Journal: Southeastern Theological Review
Volume: STR 11:2 (Fall 2020)
Article: Interview With Lisa L. Spencer Executive Director, Local Colors, Roanoke, VA
Author: Anonymous

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Interview With Lisa L. Spencer Executive Director, Local Colors, Roanoke, VA

Lisa Spencer is the Executive Director of Local Colors, a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating ethnic diversity in the city of Roanoke, Virginia. She holds a ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary and actively blogs on her site Theothoughts (www.theothoughts. com). She is also a co-host for the podcast Family Discussion and a contributing author to Beyond the Roles: A Biblical Foundation for Women in Ministry and Heal Us Emmanuel 2.

In what way were you encouraged and left wanting in your Christological studies in your evangelical seminary?

At Dallas Seminary, all degree students were required to take six core classes in systematic theology each with a focus on a particular doctrine. I am grateful for two of these courses that specifically focused on the work and person of Jesus Christ. These courses not only provided a substantial foundation for understanding historic and biblically-informed Christian theology, but also encouraged students about the significance of rightly articulating theology.

The core of Christology was taught through the Trinitarianism course. My appreciation for this context has only grown stronger as I reflect on the interdependent working of each person as one God. Everything God the Son did was in accordance with the will of the Father and administered by the Holy Spirit. This enriched my study of Christ’s earthly ministry in the Gospels, knowing that his every word and action functioned in accordance with the foundation laid from the birth of creation in Gen 1.

The Soteriology course provided the meat of Jesus’s condescension,1 death, burial, and resurrection. The study was enriched by examining atonement theories from historical perspectives. In combination with the two required historical theology classes, these courses provided a good means to spot Christological heresies and distortions regarding the atoning work of Christ.

These courses were instrumental in navigating through other areas of theology and through practical application courses. For me, they enforced

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that God’s redemption program through the Son is the chief anchor of Christian belief. What we believe about Jesus affects every other area of Christian faith and practice. So I was greatly encouraged to think Christologically through all of my coursework, including my master’s thesis, in which I wrote on extra-scriptural divine speech. This Christological focus also affected how we considered mission in the proclamation of Jesus Christ. The common thread throughout ...