Re: 5 Theological Influences
Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2014 8:58 am
Well now that we’ve gone beyond five:
Jerald and Sandra Tanner
Thomas Aquinas
Aristotle
Francis Schaffer
Walter Martin
Josh McDowell
J. Vernon McGee
Although I have many preferred commentaries, and writers, I feel the better a theologian is: the less ‘they’ influence you. I picked these 7, mostly apologists, because they inspired my love for reasoning, research and inspired my method for religious and biblical study (if that could have been the question). The Tanners had a huge impact on me, the book ‘Shadow or Reality’, and ‘The Black hole in the book of Mormon’ being amazing works. And they did this research with antique computers! I am not speaking of the beliefs or conclusions any of these writers came too, but ‘the method of analysis and deduction’ these writers demonstrated such as Aquinas ‘Summa Theologica’, or Aristotle’s Metaphysics and other works. I was so fortunate to have discovered a good used bookstore in my neighborhood and found both these volumes as a new believer who was reasoning with Mormons. J. Vernon simply because he reminds me that good expository teaching goes much deeper into the heart and mind, and never gets old (his Sunday sermons were super awesome. It is like a breath of fresh air when I hear McGee. Yet still I am not a dispensationalist).
I have long noticed that although I may be able to glean and learn from and respect hundreds of good Theologians, and even though I approach things ‘attempting’ to believe everything, I find no one can agree with everything. I noted that Aristotle disagreed with Plato, and brilliant as he was even Aristotle goes too far in his reasoning sometimes, a lesson I try to keep in mind.
You could say Joseph Smith had a ‘huge influence’ on me, his unbelievable charade of false doctrine and antics had a huge impact on my interest in doctrine. Being a bible believer and sitting in a Mormon pew for awhile allowed me to grow in this area of questioning everyone and their followers, just as reading through Luther onetime and coming across his anti-Semitic remarks, etc. Yet in the same vein, I still enjoy listening to R.C. Sproul and the White Horse Inn, out of lack of much other radio substance available even though I am vehemently opposed to Calvinism. I wanted to add: Corrie Ten Boom and Dale Carnegie (And also add Mark Twain and Isaac Asimov who inspired my love for reading!)
Jerald and Sandra Tanner
Thomas Aquinas
Aristotle
Francis Schaffer
Walter Martin
Josh McDowell
J. Vernon McGee
Although I have many preferred commentaries, and writers, I feel the better a theologian is: the less ‘they’ influence you. I picked these 7, mostly apologists, because they inspired my love for reasoning, research and inspired my method for religious and biblical study (if that could have been the question). The Tanners had a huge impact on me, the book ‘Shadow or Reality’, and ‘The Black hole in the book of Mormon’ being amazing works. And they did this research with antique computers! I am not speaking of the beliefs or conclusions any of these writers came too, but ‘the method of analysis and deduction’ these writers demonstrated such as Aquinas ‘Summa Theologica’, or Aristotle’s Metaphysics and other works. I was so fortunate to have discovered a good used bookstore in my neighborhood and found both these volumes as a new believer who was reasoning with Mormons. J. Vernon simply because he reminds me that good expository teaching goes much deeper into the heart and mind, and never gets old (his Sunday sermons were super awesome. It is like a breath of fresh air when I hear McGee. Yet still I am not a dispensationalist).
I have long noticed that although I may be able to glean and learn from and respect hundreds of good Theologians, and even though I approach things ‘attempting’ to believe everything, I find no one can agree with everything. I noted that Aristotle disagreed with Plato, and brilliant as he was even Aristotle goes too far in his reasoning sometimes, a lesson I try to keep in mind.
You could say Joseph Smith had a ‘huge influence’ on me, his unbelievable charade of false doctrine and antics had a huge impact on my interest in doctrine. Being a bible believer and sitting in a Mormon pew for awhile allowed me to grow in this area of questioning everyone and their followers, just as reading through Luther onetime and coming across his anti-Semitic remarks, etc. Yet in the same vein, I still enjoy listening to R.C. Sproul and the White Horse Inn, out of lack of much other radio substance available even though I am vehemently opposed to Calvinism. I wanted to add: Corrie Ten Boom and Dale Carnegie (And also add Mark Twain and Isaac Asimov who inspired my love for reading!)