Faith Speaking Understanding (Kevin Vanhoozer)

Last year, I attempted to read Kevin Vanhoozer's The Drama of Doctrine.  Recognizing quality but realizing it beyond my comprehension, I stopped reading.  Thankfully, he produced a summary intended for the layman in today's review, Faith Speaking Understanding.  Any quotes are from Vanhoozer unless otherwise indicated.

Summary
"The present book is about the importance of doctrine for discipleship."  What is doctrine?  A system of beliefs.  In recent times viewed as divisive,

Churches today may not hold doctrine in high regard, yet the church, like television, is always educating; the only question is, What is it teaching?  In particular, what norms, values, and belief is it conveying through its hidden curriculum, its everyday ways of doing things?  Into what scheme of beliefs and practices are churchgoers being socialized?

In short: doctrine is always present.  "We've all been indoctrinated: everyone has absorbed some system of beliefs and values."  What's more, "doctrine does more than state facts: it offers interpretive frameworks."  Indeed, "believing . . . is not merely propositional but also dispositional, a matter not only of processing intellectual content but also of acting it out."  For the Christian, "doctrine not only indicates what is in Christ but also implicitly directs us to conform to this new reality."  And thus we arrive at the importance and "purpose of Christian doctrine: to provide a special kind of instruction . . . for fitting participation in the drama of redemption."

Vanhoozer's thesis: "the recovery of doctrine is essential to the task of discipleship, demonstrating understanding of God's word by doing it.  Doctrine is less theoretical than it is theatrical, a matter of doing- speaking and showing- what we have heard and understood."  Doctrine's "purpose is not merely to give us "answers" but to instill in us habits of seeing, judging, and acting in theodramatically appropriate manners."  And so "the aim of Christian theology is not merely to add to our stockpile of theoretical knowledge but to cultivate disciples who can display the mind of Christ in every situation."

In every situation.  This requires creativity, as every age and culture will find themselves with decisions or in scenarios not explicitly addressed in the Bible.  God is the same always, but "unity of faith is not the same as uniformity."  "The way, truth, and life of Jesus Christ is universal, not because it is suspended in some timeless, cultureless realm but because it can be played out in myriad times, cultures, and place."  And thus "the long-term challenge for disciples . . . is to represent the gospel not by seeking literally to duplicate past scenes but rather by continuing to follow Jesus into the present in ways that are both faithful and (necessarily) creative."

Creative?  Certainly: "The key thing is to understand what God is doing in Christ so well that one can participate fittingly in the action even when the setting and scenery look completely different."  "Displaying the mind of Christ at every moment in every situation is the disciple's ultimate goal."

We can't do it alone.  "The faith that grants individuals union with Christ also brings communion with others."  Hence, the church.  "The church's mission is not to conquer territory or even to Christianize society . . . the church is called rather to make disciples and present Christ."  "Doing church means living out, in all the activities of everyday life, our identity in Christ," as "the church exists to be a living exhibit to the reality of the gospel."

The church is the vanguard of God's kingdom . . . the church's "ministry of reconciliation" is a mandate not to bring reconciliation about- only God can do that- but rather to bear witness to the reconciliation already won through the cross of Christ.

Done correctly, ". . . the church is a theater of the gospel in which disciples stage previews of the coming kingdom of God."

A challenge, yes, but "all that disciples say and do should therefore bear witness to renewed minds and transformed hearts;" "to live in such a way that demonstrates Jesus' pervasive influence on our way of life."  It's of the utmost importance, for "the way we live each day bears eloquent testimony to what we truly believe (and believe in)."

Review

I agree with the author that many today downplay doctrine.  Admittedly, I have a love/hate relationship with it myself; I recognize its importance but tire of seemingly endless fights over (what can be) theological minutiae.  That can be paralyzing and divisive.  And yet, doctrine matters.  Vanhoozer's book helped bring that into focus.  I also appreciated his talk of creatively (yet faithfully) living our lives.  So often, Christians can become paralyzed in various life situations, unsure how to act when faced with something not explicitly addressed in Scripture.  The author's theater metaphor helps illustrate how we can live faithfully in uncertain times and scenarios.

It's not often that a book so short (~240 pages) takes me more than a month to read, but it was due to the meat therein.  Though for laymen, there's a lot to chop through here.  But it's worth it; eminently quotable, tremendously important, and appropriately convicting, I highly recommend this book.  Vanhoozer repeats himself in different ways throughout, but each iteration presents valuable nuances and hammers home critical points.  Ultimately, if we believe Jesus is Lord, we will live differently.  How we do so is based on our doctrine.

Rating: A