Confession: I was in seminary before I knew what systematic theology was. My ignorance is a little shocking considering that I grew up in church, felt called into ministry as a senior in high school, and graduated from a Christian college with a degree in religion. Somehow, I made it all those years without even knowing the term.
You can imagine my joy when discovering systematic theology for the first time. I’ll never forget sitting in my first systematics class and reviewing the syllabus. What! People have systematized their understanding of doctrine? There’s an entire genre of books out there called systematic theology? I can have a grid for understanding the major categories of biblical teaching? I was like a cave dweller venturing outdoors into the sunshine; a newborn faun standing on wobbly legs; a boy eating a bowl of Fruity Pebbles when he’d only ever had Rice Krispies. It really is hard to overstate my feeling of wonder.
Twenty-five years, a shelf-full of systematic theologies, and thousands of sermons later, I still love systematic theology. And more than ever I see how it plays a vital role in preaching . . . but maybe not how you would guess.
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