build, and get dirty. There’s plenty of room for a friend or two. But instead of sand, I want to sift ideas with you. I want to discover, assess, and construct theology that will change both our lives. We’ll need to involve history and philosophy if we want to do this right—and my parents taught me that any job worth doing is worth doing right. (Or at least they tried.)

The idea of blogging a whole systematic theology was inspired by a number of things. For one, studying Michael Horton’s systematic theology challenged me to begin the truly life-long task of producing my own. At the same time, I became enchanted with the life and mind of Jonathan Edwards and decided to start keeping my own subject-oriented journals. I also wanted to start a more scholarly blog separate from the personal journal I had been keeping thus far. Finally, I recognize the dangers of thinking alone. I believe I need your help to keep me on track, your insights to shed light on issues.

So all of these factors eventually coalesced into this project I sometimes call “Time-Lapse Theology,” as though I’m cool enough to undertake all of this and look artsy and relevant in the process. The idea is that my thought will continue to evolve throughout the course of my life, conforming more and more to the pattern of Christ, by God’s grace. So anything I write on here is never the final word; it’s just the next one. And over time you should be able to string together a series of related posts and watch my doctrine progress, blooming like a flower shot in time-lapse photography.

At this point my narcissism alarm is ringing, so let me also point out that as much as this probably seems to be about me, it’s really not. I’m searching for a clearer understanding of who God is, who we are, and what He expects of us (among many other things). My point isn’t to document myself, but to document Him while emphasizing the limitations of my work lest I lead anyone astray.

So there, we’re on the same page now, aren’t we? Good. You may want to take off your socks and shoes first, but that corner of the sandbox is calling your name. Why don’t you take a seat?