The Portable Seminary (2nd Edition) - A Review

The Portable Seminary

2^nd Edition

by

David Horton

A Review

Full of useful information – this book is not a portable seminary. No reader should take it off the shelf and expect to cover the topics to the depth that a typical seminary education would provide.

Having said that some topics are covered in further depth than others. A good overview of theology is provided – this is most of the first third of the book, though the author does sneak chapters on “Biblical Languages” and “Interpreting Scripture: Hermeneutics & Exegesis” into the middle of the theological chapters (immediately following a chapter on the “Doctrine of Scripture” and prior to “The Doctrine of God the Father”}. The author is strongly supportive of inerrancy; but, he clearly states, this doctrine must not be used to distinguish between authentic Christians and apostasy. Definitions are given for many of the most important terms, but few examples are given. For example, a clear distinction is made between exegesis and eisegesis – but no examples are given of either. In fact, no single example (from beginning to end) of exegesis is given. Similarly, no complete example of writing a sermon (from idea to finished sermon outline or text) is given.

Other topics covered include:

1. Five chapters introducing the Old Testament and New Testament 
2. Three chapters on evangelism: Apologetics, World Religions, and Missiology 
3. Five chapters on church history 
4. Four chapters on practical theology: Homiletics, Leadership, Ethics, and Christian Education 

It is not clear who has officially contributed to each chapter, versus allowing the quoted material to be included. Several pages of “Contributors” are included, but it is not clear who contributed what to the final volume. The ARC I was provided did set aside “1 page” for “Acknowledgments”, but it was blank and it is not clear what role these “acknowledgments” played in the development of the book.

To summarize, the book has lots of information, but the depth and helpfulness of that material will vary depending on the chapter and area of study. USE WITH CAUTION.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions expressed are mine alone.