52 Words Every Christian Should Know
May 1, 2015 | by: Dave Maniquis | 0 Comments
Posted in: 52 Words
Beginning next week, and continuing each week thereafter, Restoration Church will have the privilege and blessing of an informative resource available for gaining clarity about what Christians believe and profess about their faith. There will be a weekly excerpt from the book 52 WORDS Every Christian Should Know, by Kendell Easley. At Restoration we believe in the clarity of the Bible’s teachings on the major doctrines of Christianity. Therefore, we ascribe to the idea that everyone who takes the name of Christ as their identity and believes in the infallibility of God’s written Word should be clear about what God has revealed about himself, his creation and mankind, his church and the future. Furthermore, we want to bring that clarity to bear on the mission of Christ’s church in general and on Restoration’s mission in particular, insofar as it will promote your individual growth in Christ and promote the church’s mission to be a light in our culture for the making of followers of Christ.
Kendell Easley is the director of the Master of Christian Education program at Union University in Germantown, Tennessee, and serves as professor of Christian Studies. He is also pastor of leadership development at Germantown Baptist Church. He holds a Master of Divinity from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a Ph. D from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.
The following is the Introduction by the author Kendell Easley:
“Postmodern assumptions now dominate the North American conversation landscape, such as, “A term can mean whatever you want it to mean, for example, marriage.” Further, many who have been in church for years have only the fuzziest notions about the meaning of central biblical or theological terms. This implies an ever greater challenge for those engaged in Christian teaching and preaching. There is a place for a book for everyday believers that says, “Christian terms have standard meanings, and here are the historic, orthodox meanings of essential terms.” The book in your hands [on this website] was prepared for this reason.
Each of the 52 terms is presented in a two-page study [one website page], organized into 8 major biblical categories. All begin with a pertinent citation from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, continue with a concise definition, move on to a brief discussion, and close with thought questions and a devotional prayer. Why 52 terms? To learn about one Christian term each week for a year is a reasonable goal for even the busiest of persons.
I have written from a broadly evangelical perspective. My treatment is sensitive to areas where there are major differences of opinion, such as dispensational eschatology, Calvinism, Pentecostal issues, and the sacraments or ordinances. On the other hand, I affirm as a foundation the classic confessions of the churches (the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed) and the five pillars of the Reformation (salvation as taught in Scripture alone, by Christ alone, by grace alone, through faith alone, to the glory of God alone). If you relate positively to these beliefs and want to gain a better understanding of essential Christian terms, this book [website resource] is for you.”
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Dave Maniquis is a Teaching Elder at Restoration Church. He holds a BA in History from Rutgers University and an MA in Biblical Studies from Reformed Theological Seminary. He enjoyed a 23-year career in the U.S. Government, working and traveling extensively in Western and Eastern Europe. He has been a Christian for most of his adult life and has been involved in church planting, overseas as well as here in Port Orange, teaching the Bible and speaking into others’ lives with the Gospel. He is married to Maureen and they have two wonderful sons, Dylan and Evan.
