Beeke and Smalley's Advice to a Young Theologian
This year, I wanted to read a multi-volume systematic theology. I started with Francis Turretin, whom I’ve enjoyed reading. It was tough going. I enjoy Turretin, but the language, interaction with other theologians, and exhaustive detail made it difficult for me to read straight through. I turned to smarter men than I and asked for recommendations. Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley’s Reformed Systematic Theology1 was the winner. Each volume is massive, so the depth is there, but they are also accessible and engaging. I found it incredibly easy to read, and I found myself wanting to read it frequently.
Like many systematic theologies, they start with prolegomena. This included many basic questions like “What is theology?” They present the various loci of systematics and different approaches, exegetical, confessional, etc. They are humble in their presentation, saying, “Doing theology is an exercise in coming to know how little we know and becoming humbler in the process.”2 They will deal with the breadth of the Christian tradition but also do theology from a particular view, that of the Reformed, Evangelical, Confessional Christian. They quote Rabbi Duncan positively, who said, “I’m first a Christian, next a Catholic, then a Calvinist, fourth a Paedobaptist, and fifth a Presbyterian. I cannot reverse this order.”3 Duncan wanted his readers, as do Beeke and Smalley, to visualize these demarcations as different levels of a tower: “The first is the broadest, and is the foundation laid by Christ; but we are to build on that foundation, and, as we ascend, our outlook widens.”4
Most of these initial chapters were expected. What was not expected, and what I desire to share with you, were the two chapters on “How Do We Do Theology?” I wish I had had this resource when I was starting seminary. They answered this question from two angles: spiritual and academic. In “How Do We Do Theology? Part 1,” they discussed the spiritual dynamics of doing theology. J. I. Packer, whom they quote, said, “All theology is also spirituality.”5 They challenge the aspirations of the man desiring to be a theologian with a simple question to ask himself, “Am I a faithful follower of Jesus Christ?” The answer, “Discipleship is not optional for a theologian…” We are familiar with the immoral lives of many preachers and pastors, but we must also be humble enough to learn from the failures of the “academic” theologians like Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, or, closer to home, George Eldon Ladd.6 If theology and discipleship go together, then “theology is also a work of spiritual warfare.”7 Finally, they argue a rich spiritual life should accompany the theologian’s studies: “A theologian has entered into an exceedingly dangerous place when he delights in reading the words of mere men, but has little interest in meditation on the Bible.”8 I appreciated a whole chapter given to the spiritual life of those who want to study theology. I also appreciated that it came before part 2, which deals with academic methods.
They present a series of recommendations under three headings on how to do academic theology: gather a treasury of truth, research a particular doctrine, and write systematic theology. The next three posts will present these recommendations to encourage your own study of systematic theology and discipleship.
There are four volumes in their systematic theology. Heritage Books announced a condensed one-volume edition coming out in the fall of 2025: https://www.heritagebooks.org/products/essentials-of-reformed-systematic-theology-beeke-and-smalley.html
Pg. 70.
Pg. 83.
Ibid.
Pg. 145.
Barth infamously had a long-time affair with his secretary, causing great pain to his family. Tillich was a known womanizer, and Ladd struggled with alcoholism and neglected his family.
Pg. 147.
Pg. 153.