The Life of Faith is a beautifully written, spiritually stirring and intellectually provocative overview of Christian theology from an Australian reformed evangelical perspective. Growing out of his Introduction to Christian Doctrine lectures at Moore Theological College, Peter Jensen’s book provides a fresh overview of Christian doctrine with a distinctive methodology: exegetical, gospel-centred, and biblical-theological. He takes a fresh approach to the doctrine of Scripture as gospel and as a covenantal book.[1] In the introduction, Jensen describes the book as an introduction to Christian theology rather than a systematic theology:
This book … provide[s] an introductory overview which would firmly ground the study of Christian doctrine in the Scriptures … The chief aim of this book, then, is to summarize what the Bible teaches (‘its doctrine’) about the great topics it contains. (3–4)
Rather than a more formal taxonomy of doctrinal details and sifting various positions, The Life of Faith provides a more descriptive account of Christian theology. The book does not consistently outline historical views and controversies—it is lightly footnoted and only routinely references a few works at the end of each chapter, which function as the equivalent of ‘set-texts’ for this lecture series-turned-book.[2] Its interest lies in casting a coherent theological vision rather than canvassing the history of Christian thought.[3] Compared to a standard systematic theology, Jensen also spends more time lightly expounding sections of Scripture to build his theological case. Unsurprisingly The Life of Faith is marked by some distinctive emphases characteristic of Sydney Anglican theology, including a pervasive interest in world evangelisation.[4]
The Life of Faith: An introduction to Christian doctrine
Peter Jensen
The Life of Faith: An introduction to Christian doctrine
Peter Jensen
An introductory-level systematic theology from one of the evangelical world’s most influential theologians.
Beautiful Packaging and Insightful Writing
The proverb “You can’t judge a book by its cover” is only partially true, of course. Publishers signal something to their potential readership by their packaging. Although a small thing, the hardcover edition of The Life of Faith rates a mention for its high quality design and production. Together with much of Matthias Media’s recent output I believe this is a wise investment of energy by an important Australian publisher. It is a way of showing care for the book as artefact; this manifest care is readily understood and appreciated especially by a younger readership.
Beautifully written, spiritually stirring … intellectually provocative
Jensen’s writing is vivid, often energetic, and even beautiful. Consider the following:
the Lord’s glory dazzles; it is his ‘weight’, his reputation, his gravitas and his goodness. His glory communicates the essence of his being by overwhelming the observer. (117)
Whatever the future is to be, it is to be the triumph of love, a triumph of the true maturity of the human race in God’s kingdom. In this age we are but children; it is in the age to come that we shall reach the maturity of adults. (374)
This is truly theological literature, not merely functional writing. Jensen regularly interjects with specific cultural and pastoral applications. His intellect and agility as a constructive theologian, and his leadership experience as principal of Moore College and Archbishop of the Sydney Diocese are evident in these sections. For example:
[the doctrine of the image of God] is a rebuke to the humanistic spirit that has led to the slaughter of babies in their mother’s womb, or the wicked preference for male children over female, or for the neglect of the aged, the isolated, the unemployed or the disabled (134)
[in flawed approaches to church growth] the word of God can be supplanted by programs, events, spectaculars and insidious perversions which stroke the ego rather than save the person (225)
A stylistic weakness in the writing, to my taste, is its occasional lapse into a descriptive, indirect voice. The experience created is that the author is not talking directly to the reader about the doctrine, but talking about the doctrine while the reader listens in.
For me, the greatest highlight of the book is the content at the end of each chapter. I usually skip over ‘study guides’ in popular Christian books. But in this case, the discussion questions are superb: probing, stimulating, mischievous and at times confounding.
- What distinction, if any, should we draw between ‘miracles’ and ‘providence’? (114)
- Has Christianity contributed to the present environmental situation? How involved in or passionate about environmental concerns should we be? Are there aspects of the secular movement that must be resisted? (114)
- Could Jesus have died as an infant and been the Saviour of the world? (192)
- Do the sciences of biology and physics have any relevance to our beliefs about life beyond the grave? (375)
From what I hear, they capture something of the ‘dangerous’ Socratic nature of Jensen’s Moore College lectures.
the Lord’s glory dazzles; it is his ‘weight’, his reputation, his gravitas and his goodness. His glory communicates the essence of his being by overwhelming the observer.
Key Terms and Chapter Titles
Key terms are listed at the end of each chapter, although sometimes technical terms appear here which were not explained in the body of the chapter. Several series of chapters share the same name (e.g. Knowing the God who speaks, parts 1–3), which was a frustrating experience for this reader. I actually annotated into my table of contents to reflect the subjects of these chapters.[5]
But the questions that kept coming back as I read were about the book’s purpose and audience.
What Is it For?
Having been developed from lectures, the book has not evolved in a way that matches a particular reader or resource type.
At 375 pages, The Life of Faith is not an obvious choice for a growing Christian or emerging leader eager to get an overview of Christian doctrine. Assigning a chapter and discussion question would be a useful exercise for ministry apprentices. But overall, for these audiences, a volume half the size would serve them better.
As a more comprehensive reference work, it lacks sufficient detail. Given the scholarship that lies underneath the book, it would be helpful to include more detailed footnotes by which readers could chase up the debates alluded to. There is a Scripture index but no subject index or bibliography.
As a textbook to accompany an introduction to theology course, it would likely repeat much of the content of lectures. A reader of primary sources, or a systematic theology would make a better companion.
As an accessible substitute to a theology curriculum The Life of Faith could have worked well as a series of videos with printed auxiliary material.
The Life of Faith is a polished and published summary of Jensen’s life work of theological education, reflection and application—packaged with a multitude of juicy questions and sharp practical applications that will provoke the reader to follow in his footsteps.
[1] He argued this in his earlier The Revelation of God (IVP, 2002).
[2] Gerald Bray’s God Is Love, Michael Horton’s Pilgrim Theology, Bruce Milne’s Know the Truth, The Westminster Confession of Faith and the Thirty-Nine Articles
[3] As was his earlier theological overview, At the Heart of the Universe (IVP, 2003).
[4] Other emphases are seen, for example, in the chapters on ecclesiology; in reference to “an eternal ordering of relationships [in the Trinity] for which we must somehow account” (p. 87); and in critiques of charismatic theology throughout. Interestingly Jensen doesn’t appear to reject ‘limited atonement’ as is fairly common in the Sydney Diocese: “in a sense we may think of ‘particular redemption’ or, in an unfortunate and misleading expression, ‘limited atonement’ Christ’s death is sufficient for the redemption of any who come for salvation; but he especially laid down his life with the intention of saving his people.” (p. 267).
[5] There is also a minor typographical error on page 240: it reads “Old Testament” rather than “New Testament”.
Mikey has published two books with Matthias Media and this book was provided as a complimentary copy for review by the publisher.
