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'With Willful Intent: A Theology of Sin' is a full orbed examination of sin and the human Fall. Its intention is to provide the reader/student with both the materials and methodology to formulate his or her own biblically based theology of sin. The book is arranged in four sequential sections to guide the reader through the process of theological development.
The first section, "A Historical Theology of Sin," furnishes a detailed outline of Christian thought on sin from the time of the early church to the present day. These chapters will help the reader to understand why so many differing views of sin and the Fall exist.
The second section, "A Biblical Theology of Sin," is the keystone of theological formulation. It apprises the student of the biblical teaching on the human Fall and its subsequent ramifications. Because believers hold the Bible to be the fully inspired, all-sufficient Word of God, what it says about sin must be determinative in one's development of a theology of sin.
The third section, "A Systematic Theology of Sin," seeks to synthesize the teaching of the Bible while drawing on the insights of history, science, and the social sciences. Topics covered include the nature of sin, its universality, its transmission, its relationship to Satan and the demonic, and its conquest through Jesus Christ.
Any theology is worthless if it cannot be related to daily living. The conclusion, "A Practical Theology of Sin," demonstrates how the theology which has been formulated may be applied to the individual life of the believer and to the church's ministry.
About the author
David L. Smith (MDiv, PhD, Southern Baptist Seminary) has served in Christian ministry for half a century as a pastor, a professor of theology, and a seminary administrator. He is also the author of A Handbook of Contemporary Theology (1992).
