Review of Murrell's Foundation for Faith: Systematic Theology
This paper reviews Stanford E. Murrell's A Foundation for Faith: An Introductory Study of Systematic Theology with References to the Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, a six-part encyclopedic work covering theology proper, bibliology, anthropology, soteriology, pneumatology, and eschatology. The review summarizes the book's structure and content, interprets its organizational logic and tone, and evaluates its usefulness as both a reference manual and an apologetic resource. The reviewer argues that while the book is primarily informational and clinical in delivery, its question-and-answer format and real-world applications give it an apologetic dimension that becomes more apparent upon careful re-reading.
- Overview of the Book's Structure and Content: Six-part structure of Murrell's encyclopedic theology text
- Theology Proper: God, Arguments, and Revelation: Arguments for God's existence and types of theology
- Interpretation: Tone, Method, and Organization: Clinical tone, no thesis development, primer format
- Apologetic Dimensions and Real-World Application: Question-answer format reveals apologetic purpose
- Conclusion: Authority, Validity, and Lasting Value: Book's authority rooted in historical theological tradition
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What makes this paper effective
- The review moves logically from summary to interpretation to conclusion, mirroring the structure of the book under review and making the argument easy to follow.
- The writer supports evaluative claims with direct quotations from the text, grounding interpretation in textual evidence rather than assertion alone.
- The self-reflective moment — acknowledging that a first reading missed the book's apologetic dimension — demonstrates intellectual honesty and deepens the analysis.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates the technique of re-evaluation through re-reading: the writer explicitly revisits an earlier interpretation and revises it in light of closer textual attention. This models the kind of iterative critical thinking expected in theology and humanities courses, showing that initial impressions can be refined with more careful analysis.
Structure breakdown
The paper is divided into three labeled sections — Summary, Interpretation, and Conclusion — standard for a book review at the undergraduate or graduate level. The Summary catalogues the book's six parts and key concepts. The Interpretation analyzes tone, structure, and purpose. The Conclusion synthesizes the reviewer's final position on the book's authority and utility, ending with a reflection on the book's apologetic value.
Overview of the Book's Structure and Content
A Foundation for Faith: An Introductory Study of Systematic Theology with References to the Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689 by Stanford E. Murrell, Th.D., is a massive work consisting of six parts. Part I focuses on theology proper — that is, the study of God — which examines the definition, method, and source of theology and looks at the arguments for the existence of God. The arguments include the ontological, cosmological, teleological, moral, and historical arguments. In response to these arguments, Murrell presents the anti-theistic — that is, anti-Christian — arguments, which include atheism, polytheism, materialism, and pantheism.
Murrell discusses at length the arguments against materialism and identifies the promises of God in response to these rebuttals. The argument against materialism is tersely summarized thus: "Logically, life must come from life. No spontaneous generation has ever been proven."2 The promises of God in opposition to pantheism — which Murrell explains is an illogical belief because personality cannot come from the impersonal — are summarized in this one quote: "'Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not' (Jer. 33:3)."3 This section is followed by an in-depth exploration of the nature of God, the decrees of God, and the works of God, all of which have been given to man through both the use of natural reason and revelation. Murrell essentially brings faith and reason together in this section, which is a necessary union.4
Part II examines the subject of bibliology, or the study of the Bible. It looks at the books of the Bible, the inspiration of the Bible, and a variety of other subjects such as the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Septuagint, the Church Fathers, and why the Bible is important to the faith. Part III tackles the subject of anthropology — that is, the study of man. Specifically, it examines the origin and nature of man, the origin of the soul, man's original state, the fall of man, the passing on of the stain of Original Sin to posterity, man's covenant with God, and the issue of total inability, which is discussed in terms of three differing views: the Pelagian view, the Semi-Pelagian view, and the Augustinian (Reformed) view.
Part IV examines soteriology, the study of salvation. Part V looks at pneumatology, or the study of the Holy Spirit. Part VI looks at eschatology, or the study of the future — including the immortality of the soul, the resurrection of the body, and the eternal reward in Heaven.
Overall, the book is encyclopedic in nature, giving definitions of terms and historical context so that ideas can be better understood. Every part of the book is full of information related to its focus, and thus the book acts as a good primer on the totality of systematic theology. No one part can be singled out as being more important than another, as they are all crucial to a proper understanding of theology.
Theology Proper: God, Arguments, and Revelation
The first part does provide the necessary foundation for examining the others. It discusses the difference between natural theology — in which man seeks God — and revealed theology — in which God reveals Himself to man: "In Natural Theology man seeks God; in Revealed Theology God seeks man because of infinite grace and not out of necessity."5 Murrell makes the important point that in natural theology man can find no rest, because though he may identify natural law he will not be able to identify the source of natural law beyond a vague comprehension of a deity. Unless he has access to revealed theology, he will be at a loss as to the source of the good in the world and the source of the moral law written on the hearts of men.
In the first part, Murrell also breaks down the concept of theology into four different types: revealed or biblical theology, dogmatic theology, practical theology, and theology proper. Revealed theology refers to the Word of God as revealed primarily through Scripture. Dogmatic theology refers to the "core doctrines of the Church," which have endured the centuries.6 Practical theology refers to the study of "the effect of Divine truth upon the lives of professing Christians" and whether that effect is positive in the lives of people.7 Theology proper refers to the study of the knowledge of God, which is where all theology should inevitably return, Murrell notes.
A great deal of attention is given to Scriptural verses, particularly in the various sections on Atonement. Murrell explains how the Atonement was sacrificial, expiatory, efficacious and vicarious, sufficient and propitiatory. In a manner similar to what Aquinas does in the Summa,8 Murrell poses objections to subjects he has presented and then answers those objections. For example, he poses the argument: "It is unjust to punish the innocent for the guilty" — and then proceeds to provide the counter-argument: "If God had laid the penalty on some innocent being without his consent, that would have been injustice; but if God Himself assumed the penalty it was no injustice to man, and no injustice to him who voluntarily assumed it; but rather the expression of Divine and infinite love."9 In this manner, Murrell covers a great deal of ground and explores all of the facets of systematic theology without neglecting any aspect of the subject.
Conclusion: Authority, Validity, and Lasting Value
The validity of the book lies in its authoritative nature. Without that authority, it would have no relevance for anyone interested in using it as an aid in apologetics. As Sheen notes, the authority of God is rooted in His nature,16 and the same concept applies here. The book is, first and foremost, a work intended to be instructional and educative: this is wherein its validity lies. Its utility and relevance lie in the fact that it can be used as a tool, because its information will have meaning for others who are concerned with the types of topics it covers and the types of questions it asks. The relevance and validity of the work are thus intertwined, as they should be. Its answers are accurate because they are rooted in the past and based on what has been handed down over the centuries. They are not novel departures from teachings hallowed by time. They are the facts of theology made plain and communicated in a way that will be of use to anyone interested in the great questions of faith and existence.
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