Book Club: Practicing Christian Doctrine
an introduction
Welcome!
I’m so excited to kick off our book club of Practicing Christian Doctrine by Dr. Beth Felker Jones! We are going to discuss the introduction today and then you can start your reading of chapter 1 for next week.
If you get behind, don’t worry. Skip a chapter and pick up with the group. Then you can go back and catch up if you have the time. Better to miss a chapter or two and participate in the rest than quit because life got crazy one week.1
This book club is going to be most fun if everyone participates. Answer the discussion questions in the comments. Respond to each other’s comments. Invite a real life friend to read and discuss it with you.2 You will get more out of the study if you join in the conversations here or start your own.
I also encourage you to grab a notebook or start a note on your phone. I’m going to include a “for your notebook” section that gives you questions to consider.3 Journal about them if that’s your style. Leave a voice message for yourself. Discuss them with a friend and never write a word down. However you process best is the method you should choose.
If you are not a paying subscriber, this will be the only post that you see. That is not to be exclusive but to provide a cozier space for participants to ask questions and wonder about things and not get everything right.4 We all feel better with some things not being exposed to the entire internet.
Discussion
Most often, we think of theology as doctrine: a list of teaching that we agree is faithful to the Bible. But theology should move in a circle. Dr. Jones writes, “our beliefs must be put into practice, and faithful practice matters for what we believe.” 2 She also writes, “Our job as we study doctrine is not to get all our answers right. The point of our study is to grow in our knowledge and faithfulness to God. God can use our study of doctrine to form us.” Jones notes that learning Christian doctrine is like learning a new language. It takes work and time and practice. Don’t let that make you feel inadequate or behind; we are always beginners in knowing God.
For the kids
We live in response to our beliefs. When we teach our kids how we want them to act, we can also teach them the why. With our boys, I’ve always talked about treating other people with kindness and respect because other people are made in God’s image and God loves them. Then our beliefs are shaping how we live.
Think through a few common instructions you give to children (yours or someone else’s). Can you tie those instructions to something that you believe about God and teach that doctrine along with the behavior?
Resources
Watch The Sermon on the Mount series by Bible Project 5and see if you feel satisfied that you know things or challenged to change your life.
Jones said that ecumenical teaching “is the teaching of the whole church, the faith of the whole body of Christ spread across the centuries and around the globe.”6 The best examples of ecumenical teaching are the creeds, such as the Nicene Creed or the Apostles Creed. There is a two part series on the Apostle’s Creed on the Truth’s Table podcast. If you aren’t familiar with the creed, episodes one and two would be great places to start!
For your notebook
How does a study of theology or doctrine make you feel? Are you excited? Nervous? What is causing your feelings? Take a minute and talk to God about what you are feeling.
Jones writes “doctrine is indispensable to evangelical Christianity, but most evangelical doctrine is not unique to evangelicalism.”7 What experience do you have with other branches of the faith (Anglican, Methodist, Catholic, Orthodox)?
Prayer prompt
Pray for yourself (and the others studying the book)8 to study as an act of love. May we be formed as worshipers and servants as we learn more about who God is.
Discussion questions (for the comments!)
How comfortable are you with Jones’ discussion of being evangelical and ecumenical? What does your branch of Christianity hold as important and what perhaps gets left behind?
Life is often crazy, let’s admit it.
I know we have several married couples participating in the book club.
If you want to talk about those questions in the comments, do it! They aren’t the discussion questions for the week but this is an open space for what you need.
If the money is the problem, please respond to this email or comment and let me know. I don’t want to keep you out.
My number one Bible resource of all time.
Page 7.
Page 7.
One of the goals of this book club is studying in community. While we might not share physical space, we can pray for one another as we read.
Hi! I'm a bit late with my comment, my apologies!
I feel excited for this and I'm so grateful that you're leading this, Lisa! I've been wanting to learn more about theology and this is more overwhelming/unknown than I thought it would be, so I'm grateful for a community of people to learn alongside!
I think I'm still trying to wrap my head around what evangelical and ecumenical mean...but I also feel like I'm at a place in my faith where I want to learn and I want to have different perspectives from the ones I grew up in, so I assume that I'm comfortably uncomfortable?
And similar to what Sammie said, I don't really know what branch of Christianity I/my beliefs fall in. All that to say, I definitely feel like a beginner in this conversation and am looking forward to learning more!
Here to say that the conversation about evangelical + ecumenical is exciting. The introduction was really hopeful for me - for the answers I’m seeking in this season from God, and even just validating to read some of the things I’ve been thinking about regarding evangelicalism in Western Christianity!
Separately, I don’t know what denomination I could name myself in now. Baptist turned pentecostal, but more Wesleyan than Assemblies of God?? I’m not sure honestly. A question I’ll be figuring out the next few months, or year I’m sure. All of that being said, I find it hopeful that the greater Church isn’t about building a home under a denominations title or doctrine, but finding Home in Jesus. Thanks for leading this discussion, Lisa!