Anyone looking at Scripture finds that the material in the Bible is not arranged topically. Thus the pursuit of Systematic Theology requires some justification. Why should anyone rearrange the teaching found in the Bible on the basis of some man-made scheme? First of all, the practice of Systematic Theology is supported by Scripture itself, where we find instances where those who sought to understand its teachings drew from a variety of passages in order to do so. Second, Systematic Theology is legitimized by the inspiration and unity of Scripture. The Bible is made up of sixty-six books, but is really one Book with one Author that speaks with a coherent message. In fact, if the Bible were not the work of a single Author, the topical study of it would be absurd because unity of thought would not exist. Third, Systematic Theology is justified by the progressive nature of revelation. God did not tell His people everything He intended to reveal at once, but gradually unfolded the truth, expanding on previous teachings by clarifying and illuminating them later. As a result, if we want to discover the complete teaching of the Bible on any subject, we must gather together many relevant passages in order to answer the question, "What does the Bible teach about ______?" What about the arrangement of the material in the book? Why treat subjects in the order in which they are presented in this text? The Doctrine of Scripture is the logical place to begin - if the Bible is to be our authority, we must have confidence that it is indeed the Word of God. We then seek to discover what God has revealed about Himself, and we find that He is one God in three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, leading us to the study of the members of the Trinity. Having come to a clear understanding of who God is, we must then consider who we are, so we study the Doctrine of Man. What we find is that we are sinners alienated from God. What is to be done? We find that God has provided a solution to man's greatest need in the Gospel, which leads us to the Doctrine of Salvation. Once we see that God has called sinners to Himself, we find that His intention is to bring them together into one body, the Church, and to gather that Church into His presence forever. We thus finish the course by studying Ecclesiology and Eschatology. The reader of this book should keep several things in mind. The first is that the organization of the biblical material is artificial rather than one demanded by the text itself, and therefore attention to context is essential. Proof-texting in the study of Bible Doctrine is very easy to do. Second, be aware that many of the questions discussed in the book are ones about which Christians disagree. The faithful interpreter of Scripture must be able to discern between those clear teachings that are of the essence of the faith and those issues where our understanding of the Bible may not be as clear and sincere believers may harmoniously agree to disagree. A third reminder is that Christians must be humble enough to let God be God. Many of the doctrinal disputes that have arisen over the years stemmed from the attempt on man's part to delve into divine mysteries that God has not chosen to reveal to us. Such pursuits are dangerous; many heresies in the history of the church have grown out of the desire to present dogmatic answers to questions about which God has not spoken. Lastly, keep in mind that Bible Doctrine can never be simply a theoretical academic pursuit. The Bible never teaches abstract doctrine, but always presents ideas in the context of real-life application. So it must be for us. We must always ask the "So what?" question, seeking from our studies not only intellectual stimulation and greater understanding, but also a deeper relationship to God.

'The volume, in its constitution and authorship, presents a balance between academic scholarship and practical educational expertise. For that reason, as well as for many others, it is a work of obvious weight and value, containing a vast amount of information, lucidly and attractively presented, which many teachers are sure to find most helpful to them in their work' (Church Times).

Secularism has become the religion of the university campus, and Christians are often subjected to ridicule and taught that what they have learned from their parents, (Christian) school, and church is not worthy of consideration by a thoughtful person in today's society. How are Christian young people to be intellectually and spiritually equipped for today's college campuses? Students must first understand that "all truth is God's truth." The world is not divided into the realms of the secular, where science and humanism reign and religion has no place, and the sacred, where beliefs amount to little more than unsubstantiated opinion not worth discussing in academic circles. Nothing about God's world may be rightly understood apart from His Word. Secondly, students must recognize that everyone has a worldview through which he interprets everything around him. Humanists love to picture their approach as objective and unbiased because it is based on science while dismissing Christian thought as subjective because it is grounded in faith. Nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone makes assumptions about the nature of reality, and those assumptions, whether secular or religious, are not subject to proof. Instead, they are spectacles that color everything he sees and determine how he understands all that he encounters. Thirdly, all worldviews are not created equal. Just because worldviews are not subject to proof does not mean they cannot be evaluated. In order for a worldview to be considered valid, it must be internally consistent, must correspond to the world of human experience, and must be able to be lived out in practice. Humanistic worldviews simply don't measure up. Only the Christian worldview, founded in God's Word, provides an adequate foundation for understanding the world as it is. If a worldview is like a picture frame through which one peers out at the world, a "box" inside of which a person cannot avoid thinking, Christians must "think inside the box" that God has given us. Fourthly, the Christian student must be equipped to discern the worldviews underlying the ideas that he encounters in the college classroom, especially since they are rarely stated openly. This is essential for believers to be faithful servants of Jesus Christ by "taking every thought captive" and learning to "think God's thoughts after Him." Only then will Christians be in a position to fulfill the Cultural Mandate and exercise dominion over every aspect of life to the glory of God. Finally, thinking about reality in the context of a Christian worldview has great apologetic value. While no one should expect to argue unbelievers into the Kingdom of Heaven, we must be able to give an answer when asked why we believe and act as we do. The people in the secular society have been brainwashed to believe that Christians are ignorant, bound by outmoded tradition, and incapable of dealing realistically with the modern world. A careful analysis of secular thought will demonstrate just the opposite, and students who engage in such a study will be able to stand up in the face of the inaccurate perceptions and straw-man arguments that the world so often uses against Christians. The book covers thirteen academic disciplines organized around four broad categories - Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Fine Arts. Each chapter seeks to explain how and why the Christian approach to each subject differs from the secular approach, and the consequences of each. While each section includes specific examples, the main focus is on the underlying assumptions that distinguish Christian from non-Christian thought. After all, the conclusions reached by unbelievers are hard to attack if their worldview is tacitly accepted. We want our Christian young people to be like the Bereans who, after listening to the Apostle Paul, spent their time "examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so."

"The hand of the Lord was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' I said, 'O Sovereign Lord, you alone know'" (Ezekiel 37:1-3). Many students approaching the study of Church History have felt a certain kinship with Ezekiel. They have looked around them and seen nothing but dead men's bones - and exceedingly dry ones at that. What good does it do to study the lives and writings of men who lived hundreds or even thousands of years ago? Those who study Church History with open eyes and open minds will find much that will make them better servants of Christ, both in their churches and in their communities. What are some of the things the reader should expect to gain from this study? First of all, Christians should expect to benefit from the examples of those who have gone before them. History is filled with fine Christian men and women whose examples should inspire us to follow in their footsteps. But we can also learn much by observing the failures and mistakes of others. Furthermore, Church History is able to teach us humility, as we observe the blind spots that plagued the greatest of God's servants. If men like Augustine, Luther, Calvin, and Whitefield had their flaws, both in their understanding of Scripture and in their ways of living, how much more must we, who lack their gifts and zeal, be on guard against those sins that make our own service to God less than perfect? Secondly, Christians should be able to gain a better understanding of how God works through the study of Church History. If Paul told the Corinthians that the incidents during the wilderness wanderings happened to the Israelites "as examples for us," the same is true of the more recent history of God's people. The same God is at work carrying out the same purposes, though admittedly we lack the inspired interpretation of more recent events that the Bible supplies for the Old Testament. Thirdly, the study of Church History gives life to Christian doctrine. Doctrine makes more sense if we realize how and why the church came to believe what it does. Furthermore, understanding of differences among the beliefs and practices of various churches will help us to be more tolerant of those differences, while at the same time developing the kind of discernment that will allow us to distinguish between truth and error, between legitimate differences and outright heresies. Furthermore, realizing how false teachings develop will enable us to be on guard against such teachings in our own lives, in our churches, and in the Christian world at large. Finally, the study of Church History helps the reader to develop a global perspective. We can serve Christ more effectively if we understand that the church goes far beyond the boundaries of our congregation, our denomination, and our country. A vision for the world comes only through a greater understanding of that world. The study of Church History not only serves the purpose of drawing Christians together as they see their common heritage, but it also motivates believers to care about and participate in the big picture - the Kingdom of God as it advances, around the world and throughout the centuries until Jesus comes. This text surveys the history of the Christian Church from the Apostolic Age through the end of the twentieth century. Unlike most history books, each chapter ends with a brief section seeking to apply the lessons of the chapter to the life of the reader in ways that will draw connections to the lives of Christians today.

Eternal Values for a Valueless Age is a survey of the Ten Commandments based on the Christian Ethics course prepared, refined, and taught by the author for more than thirty-five years in Christian high schools. The book begins with a chapter on ethical decision-making that examines various ways in which non-Christians approach matters of morality, critiquing these and comparing them with basic biblical principles. Each of the succeeding chapters focuses on one of the Ten Commandments, beginning with an explanation of the principles on which the commandment is based, then moving on to consider practical questions and controversial issues associated with it. For example, the chapter on the Sixth Commandment discusses a wide variety of life-and-death issues, including capital punishment, war, abortion, and euthanasia. Why study the Ten Commandments? Obeying God's law cannot gain His favor for anyone, but one who loves God wants to do what pleases Him. The book is intended to help readers make wise and godly decisions about a wide range of moral questions. Furthermore, readers should be equipped to defend biblical ethical standards in a world where they are largely rejected, communicating godly principles lovingly and effectively. Eternal Values for a Valueless Age is suitable as a text in Christian high schools as well as for use by home-schoolers or Sunday School teachers.