A Little Exercise for Young Theologians
Overview
Since its first appearance in English translation in 1962, this little book has achieved near-classic status. Thousands of beginning theological students have had the opportunity to eavesdrop, as it were, on the opening lecture of a theological seminar by one of the twentieth century’s leading Christian thinkers. More experienced pastors and theologians have also returned to it again and again for the valuable insights that Helmut Thielicke brings to bear on their vocation.
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- Gives classic advice to theologians, new and experienced alike
- Provides perspective on balancing theological knowledge and clear communication
- Grounds theology in faith
- A Preliminary Understanding with the Reader
- The Anxiety of the Ordinary Christian about Theology
- Unhappy Experience with a Theologian’s Home-Coming
- The Theological Change of Voice
- The Shocks of Infatuation with Theological Concepts
- Pathology of the Young Theologians’s Conceit
- The Wisdom of the World As the Ally of Faith
- The Instinct of the Children of God
- The Lofty and Difficult Art of Dogmatics
- The Hazard of the Aesthetic
- The Study of Dogmatics with Prayer
- Sacred Theology and Diabolical Theology
- On Theological Work in High Altitudes
Top Highlights
“My plea is simply this: every theological idea which makes an impression upon you must be regarded as a challenge to your faith. Do not assume as a matter of course that you believe whatever impresses you theologically and enlightens you intellectually. Otherwise suddenly you are believing no longer in Jesus Christ, but in Luther, or in one of your other theological teachers.” (Page 31)
“For the reasons I have mentioned I do not tolerate sermons by first-semester young theological students swaddled in their gowns. One ought to be able to keep still. During the period when the voice is changing we do not sing, and during this formative period in the life of the theological student he does not preach.” (Page 12)
“This transition from one to the other level of thought, from a personal relationship with God to a merely technical reference, usually is exactly synchronized with the moment that I no longer can read the word of Holy Scripture as a word to me, but only as the object of exegetical endeavors.” (Page 33)
“He has not yet come to that maturity which would permit him to absorb into his own life and reproduce out of the freshness of his own personal faith the things which he imagines intellectually and which are accessible to him through reflection.” (Page 12)
“Thielicke argues that every minister of Jesus Christ must be both a disciplined theologian and a practicing churchman” (Page xii)
To recommend this little exercise as a thin book to put in the pocket of the beginner is not enough. The more seasoned theologian will return to it, and it will touch the pastor who has long since left the halls of theological learning.
—Harvard Divinity School Bulletin
Helmut Thielicke (1908–1986) was an internationally known theologian and pastor who served as professor of systematic theology at the University of Hamburg, Germany. He wrote several books for scholars, pastors, and laypersons, including Modern Faith & Thought, Theological Ethics, and the three-volume systematic theology The Evangelical Faith.
Reviews
5 ratings
Don Randolph
7/26/2015
This is a mandatory text in Dr. Wayne Grudem's Theology 501 class (well, in addition to his own Systematic Theology text). After reading it, I can see why. Essential for anyone entering seminary.
greypilgrim
10/22/2014
This was one of the most enjoyable books that I read in seminary. I guess I need to pull it off the shelf and read it again
Alex Vaughn
10/15/2014
I own the printed version of this book. There is a great deal of wisdom held within these brief pages.
