Restitutio

This episode is part of the Restoration Theology class.

Whereas last time we focused on differences and development, today our goal is to perceive the final form of a doctrine. Because restorationists believe God inspired scripture, we recognize that amidst the diversity we can also detect coherence. Although there were many authors, there was only one God inspiring each of them.

Today you’re going to learn about how to do systematic theology well. Rather than merely collecting a few texts that support your belief, you’ll also learn what other steps are necessary to put together a robust theological statement. You’ll also learn about the limitations of systematic theology.

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Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan

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Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.

Get the transcript of this episode

Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This episode is part of the Restoration Theology class.

The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, written by dozens of authors over centuries. It did not drop from heaven, nor did it arrive all in one generation. No, God slowly revealed the Christian scriptures over time. As a result, we find development within them, which is important to understand when building theology. While next time, we’ll focus on the final form of this or that doctrine, today our focus is on how doctrines change over time. This is nothing to worry about. It’s not a bug; it’s a feature! Afterall, our God is not a stone idol, but the dynamic living God who carefully shapes history to his sovereign ends, generation by generation. Today we’ll begin our first episode in a five-part series, covering all the major branches of theology. Enjoy!

  Listen on Spotify

  Listen on Apple Podcasts

—— Links ——

Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class

Support Restitutio by donating here

Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan

Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air

Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.

Get the transcript of this episode

Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This episode is part of the Restoration Theology class.

Although one of the most overlooked aspects of hermeneutics, figuring out how to apply scripture to your own context today is extremely important. If you interpret the Bible well, but never ask the question, “How does this affect me?” what good does it do you? Like the scholar of religion who is just curious, you can read the Bible and understand it correctly, but never experience the kind of change God wants for you.

Let’s say you want to apply the Bible to your life today. How do you do it? It won’t do to just pick a verse here and a verse there–taking this one literally and that one metaphorically as you like. No, you need a method to help keep you honest and to make sure you’re not leaving anything critical out. Today’s episode is going to equip you to apply scripture to your life today in a methodical way, not only providing some clear guidelines of what to do, but also some problems to avoid.

  Listen on Spotify

  Listen on Apple Podcasts

—— Links ——

Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class

Support Restitutio by donating here

Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan

Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air

Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.

Get the transcript of this episode

Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This episode is part of the Restoration Theology class.

There’s no getting around it. The Bible is a historical book. The events it describes occurred in history. What’s more, biblical history isn’t just limited to a single period of time. No, it stretches over thousands of years. As a result, it’s critical that you always remember that you’re reading something from another time and place. You’re reading about people who lived long ago in a place that is far away–at least for most of us.

Now, if you’re anything like me, you found social studies, global studies, and history classes totally boring in high school. I never cared to learn much about American presidents or European wars. However, when I came to understand that the historical context was a major key for understanding the Bible, I discovered–to my surprise–a passion for history. Suddenly I wanted to learn about ancient empires and literature. I researched archeology, epigraphy, and paleography. I suppose my awakening occurred because I saw there was a payoff. I wasn’t just studying history to learn random facts about long ago. I was studying to learn how to understand the Bible better, and that made all the difference in the world.

  Listen on Spotify

  Listen on Apple Podcasts

—— Links ——

Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class

Support Restitutio by donating here

Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan

Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air

Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.

Get the transcript of this episode

Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.

This episode is part of the Restoration Theology class.

What’s the difference between reading the Bible and studying it? Reading the Bible is like surfing on the waves, following the general flow of thought as you go. Studying the Bible is more like swimming underwater, perhaps with scuba gear to enable you to investigate matters thoroughly. Today we’re doing the second one. You’re going to learn how to interpret a biblical text in its literary context using the grammatical-historical hermeneutic. This includes learning about genre, scriptural additives, context, and intertextuality. Our goal is to understand the authorial intent of a scripture so that you interpret it accurately.

  Listen on Spotify

  Listen on Apple Podcasts

—— Links ——

Check out the other episodes of the Restoration Theology class

Support Restitutio by donating here

Join our Facebook group, follow on X @RestitutioSF or Instagram @Sean.P.Finnegan

Leave a 90 second voice message via SpeakPipe with questions or comments and we may play it out on the air

Who is Sean Finnegan?  Read his bio here

Get Finnegan’s book, Kingdom Journey to learn about God’s kingdom coming on earth as well as the story of how Christianity lost this pearl of great price.

Get the transcript of this episode

Intro music: Good Vibes by MBB Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-SA 3.0) Free Download / Stream: Music promoted by Audio Library.