Holding Faith : A Practical Introduction To Christian Doctrine

Luther once wrote: “Faith takes hold of Christ and has Him present, enclosing Him as the ring encloses the gem.” The idea that we hold faith because faith holds us, and that faith holds us because faith holds Christ, is vital. We hold faith as we seek to know Christ better, exploring Christian doctrines and deepening our understanding of the impact and relevance to our day-to-day lives. Faith holds us as we respond to Christ’s calling, negotiate life’s challenges, and join in the work of bringing in God’s kingdom. The book conveys the content of core Christian doctrines and then addresses the “so what?” of each, its take away, how it matters to our everyday living, and how it shapes our spiritual and ethical practices. Using theological literature and Scripture but also current events, sociology, fiction, and movies, the author shows that theology matters. It matters to our lives and it matters to the life of the world. How we understand theology and its core beliefs has an impact on who we know ourselves to be and how we relate to God and to one another. Holding Faith concretely shows how various and diverse understandings of particular doctrines play out in relation to the way lives are lived and ethical systems put forward. It holds that some approaches to Christian doctrine are preferable to others, making persuasive arguments for better approaches by drawing from the theological literature and also from the news, sociology, general literature, and movies. Scripture is consistently used and sourced throughout the book as arguments are developed.