04/20/2023
Dr. Macchia's book on systematic theology has been published! This book will be used as a resource and textbook for courses in the future here at Vanguard! Message us for the link to purchase.
Here is an EXCLUSIVE interview with the author:
1) What is the most important thing the book teaches/discusses?
As a full-blown systematic theology, the book teaches many things! If I were called upon to point to one thing, it would be the God-centeredness of all of life to which theology should point in wonderment and witness. As the title of my book shows, I drew inspiration when writing my book from the fact that the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that gave birth to the church at the Day of Pentecost caused the initial company of Christ’s followers to “declare the wonders of God” through many diverse “tongues of fire” (Acts 2:11). The wonders of God! Those wonders are rooted in what God has revealed in Christ and through the pages of scripture. But those wonders are also context specific and ongoing. Theology in many diverse contexts is caught up in praise and worship but also seeks to guide such expression of faith by drawing out their implications and highlighting their significance. Always seeking to be faithful to what God has revealed, theology is nevertheless aware of its limitations. A particular work in theology never claims to have in its grasp the final word, but always seeks to listen and to learn, especially from voices other than its own.
2) Why did you write the book?
I wrote Tongues of Fire to bring my work as a systematic theologian to a head. Tongues of Fire is a Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith because it seeks to understand the various doctrines of the faith in terms of their unity and coherence. Though there is plenty of creative tension involved in our search for truth, I've assumed also throughout the book that the truths involved in the Christian faith are not fragmented or disconnected but rather form a unity around what God has done and revealed. So, I attempt to grant my readers something of the “big picture” of the major truths of the faith in terms of how they overlap and hang together. But no systematic theology can capture God and God’s works in all of their transcendent and diverse beauty. Each systematic theology thus functions in part like a work of art. Each systematic theology attempts to grant a glimpse of the big picture through a different lens. Each one inspires and informs. No single one can claim ultimate significance. My lens from the start of my writing was Pentecost, more particularly, the gift of the Spirit imparted by the Father through Christ in that event. I wrote Baptized in the Spirit for Zondervan way back in 2006 so as to propose viewing the areas of Christian doctrine through the lens of what happened at Pentecost, or in a way that highlights the gift of the Spirit. I then wrote Justified in the Spirit for Eerdmans in 2010 to discuss the doctrine of salvation through the same pneumatological lens. I wrote, Jesus the Spirit Baptizer for Eerdmans in 2018 to discuss Christology through that same lens. In 2020, I released The Spirit Baptized Church through T & T Clark to view the nature and purpose of the church through the lens of Pentecost as well. With each of these doctrines, I asked the question concerning what difference a heftier attention to
the Spirit might make in each of these areas of theological concern. For example, in Christology, if the Spirit’s overflowing victory in the embodied life of Jesus is the goal of his taking on flesh and going to a cross, how might we in this light then speak more richly of the incarnation and the atonement? Though I had covered a number of topics through the lens of Pentecost, I felt that it would be most beneficial to grant my readers the big picture in one volume and do so in a way that would cover crucial topics that I had not explored in print before, topics like the nature of theology (especially systematic theology), the major schools of thought of systematic theology in the modern era, the doctrine of God (four chapters are devoted to God!), and the topic of eschatology or final purposes. In the process of putting it all together in one volume, I not only included topics that I had not explored in depth before, I re-worked the arguments of my earlier books so as to sharpen and to clarify my vision. I now feel as though I’ve brought my life’s work to a sense of completion. I say a “sense” since there is still more for me to write. But I envision my future writing to be less ambitious and more particularized than my previous work.
3) What did God teach you while writing it?
God has taught me many things during the writing of this book, too many to list here! If I were asked to mention one it would be the responsibility of systematic theology to aid in the praise and witness of the churches. While still conversing with the larger academy, I felt the passion as never before to do systematic theology in a way that inspires and informs preachers and others involved in leading the church’s praise and witness. I also hope that the book will enrich the Christian life and witness of all who read it. I’ve always felt that my writing speaks to me first before it speaks to others. If I feel the witness of these pages deep within, I am, in a sense, content. I have voiced what I have wondered and prayed about, what I have come to understand about the wonders of God. I truly hope that God will use the book to draw others more deeply into their own spiritual and intellectual journeys. Let all things be done unto edification (1 Cor. 14:26)! But I have no control over how God may use what I have written. Once the book is released, the rest is up to God. May God receive the glory.
4) Is there anything the reader should pay special attention to while reading?
Among other things, I want my readers to pay attention to my use of scripture, and not only my use, but that of the many voices from history and church contexts other than my own that I discuss in my quest for truth. I hope that readers will look up key texts and read them while reading my book. I want my theology to draw people to the sacred text to which I have found myself returning again and again with a fresh ear throughout the many contexts of my life. If the readers come to believe that I have missed something (and they most likely will!), they are encouraged to add that to their learning. If I have provoked a reader to listen afresh to the many different texts of scripture that I discuss (and beyond), I’ve accomplished my task.
