To Teach the Truth

But will it teach? The only good answer to this question often asked about a Christian theology is to teach it, which is to say, to teach according to it, to what it indicates, reflectively and critically, valid Christian teaching ought to be. This volume of selected courses and seminars documents a career-long attempt to do exactly that. Concerned at once to be faithful to the Christian witness and to speak intelligibly and credibly to women and men here and now, it represents the way of doing church teaching, and so clarifying the meaning of the Christian commitment, that is of a piece with the distinctive way of doing Christian theology set forth and argued for in Schubert Ogden's other books and articles. This is why the courses and seminars seek to address the real questions of persons about being a Christian today and include extended treatment of such basic issues as the authority of Scripture and the credibility of the Apostles' Creed. It is also why each of them, in its way, indirectly calls for a Christian decision. Thus, together with its companion volume, To Preach the Truth, this book offers a model for bearing witness to the truth as Christians understand it. ""Along with its companion, To Preach the Truth, and his recent The Understanding of Christian Faith, this volume comprises the ideal introduction to the full range of Schubert Ogden's lifework as Christian teacher, preacher, and theologian. What does Ogden take being a Christian to mean today? The answers are here."" --Philip E. Devenish, The University of Chicago Divinity School, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL ""Schubert Ogden offers a brilliant and moving account of the art of teaching Christian truth. Unlike Christian preaching, the teacher must give explicit attention to the warrants for the truth, especially the authorizations in the history of Jesus for the claim that he represents decisively the reality of God within the human sphere. The arguments are complex yet clearly performed, with obedience to standards for truthful evidence that modern scholarship demands, and the passion to serve our understanding. The entire work is a wonderful gift to all who seek to know the truth, and to teach it."" --Bernard Owen Brown, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL Schubert M. Ogden is University Distinguished Professor of Theology Emeritus at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. His books include The Understanding of Christian Faith (Cascade, 2010), Doing Theology Today (Wipf & Stock, 2006), and Faith and Freedom (Wipf & Stock, 2005).