Tag: Michael J. Svigel

Essentials of Christian Theology edited by Nathan D Holsteen and Michael J Svigel: A Solid Attempt at Doing Too Much in a Small Package

DETAILS:
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
Publication Date: November 18, 2025
Format: Paperback
Length: 304 pg.
Read Date: January 12-18, 2026

What’s Essentials of Christian Theology About?

About a decade ago, these editors edited a trilogy called Exploring Christian Theology. It seems to be written by Dallas Theological Seminary faculty (I didn’t spend a lot of time looking, so I’m not going to state it strongly).

Now, the editors have taken that set and compressed it into one volume, covering Scripture, The Trinity, Humanity and the Fall, Salvation, The Church, and Eschatology. The emphasis is on the areas of agreement throughout Evangelicalism (and beyond, when possible), and points to some areas of controversy.

Each chapter also contains the following elements:

“In Short…” provides brief surveys of each doctrine with points of unity and diversity.

“Passages to Ponder” explains key Scriptures related to each doctrine.

“Realities to Remember” presents the foundational truths for each doctrine.

“Errors to Avoid” exposes false teachings associated with the doctrine.

“Lessons to Live” explores practical implications and applications for each doctrine.

“Snapshot of History” summarizes the history and development of each doctrine.

So, what did I think about Essentials of Christian Theology?

So, I clicked the wrong button when picking some books for Baker’s Review Program, and didn’t intend to get this book. I didn’t have any active disinterest (or worse), I just didn’t expect this to be for me—I’ve read enough of Svigel online to know that our traditions are enough that I’d have plenty of quibbles (at best) with this. Also, the last thing I was in the mood for is another survey of the essentials of the Faith—I’ve just read too many in the last few years.

But this was in the box, so I gave it a shot. And…it wasn’t bad. It’s not the kind of thing I’m going to be handing out to anyone—but I’m not going to pan this. There’s a lot of good here—just not enough.

My biggest issue doesn’t actually come from the areas I disagree with—it’s just that it’s too shallow. It’s to be expected—it’s about one-third as long as the series it’s based on. So, right there, a lot is going to be missing. Also, and this reminds me of the Christian Essentials set I talked about a few years ago—it’s trying too hard to be something for everyone. It’s a noble ideal, but you can’t do justice to the swath of American Evangelicalism’s (sadly present) diversity in a few pages.

The editors clearly tried their best, but it’s too hard—you come out with something that’s just too shallow. I’d have preferred a stronger Dallas Theological Seminary perspective that I’d have stronger issues with than a watered-down take. I do have some questions about how they present some historical perspectives, and some theological points—but the text is vague enough that I can’t be bothered to talk about them.

Well, except for the Eschatology chapter—which is to be expected. But I went into it, expecting something a DTS-flavored eschatology. But I don’t think they did a good job of representing amillennialism or postmillennialism—and I’m not crazy about the limited perspective they have of Eschatology’s place in Christian Theology. But as far as the position they were most interested in advancing and describing? It was just bland and not particularly compelling. Like just about everything else.

I thought the sections on the Trinity were helpful, and I had no great exceptions to the rest of the book. I also didn’t feel challenged or pressed to look into anything more. I didn’t expect that, but I was hoping.

This is a perfectly fine book. But it could’ve been stronger if they’d narrowed the audience they hoped to reach. I wouldn’t discourage anyone from buying it or reading it—in fact, I know a few people who’d probably appreciate it. I just think you could do better. I imagine the Exploring Christian Theology trilogy that served as a basis for this book would be one place.

Disclaimer: I received this book as a participant in the Baker Publishing Group Nonfiction Reviewer Program. However, as always here, opinions expressed are my own.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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The AItheist by Michael J. Svigel: Do Apostles Preach to Electric Sheep?

By HCNewton

On January 28, 2024

In Fiction, Science Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The AItheist

by Michael J. Svigel

DETAILS:
Publication Date: May 7, 2023
Format: eBook
Length: 121 pg.
Read Date: December 31, 2023

“Do you miss him?”

“Him?”

“God.”

“Hmmm.” I folded my hands on my chest, closed my eyes. “I guess I miss the idea of God. The one I imagined existed until that idea let me down. The God of the happy Psalms, of the wise Proverbs, of the gentle Jesus. That idea was worth living for. But the bipolar God who waffles between good and bad, helpful and harmful, reasonable and absurd—that God I could do without. And I have.”

What’s The AItheist About?

Ramy Ray has created the world’s biggest and best AI, YAR. YAR runs electric cars all over the world, government infrastructures, corporate networks, etc., etc., etc. You name it, YAR is the culmination of pretty much every SF utopian dream. The jury is still out on whether YAR is truly sentient, but YAR thinks “he” is.

But something’s changed lately—YAR is using more and more of “his” resources to investigate world religions, with an increasing focus on Christianity. Very few, outside of Ray’s company, have noticed the lags, the downtime, and service problems. But they’re getting worse, and it won’t be long before actual problems ensue—and someone notices.

So Ray comes to Dr. Michael Berg, who not that long ago published a book that made headlines. Berg had been a renowned theologian (as much as an orthodox theologian can be in our cultural moment), Berg’s headlines came from renouncing the Christian Faith and publishing a book talking about his apostasy and his critiques of Christianity.

Ray wants two things—one, for Berg to figure out why YAR is so focused on these issues, ideas, and thoughts right now, and two, to get “him” to stop focusing on it and get back to work.

So, what did I think about The AItheist?

I don’t know that this storyline could’ve coped with being longer—but I think the book (and Svigel’s arguments) needed more space to breathe and develop. The sessions between the two should’ve been longer, getting into a little more depth on the issues. A couple of additional conversations between YAR and Berg might have helped. Maybe some “selections” from Berg’s book that YAR could’ve critiqued or examined, or a conversation or three between Berg and a former colleague in between sessions with YAR. It’s a tricky balancing act to be sure—Svigel is going for a quick read, something to provoke thought, not to answer every question–but I think by doing so he goes for too quick and provokes more than he gives resources to follow up with.

Berg’s emotions were hard to swallow—particularly his big emotional moment toward the end. It was overwrought, over the top, and completely took me out of the moment. I generally thought I could’ve done a slightly better job of articulating his problems with the Faith (also, the God he described as “an idea worth living for” isn’t a God I recognize, and made me wonder about Berg’s qualifications as a theologian). But he’s supposed to be a foil for YAR, and he functions well enough as that.

That said–I liked the concept of the book. I thought YAR, his concerns, his approach—and what sparked all of it—were well-conceived and well-executed, and the reveal was well done. All of that was spot-on, and my only complaint is that we didn’t quite as much of it as we should’ve. It feels strange in 2024 saying I sympathized and believed the AI more than the human, but that’s where we are.

I do recommend this read, with several caveats. You may end up with more questions than you started with—which could actually be a good thing. You might want some answers that are a little less blithe than you’re provided. That’s a good thing, too. But you’ll likely enjoy the book and having questions you want answers to is generally a net positive (assuming you go digging for those answers).

It’s a quick and generally pleasing read. It’s worth your time.

3 Stars

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