Symphonic Theology: The Validity of Multiple Perspectives in Theology

by Vern Poythress

Publisher:

P&R

, 2001

Overview

The truth of God is rich and multifaceted. Though a coherent body of revelation, the Bible comes to us through a variety of inspired authors, metaphors, and themes, highlighting the many facets of God’s truth. Likewise, our theological formulations capture manifold emphases—distinct “perspectives” on the whole—which collectively enable us to gain a fuller understanding of the truth. Poythress explains, “We use what we have gained from one perspective to reinforce, correct, or improve what we understood through another. I call this procedure ‘symphonic theology’ because it is analogous to a blending of various musical instruments to express the variation of a symphonic theme.”

Key Features

• Emphasizes the value of expanding one’s perspective
• Explores the use of themes, analogies, and metaphors in the Bible
• Examines how worldview affects interpretation and theology

Contents

• Perspectives in Everyday Life
• Perspectives in the Bible
• Perspectives in Theology
• Examples of Useful Biblical Perspectives
• In Defense of Symphonic Theology
• Words and Precision
• Twelve Maxims of Symphonic Theology
• Distinctive Methods in Symphonic Theology
• A Test Case: Miracles
• Pastoral Healing in the Miracles Controversy

Praise for the Print Edition

[A] seminal book. . . . Symphonic Theology can help us . . . avoid the errors which have been all too common even in much of our best work, and allow the multiple perspectives present in Scripture to enrich our theology rather than threaten it.

—Donald T. Williams

Product Details

• Title: Symphonic Theology: The Validity of Multiple Perspectives in Theology
• Author: Vern S. Poythress
• Publisher: P&R
• Publication Date: 2001
• Pages: 128
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Topic: Theology

About Vern Poythress

Vern Sheridan Poythress (b. 1946) is an evangelical philosopher, theologian, and Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary where he has taught since 1976. In 1981 he was ordained as a teaching elder in the Reformed Presbyterian Church Evangelical Synod, which later merged with the Presbyterian Church in America.