Franz Herman Reinhold Frank believed that theology is rooted in the living context of the church. Theology produced in isolation from the church can come to any conclusion, but “without such connectedness its theologizing were a groundless and baseless one, a Will o’ the Wisp movement about the object,” possessing the form of Christian theology without actually being it. For this reason Dr. Frank wrote System of the Christian Certainty to present Christian theology that was already established, rather than basing his thoughts on new theological discoveries. The result is a calculated, critical breakdown of why the Christian church is so firmly grounded in faith, and how that faith empowers Christians with confidence.
In his thorough dissection of faith, Frank seeks to prove that God’s existence and character, Christ’s work, and eternal life are self-evident. Frank defines and uses the system of beliefs already working within the Christian church to express the truth individual Christians often struggle to explain to the world: that faith has a basis. Frank goes to great lengths to express the challenge in taking on a work like this; as an individual, his writing can only prove to be the shared belief of the church if the church confirms that captures the voice of their faith as well. After over 100 years, this volume remains a relevant theological text.
