Theologian Trading Cards!

Here it is folks! In a rare moment of creativity, I came up with the idea to make theologian trading cards! Consequently, Christians in context is now releasing the first in an upcoming series of theologian trading cards. I mean, we all love sports, and for many of us, the thought of baseball cards brings back fond memories of our youth. So why not have trading cards depicting the great theologians who have impacted the course of Christ's church. If you stop and think about it, not only are theologian trading cards quirky and fun, but they also might function as a vehicle for brushing up on church history, or they could be used to introduce church history to a wider audience. Whether you are a pastor, teacher, theologian, or an aspiring theologian like myself, you are gonna want to get in on the fun!

The first theologian we decided to feature here at Christians in Context is Augustine of Hippo, who is undoubtedly an influential theologian in the history of the church. We also thought that no trading card would be complete without some key "stats" on the back of the card...

"Saint Augustine (November 13, 354 – August 28, 430), Bishop of Hippo, in Algeria, was a philosopher and theologian. Augustine, a Latin Father and Doctor of the Church, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. Augustine was radically influenced by Platonism.[1] He framed the concepts of original sin and just war. When Rome fell and the faith of many Christians was shaken, Augustine developed the concept of the Church as a spiritual City of God, distinct from the material City of Man.[2] Augustine's work defined the start of the medieval worldview, an outlook that would later be firmly established by Gregory the Great.[2]
Augustine was born in present day Algeria to a Christian mother, Saint Monica. He was educated in North Africa and resisted his mother's pleas to become Christian. He lived as a pagan intellectual, took a concubine, and became a Manichean. He later converted to Christianity, became a bishop, and opposed heresies, such as the belief that people can gain salvation by being good (Pelagianism)."

Please feel free to print these cards for your own enjoyment, or give us a link on your blog if you think your own audience would enjoy these too!

Now, as I said, we are preparing to release a series of theologian trading cards so check back to see more. We would also like to solicit requests from our readers, so if there is a particular theologian you would like to see featured on a card, let us know and we will see what we can put together!

More to come...