Faithful Theology & Against the Darkness, Chs. 1-2

Works under review:

Cole, Graham A. Against the Darkness: The Doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons. Foundations of Evangelical Theology, edited by John S. Feinberg. Wheaton: Crossway, 2019. Chs. 1-2. pp. 17-50.

———. Faithful Theology: An Introduction. Short Studies in Systematic Theology, edited by Graham A. Cole and Oren R. Martin. Wheaton: Crossway, 2020. 106 pp.

Summary

Faithful Theology: An Introduction by Graham A. Cole is, precisely as the title says, a brief book on faithfulness in the theological process. In it, Cole posits that faithful theology involves five key elements: The Word of Revelation, The Witness of Christian Thought and Practice, The World of Human Brokenness, The Work of Wisdom, and The Way of Worship (pp. 16-17). Each of these elements is elaborated through corresponding chapters in the same order, and their goal is to answer and be involved in three questions: “(1) What ought we to believe (orthodoxy, right opinion)? This is the truth question. (2) What ought we to value (orthokardia, right-heartedness)? This is the spirituality question. (3) How ought we to live (Orthopraxy, right practice of life)? This is the existential or practical question” (pp. 15-16). The Reflection section will critique how Cole answers these questions through the five elements.

Likewise, Cole systematically approaches the doctrine of angelology in his book Against the Darkness: The Doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons. His purpose is to demonstrate the spiritual reality that most Christians often neglect or are unaware of. He emphatically states, “There is another order of intelligent life that must be factored into the discussion: angels, both fallen and unfallen” (p. 17), arguing that if Christians neglect this cosmological realm, they will be missing something important. However, he proceeds with caution and quotes C.S. Lewis: “There are two equal and opposite errors into which [the human] race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them” (p. 28). Reiterating this point, Cole quotes Karl Barth and determines that “[a]t a pinch and in the forbearance of God, which sustains it in spite of its defects, the Church and its proclamation may well survive without this dimension of faith [angelology], although not without hurt, and not without an underlying awareness that something is missing” (p. 28). Chapter two, “Angels, Their Kinds, and Heavenly Activity,” explains the ontological composition of angels and their purpose in heaven. Cole determines that “[t]here is solid biblical ground for asserting the spirituality of both God the Creator (John 4:24) and angels as [H]is creatures (Heb. 1:14). Both are without materiality. Both are agents who think and act” (p. 50). Because the angels are still inferior to God, their purpose is to attend to God on His throne, where they sing praises to His name, and Christian humans join in their song because they have been spiritually lifted to heaven through Christ’s work (pp. 40, 44). How does one arrive at these conclusions? This question will be answered at a later time in the essay.

Assessment

Overall, Cole’s arguments in both of these books are convincing. The five elements and chapters of Cole’s Faithful Theology ought to be read by students interested in theological interpretation and hermeneutical studies, for they make the process of theological interpretation plain. However, it must be said that Cole does provide a caveat. Through the five chapters, he contends for “the logical order in doing theology (ordo essendi, ‘essential order’). However, given life’s circumstances, the order may change in the actual doing (ordo cognoscendi, ‘knowing order’)” (p. 104). To demonstrate this reality, Cole alludes to the issue of sexual immorality, as evidenced by a common advocation for gender fluidity. He states, “[in] regard to the sexuality issue before [Christians], this process of theological reflection would begin not with Scripture but with [the] setting and its urgent questions, then move to witness of Christian thought and practice, and to the historic Christian understanding of [human] anthropology” (pp. 104-105). Only then can the topic be revisited in light of God’s Word (p. 105). Though not ideal, this process in the given circumstance is authentic and compassionate as it seeks to truly understand the doctrine’s definition and implications before seeing what God says. If not done in this manner, Christians may risk confusing the ideology with something that it is not and seeking God’s knowledge where it cannot be wisely applied. However, in most situations, the ordo essendi or “essential order” should be followed.

Against the Darkness, on the other hand, does have much to teach on theological interpretation, but it is more implicit than explicit. Faithful Theology serves as a guide in the theological process, while Against the Darkness serves as an example. The latter’s content concerns the systematic study of angels (angelology), but the process or hermeneutic is much the same as the hermeneutic displayed in Faithful Theology. Therefore, it was very helpful to read Faithful Theology and the first two chapters of Against the Darkness simultaneously. Christians interested in the theological process’s impact on angelology should also consider doing so. A subsequent reading of Against the Darkness could be beneficial if a simultaneous reading is too difficult. Regardless, the content and form of both books and how they reflect each other are astounding. Moreover, their theological implications and doctrines should be embraced, albeit cautiously, in light of the Scriptures, as Faithful Theology suggests (p. 39). This caution will be demonstrated in the following reflection.

Reflection

Faithful Theology and Against the Darkness provide insights into how the Scripture’s teachings are systematically organized into doctrines. However, these first paragraphs will focus on the former. First, “doing theology needs a secure epistemological base. God’s [W]ord written is that base. Textless theology is free of such divine moorings” (pp. 37-38). This means that Scripture is the first and foremost authority in the theological process. It is the “touchstone” (p. 39) of authority in that it is the standard for all authority to be judged as it is the only infallible authority (p. 39), insofar “that the hermeneutic of the Reformers of the sixteenth century is still instructive for [theologians]: Scripture interprets Scripture, Scripture is not to be interpreted against Scripture, and plain Scripture is to interpret obscure Scripture” (p. 27). However, Scripture is not the theologian’s only authority in that they can be influenced or persuaded by other sources as long as those things remain inferior and subjected to Scripture. Cole explains it thusly: “It is also important to recognize that other authorities operate in a theologian’s life. The evangelical theologian holds to sola Scriptura, not nuda Scriptura… Theology is not done in a tradition-free or context-free zone” (p. 38). This position is demonstrated in both Faithful Theology and Against the Darkness in Cole’s many references to theologians of history and his substantive use of Scripture that critiques, confirms, or articulates various views.

As shown previously in the issue of gender fluidity, it is also crucial for theologians to do theology in light of their cultural context. This is done by understanding the culture genuinely and acknowledging that “[l]iving dogmatics [another term for doctrine] never allows its problems to be self-originated as by a virgin birth, but it is always being fertilized, achieving its productive impulse through the questions of the time” (p. 58). This means that theology needs to be appropriate. While many things are always relevant, such as doctrines of the Trinity, Christology, salvation, and sin, some things do not need to be elaborated theologically in a given culture. For example, gender roles did not need to be addressed in most cultures by theologians until modernity. Another implication of doing theology situationally is perhaps the biggest takeaway of the third chapter of Faithful Theology: “Doing theology is concerned with engaging the context in which [the theologian] actually live[s], not a theoretical one” (54). Cole needs to say this because it is so often that people, even theologians, are concerned with ideals rather than reality. Therefore, he explains that any given situational context is a broken one, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23, qtd. p. 55).

Three elements have been demonstrated: the Word of God, the witness of Christian thought and practice, and the world of human brokenness. In Chapter Four, Cole coalesces the three elements into one work, “The Work of Wisdom.” He provides many tools for wise theological thinking: dogmatic rank, commonly called theological triage (pp. 76-78); reason and imagination (pp. 78-79); reason, faith, fear, and sight (pp. 79-80); control beliefs (pp. 80-81); the discipline of biblical theology (pp. 81-82); three criteria that are rational, scriptural, and livable (pp. 82-83); and the power of the question (pp. 83-85). Because it would be quite a task to examine all of these tools, it is best said that they are extremely helpful in doing theology wisely.

The conclusion of Chapter Four brings about the goal of theology discussed in Chapter 5, “The Way of Worship.” This chapter is in utmost agreement with Against the Darkness, so this essay will conclude by discussing the books together. Cole writes in Faithful Theology that “theology needs to be offered daily to God [in a Trinitarian sense], which is [the Christian’s] reasonable worship… Doing theology then is a way of loving God with [the mind], hopefully renewed [mind] in the Pauline sense. [Christians] do theology as disciples of Christ” (p. 105). Likewise, in Against the Darkness, Cole speaks of the angels worshipping God eternally in heaven, and Christians spiritually participate in the angels’ chorus (pp. 40, 44-45). Therefore, Christians must worship God when they engage in the theological process. If their work does not proceed to their worship of God or if it does not influence their audiences to worship, their work is in vain. Reading both of the books will be crucial in helping believers not only learn how to do theology but how to worship in it as well.