5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time [Paperback]

Rick Cornish (Author)

Book Description

Series: 5 Minute | Publication Date: May 28, 2004

5 Minute Theologian explains 100 essential beliefs of the Christian faith in short daily readings. In about three months, you can absorb the major tenets of Christianity and greatly improve your understanding of God's Word and theology.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Know what you're talking about. Pop quiz: How would you explain the difference between sanctification and justification to a curious seeker? Are there any unforgivable sins? When your daughter wants to understand why she shouldn't be afraid of the Holy Ghost, how would you explain it so she understands? 5 Minute Theologian explains one hundred essential beliefs of the Christian faith in short, five-minute daily readings. In about three months, you can absorb the major tenets of Christianity and greatly improve your understanding of God's Word. Dr. Cornish's simple yet profound explanations of God, the Bible, sin, grace, election, and other fundamental concepts will protect you and your family against the half-truths and lies so prevalent in today's society. Even more, when you talk about your faith, you can be sure that you always know what you're talking about.

About the Author

Rick Cornish is a former marine officer with an earned doctorate degree from Denver Seminary as well as a master's in Greek and history from the University of Nebraska. He has experience as a pastor in the United States and is the founder and president of Teaching Truth International. Rick teaches systematic theology, New Testament, and church history at several international universities and pastoral training centers.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: NavPress (May 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576834832
• ISBN-13: 978-1576834831
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #342,422 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great introduction, July 5, 2005

By 

John Brooks "homewardbound-cb.blogspot.com" (Midlothian, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Paperback)

Cornish gives the reader a brief overview of all the major topics of Christian theology in clear and concise language and with appropriate Scriptures cited.

Most of the topics covered are basic to all Christian denominations and so what he says isn't likely to be objectionable. There are a few hot topics -- such as predestination, baptism, and the end times. On the first he takes a mild Calvinist stance, on the second a moderate but evangelical view, and on the third a pretty neutral view. But nothing he says is likely to be offensive to anyone.

All in all, I think this is a great book for giving people a broad introduction to the queen of sciences. With 100 extremely short chapters, in three months one could gain a good overview of Christian theology.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Primer on Basic Christian Theology, August 29, 2006

By 

S. Peek (Rocky Mountains, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Paperback)

The 5 Minute Theologian is an excellent overview of Christian theology.

The author presents 100 short essays on various aspects of the Christian faith including the following: God, The Bible, man, sin, Christ, salvation, The Holy Spirit, and The Church.

It is an excellent format that is thorough enough to cover the subjects well, but not super deep like would be written for a scholarly theologian. All Christians need to know and understand the above areas, but may not be ready for high powered theological texts. This book combines the best of both worlds; it is simple, but not simplistic.

I highly recommend it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A clear, simple, and accurate presentation of 'Faith Basics 101', June 30, 2006

By 

John P. Marcott - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Paperback)

Rick Cornish, 5 Minute Theologian: Maximum Truth in Minimum Time (Colorado Springs: NavPress), 2004, Pp. 324.

I liked the author as soon as I came across his motive for writing this book. On the sixth page of the introduction, Cornish writes, "My first reason for writing 5 Minute Theologian originated from my role as a dad reading to my sons...to develop their spiritual growth and prepare them for life as thinking Christians" (p. 20). Here's a dad who takes seriously his responsibility and privilege to raise his sons in the "training and instruction of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). Here's a father who could echo Solomon's advice, "Listen, my sons, to a father's instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. I give you sound learning, so do not forsake my teaching" (Proverbs 4:1-2). Although our culture has lost its way with respect to parenting, according to Tedd Tripp, here is one Christian man who values his children as gifts from God (Psalm 127:3) and who understands his responsibility to direct and teach them (Deuteronomy 6:6-9). As a parent, you just have to like someone with those values.

With that motive in mind, you would naturally expect a loving approach. The tone and style of the book are simple, clear, accurate, memorable and purposeful. The format of this book, exactly 100 three-page essays devoted to a theological theme, is ideal for use with a spouse, teenagers, or for private reading. You really can read through each chapter in five minutes or less.

Cornish bemoans the fact that theology is "sadly neglected in our day." This book addresses this need by offering "capsule explanations of essential Christian beliefs." Theology's job is to spell out the faith so as to: a) guard us from error; b) defend itself against attacks; and c) explain the gospel to those interested. I recommend this book for teenagers and above. Although all terms are clearly explained, the author does use some big words like immanence, transcendence, hypostatic, kenosis, imputation, propitiation, etc., which might bog down younger readers. This would be an ideal reference for a college freshman. Once this book is read, I recommend J.I. Packer's Concise Theology or R.C. Sproul's Essential Truths of the Christian Faith which are more meaty treatments of the same theological concepts.