What a great challenge, Carl!  Recently, I did a Master’s subject on the doctrine of Cranmer, which combined church history with systematic theology. I just loved this course, and it helped inform many current debates and heresies concerning the means of salvation, church and the sacraments. 

Thanks for your very timely challenge.

It is great to hear historical theology defended!
However, as one who has been accused (by association) of Arianism, I am aware of the abuses to which history may be put. In the wrong hands, historical theology can be a blunt instrument with which you can batter your opponents heads in. Throw around words like ‘Arian’ or ‘Socinian’ without due care, and you have tarred your opponent with a nasty brush.

Hi Michael,

What’s wrong with the criminal profiling analogy. If the heretics were biblically wrong and studying them helps us to see the patterns repeated, then the analogy fits. Like anything in life, it’s possible to take “good” things and use them sinfully. But isn’t the problem in your case that people misunderstood the history or misapplied it to you rather than that the process was in and of itself flawed?

Yep, I too would be accused of Arianism in said publications. And I’m none too happy about it either. I guess I’m just suggesting that the answer isn’t to declare the practice of profiling illegitimate but rather to be a better profiler.

Hi Mike,

How well do you think that Moore teaches church history?

As a B&M student, I missed out on the usual church history subjects. But from the comments of my classmates, I got the impression that they felt that 2nd year church history (Reformation) was better taught than early church history in first year.

I suspect that partly this was due to greater familiarity with the subject matter on my classmates’ part. But I also got the impression that people struggled to understand how everything fitted together. At least in 2004, it seemed that the subject could have done with more structure, and fewer lecturers.

HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH! Well said! Well said! HEAR HEAR! HEAR HEAR!

I love Church History. It is a great tool that aids us in critiquing our culture and ‘church culture’. I love church History at College so much that I failed it 1st year so I could do it again!!!(I did fail it but not for that reason).

What I realised is how much owe to men like Luther, Ridley, Latimer, Augustine, Tertullian, Calvin, Cranmer. I also realised how I have bits of them theologically in me and did not even know it until I studied church history. And also to avoid the mistakes of the theological boofheads (who probably did not start out that way) was a very helpful thing.
So when it comes to Church History and the study of it I say “Huzzah!”