Identifying the heart of the faith, non-negotiable matters of faith and practice have not been easy for evangelicals. Not only do we experience difficulty in differentiating core concerns from peripheral matters, but the matter in which evangelicals conduct themselves when they disagree theologically is troubling. The question becomes 'How can we best use tracition as evangelical theologians as we attempt to serve the church through a faithful reading and exploration of the scripture'?

Christopher A. Hall is dean of the Templeton Honors College at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pennsylvannia where he has been teaching in the biblical and theological studies program. He is also associate editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: The Gospel of Mark (with Thomas C. Oden), Reading the Scriptures with the Fathers,and Studying Theology with the Church Fathers.