This paper, given here on Blog My Soul – Writings, is the MDiv thesis of Rev. Scot A. Kinnaman. It is a study of biblical angelology and a critic of the modern use of angels both in the church and what passes for spirituality.
While I hope that some one may find this work useful, this work remains the property of its author. No rights are surrendered by it appearance here.
Original publish date 1995. Published on the web at http://prkinnaman-writings.blogspot.com , October, 2004.
Introduction
Historically, church tradition has been the great teacher of the existence of angels, and for centuries this has been sufficient. Not so today. We need to return to the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament, which, not only proves the reality of angels, but gives details about who and what they are. Currently, it is impossible to embark on a study of the invisible world without admitting that such a study is no longer the strictly the purview of the theologian.
Speculation on the invisible has become a mark of the culture we live in. A problem of a special kind is involved for the theologian and serious students of the Bible. Not only does one need to realize the difference between Christian beliefs and the world’s beliefs, but one must recognize that the words and terms that are used often (sometimes deliberately) make that difference indiscernible. Scripture-based perceptions of the spirit world have very recently and all too often become taken over, clouded over, or atrophied by popular and psuedo-Christan use. Thus, the Christian, to communicate Scripture’s clear word on the doctrine of angels, must not only begin and remain in the Scriptures, but be aware how the Scriptures, often in the original languages, inform the English words we use.
The point becomes clear when one is content with what Scripture reveals about the angels: the angels help us understand Jesus’ and God’s plan for us as continuing, continual, care. Reflection on what can be learned and understood about the holy spirits of God may perhaps strengthen our own spiritual life. The whole realm of faith may, thereby, become more real and immediate as we experience God’s personal care through their immediate presence.
