Lauren Ducommun

I’m at the stage of my homeschool journey where I’m looking for a systematic theology curriculum for high school. Ever since reading about Lady Jane Grey and how she defended the gospel against the Catholic abbot of Westminster at the age of 15, I was reminded of how little we sometimes expect from our youth. Jane’s foundation in Scripture was solid, and she even knew Greek, Latin, and some Hebrew. This is a reminder that theology is for everyone – from toddlers through seniors – because of the serious impact it has on our thinking and living. Jane’s sweeping grasp of theological doctrines in her youth should motivate us to be diligent about teaching theology to teens!

In my pursuit, I’ve come across Knowing God’s Truth: An Introduction to Systematic Theology by Jon Nielson. Crossway published this and its companion student workbook in 2023, and it looks like a great intro for the early high school years! (It is also a great starting place for adults interested in learning more about theology.)

Knowing God’s Truth is broken into twelve chapters, ranging from around 22-25 pages in length. The first chapter tackles “What is Theology?”, why it matters, and what different types of theology there are. After that, the following doctrines are covered:

• Scripture
• God
• Man
• Sin
• Jesus Christ
• Salvation
• Heaven and Hell
• Church
• Angels and Demons
• Last Things
• Holy Spirit

If I were planning this out for our homeschool curriculum, I would most likely skip the second half of the first chapter and move on to the chapters introducing the various doctrines mentioned above. The way the book is broken up, it would be easy to assign different reading assignments to go through as quick as a chapter per week, or as slow as one section of the chapter per day – to be read more devotionally.

Jon Nielson weaves in Scripture reading, prayers, and Scripture memory so that the truths in these doctrines can be taken to heart and applied to the Christian life. I appreciate how he helps the reader see how practical theology is and why it matters. His workbook asks questions to help students see how thinking affects the way we live and how we can apply it to our daily lives. He also highlights common heresies believed today that come from poor theology. 

Besides being thorough in his introduction, covering a wide range of topics, what I like most about Knowing God’s Truth is how gracious Jon Nielson is on tertiary issues. He is unmoving on orthodox Christian beliefs such as the authority of Scripture, the depravity of man and original sin, imago dei, and the future return of Christ, but in sections such as eschatology, he gives a civil review of the top beliefs held and shares critiques for each one. On the topic of atonement, he kindly introduces the most prevalent views held, but explains why the substitution theory is so important.

For many, the topic of election can be controversial. Again, he doesn’t speak negatively of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, or try to persuade with ethos, he simply shares what Scripture states – that “the Bible really does clearly teach this doctrine” but also that “we should see that human responsibility is never taken off the table in the teaching of the Bible”. His emphasis isn’t on who has the right view, but on the magnanimous truth that salvation starts with God and “it should make you fall down on your knees before [him] and thank him. It is so refreshing to be taught from someone whose aim is to point people to Christ, not to split hairs and divide.

The workbook has twelve chapters as well but is further split to follow the section breaks within the chapters. Each section break contains three questions that ask some really thoughtful questions. For example:

•  “Why is it so important for us to remind ourselves that the people we pass every day on the street were created in the image of God?”
• “What marks of the church–and regular parts of worship–are most emphasized in your local church? Why do you think that is?”
• “Why must we never fear demons?”

These questions are not rote inquiries to copy and paste answers, but were thoughtfully developed so that the student can take the theology they are reading about and make it their own. The workbook allows the reader to see how theology can apply to your daily life and can change the way you live. It also helps to evaluate whether the way you are living is according to the doctrines from Scripture. While the questions may be more intense for younger students, they would make for an incredible group study!

Overall, I am so pleased to have come across Knowing God’s Truth! We will definitely be incorporating this book into our homeschool curriculum! This would also be a wonderful textbook to use for a high school co-op or Christian school. There is also a DVD available in which Jon Nielson spends 30 minutes to chapter each chapter in the book.

The publisher sent me these books in exchange for an honest review.

Knowing God’s Truth: An Introduction to Systematic Theology
by Jon Nielson
Crossway, 2023
320 pages