Everyone's a Theologian

This book was scientifically and scripturally accurate, yes. But I believe RC Sproul has missed the point of the Word of God. He desires relationship with us, not analytical scientific breakdown.
To illustrate what it was like, take this example. It would be as if my wife desires to be with me to know me, and that I may know her better. But I refuse to spend time with her, because I need to spend my time reading anatomy/physiology books so I can understand the effects of estrogen production on the human body- and I say that in order to know her better and to know her will and desire and love, that I can best know those aspects of her by studying how she works biologically instead of spending time devoted to her.
In the same way, we will best know God's will by Knowing Him. The New Testament uses different Greek words that translate to "Know" in English. Christ desires that we would know Him intimately the way a husband knows his wife, not just know Him the way we know mathematical equations or scientific hypothesis.
As a side note- RC Sproul, throughout the book, mentions 3 people more than anyone else. Those people are John Calvin, Jesus, and RC Sproul. He really seems to like himself, and quotes John Calvin almost as often as he quotes Christ. He quotes himself most often, and continually refers to his own other books.
The book was intelligently written, but is a great example of missing the point altogether. Christ is a person to be known, not the subject of an academic study to be analyzed and classified.

May we put off all of our academic study of Christ, and actually come to know him, by bowing ourselves before Him in the secret place- may His Bride be united to Him and truly Know Him!

Everyone's a Theologian by R. C. Sproul is a beginner's guide to systematic theology that cover nearly all the important areas of theology is a very clear manner. It is quite a long book but the pages fly along as you delve further into the text and discover new things about the Bible and its interpretation.

I believe this is my first experience with a book written by R. C. Sproul, the well known and respected theologian, and I was very impressed. For a book on theology it was explained very clearly but still concisely and I could really grasp the concepts he was presenting.

Although I disagreed on several areas they way he presented those areas made me think rather than become annoyed. It is a book I am bound to listen to again in the future as it has a wealth of guidance on understanding the Bible.

The narration was quite good as it matched the tone of the material and I found it quite easy to follow.

This book is a must for people wanting to learn more about theology and understanding exactly what they believe and why they believe it based on the Bible.

This audio book was gifted as a part of the christianaudio Reviewers Program in exchange for my unbiased review of this work. More information can be found about this and other Christian audio books at christianaudio.com.

R. C. Sproul is a name that is synonymous with rich doctrinal teaching that believers of all education levels can understand. For years, his teachings have tackled some of the most difficult doctrinal issues with grace, clarity, and often a fair bit of Latin. In his latest work, Sproul dives into a simple introduction to systematic theology.

From the outset, I have to say that I have always been fond of Sproul and his teachings. So, as you might expect, I am very pleased with this book. I will also say that I come from a different denominational and theological background than Sproul in a couple of areas, and I obviously find chapters where our beliefs differ to be the chapters that I like least. However, in all this work, Sproul is clear, simple, and gracious.

Everyone’s a Theologian is an outstanding work simply because of its breadth and brevity. The book includes 60 chapters, spanning the full range of important theological discussions. Sproul addresses the doctrine of God, of salvation, of last things, and a host of other teachings with a solid level of scholarship. Happily, none of these chapters is overly robust. Sproul’s book is only 357 pages, and thus the chapters are appropriately short and to-the-point.

As someone who embraces a reformed view of soteriology, I found Sproul’s discussion of God’s saving work from election to applied redemption to be well worth the read. In a short and clear way, Sproul addresses important topics that many believers may disagree on. It is certainly a good thing, in my opinion, for us to have access to these more brief treatments of difficult topics.

At the same time, I did not find myself agreeing with Sproul’s handling of the topic of baptism. Sproul comes from a Presbyterian position, while mine is Baptist. The fact that he believes that baptism is a sign of God’s covenant of grace that can be applied to children who have not yet believed while I believe that baptism is only for those who have already been converted by Christ is no surprise. Neither do I consider this to be a reason not to recommend this book. Rather, I find this chapter to be a very helpful way for me to again hear a position that is not my own, but which is still clearly and fairly presented.

I would highly recommend Everyone’s a Theologian to believers of all backgrounds and walks of life. Pastors or Bible study leaders might find this to be a worthwhile tool for studies or for discussions of individual doctrines. It is also a very helpful resources for reference that is not nearly as dense as a larger systematic theology book.

I received a free audio version of this book for review as part of the reviewers program for ChristianAudio.com. The book is extremely well-read by Grover Gardner. Since the chapters are each only around 10 to 12 minutes long, the audio version of this book is very digestible.

Everyone’s a Theologian impresses me. There are few books on systematic theology that are written at a level that most everyone can understand, and fewer still that are written in such a way as to not alienate everyone who comes from a different faith background. I could see myself, as a Baptist, using this book written by a Presbyterian in a small group discipleship class. I could also see that same class actually reading it.

If the word wasn’t so loaded, I’d almost describe the book as “ecumenical.” Sproul is able to articulate just enough about baptism, the Lord’s supper, and other hotly-debated topics to be useful, but stops short of debating the mode of baptism or the proper recipients of the Lord’s supper. Some may find this to be a weakness, but I believe it allows for greater flexibility for readers and small group leaders to delve more deeply into the subjects.

The book averages 5.6 pages per chapter which makes the reading go by quickly. Even with eight sections and sixty chapters, the book doesn’t seem long, and its usefulness for study with small groups or as a daily devotional is readily apparent.

If I were to offer one criticism of the book, it would be Sproul’s penchant for Latin phraseology. I realize he’s a well-educated man and the Latin is the language of theology, but it’s a little too academic for a book that’s aimed at everyone and could discourage the average person who’s just flipping through the pages to get a feel for the book before committing to buy it. This little quibble aside, I highly recommend it.

I received this audiobook for the purposes of review from christianaudio.

Everyone really is a theologian, the question is, whether or not we are good one. R.C. Sproul brings us every major category of doctrine to life in this succinct work. If you enjoyed “Essential Truths of the Christian Faith” (a previous work), this systematic outlined through Theology Proper, Anthropology and Creation, Christology, Pneumatology, Soteriology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology.

What is systematic theology? How does it compare to Biblical Theology? Geerhardus Vos explains the differences between Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology. He writes,

“In Biblical Theology the principle is one of historical, in Systematic Theology it is one of logical construction. Biblical Theology draws a line of development. Systematic Theology draws a circle.” (Biblical Theology, 16).

Everyone’s a Theologian: An Introduction to Systematic Theology, R. C. Sproul, Audiobook reviewR.C. Sproul definitely brings logical and circular discourse through this work of the 9 topics of theology. I found this work to be very interesting, refreshing, and affirmative. I liked how R.C. Sproul was thorough his word studies, taking many things back to Greek, Latin and other roots, showing how much of our world is impacted by ‘theology’ whether or not we acknowledge it. To me, this audio work was like a refresher course, much needed and a great reminder of things I had forgotten. One of those things, was our Christian history and how some doctrines have undergone the same scrutiny throughout history as much as they have/are today. Another I appreciated was the reminder of the inerrancy of scripture which saturated the introduction of this audiobook.

The audio narrator was a little difficult to listen to at times as he reminded me of an old time radio host and I did have to replay a few chapters due to my mind wandering, but all in all, after getting acclimated to the narrator, it was a great product and would not change my HIGH recommendation of this work to anyone. Of course, R.C. Sproul held my attention and I do so appreciate his succinct grasp of reformed theology. However, I wish there was not so many comparisons to Roman Catholicism and a systematic theology could be done without slamming others (I understand the need to do so, but discernment is learned by learning the truth not by pointing out what is wrong). I found the information to be presented in a cohesive and appealing manner, and thankful for the audio version for this very reason. I highly recommend this work to anyone who is interested in studying systematic theology as you will not be disappointed and this is a solid and soaked in Biblical truth work! (s) hold your attention?
—————————————————————————–

Disclaimer

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from christianaudio, as part of its Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

R.C has always been my favorite Theologian. I was introduced to the reformed faith through many of his writings. So when he writes a new book, I jump at the chance to read it. In this case I was blessed to listen to it.

This book is basically a short Systematic Theology. But do not let that description fool you. It contains much depth. He called in an introduction but it covers every major theme in Theology.

Each chapter takes a subject from the Bible and explains it out using scripture. It is written with the average person in mind. R.C. has always had an ability to explain doctrine to the average person. Here he is at his finest.

The book alone would be worth listening to even if read by an average Joe, but this one was narrated by the one and only Grover Gardner. Gardner is an award winning narrator, and he is my personal favorite. He could probably read the phone book and make it interesting. So what do you get when you put a top notch theologian and an award winning narrator? A perfect combination. It reminds me of the old commercial – “You put peanut butter on my chocolate.”

I truly loved this audiobook and highly recommend it to all

I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed this book courtesy of the Christian Audio review program at http://christianaudio.com and received the audio book, free of charge, from ChristianAudio.com in exchange for an honest review.