Christian Doctrine

Title
Copyright
Contents
Preface
Part 1 The Method And Task Of Theology
	1. Who Is a Theologian?
		Who Are You?
		Who Is the Author?
		The Task of Theology
		The Reformed Tradition
	2. Who Says So? The Problem of Authority
		Creeds and Confessions
		Creeds and Confessions in the Reformed Tradition
		The Freedom and Responsibility of Individual Christians
		Appendix: Introduction to Reformed Creeds and Confessions
Part 2 God And Human Beings
	3. How Can We Find God? The Doctrine of General Revelation
		The Problem
		The Search for a Solution
	4. How Does God Find Us? The Doctrine of Special Revelation
		God’s Self-Communication
		The Word of God
		The Freedom of God
	5. Who Is God? The Doctrine of the Trinity
		Problems and Objections
		Biblical Roots of the Doctrine of the Trinity
		The Church’s Doctrine of the Trinity
		One God Who Is Creator, Savior, and Life-Renewer
		The Social Trinity
		Trinitarian Thinking about God, Ourselves, and the World
	6. What Is God Like? The Doctrine of the Attributes of God
		The Living, Personal God
		The Loving God of Sovereign Majesty
		God in Relation to Us
		God in Heaven
	7. What Does God Want with Us? The Doctrine of Predestination
		Three Classical Interpretations
		Three Basic Rules for Thinking about Predestination
		The Freedom God Wills for All Human Beings
		The Meaning of Predestination for Non-Christians
		The Meaning of Predestination for Christians
Part 3 God The Creator And Creation
	8. What Are We Doing Here? The Doctrine of Creation
		God the Creator
		God’s Good Creation
		Good but Not God
	9. Why Doesn’t God Do Something about It? The Doctrine of Providence and the Problem of Evil
		The Reality of Evil
		The Dark Side of Creation
		The Powers of Darkness
		The Light That Shines in the Darkness
	10. Who Are We? The Doctrine of Human Beings
		Creatures in the Image of God
		Fellowship with God
		Human Life in Community
		Ways Human Beings Relate to Each Other
		Me, Myself, and I
	11. Why Don’t You Just Be Yourself? The Doctrine of Sin
		Three Basic Forms of Sin
		Original Sin
		The Consequences of Sin
Part 4 God In Christ And Reconciliation
	12. Where Is God? The Doctrine of the Incarnation
		Real God and Real Human Being
		A Real Human Being
		God-With-Us
	13. Is God against Us? The Doctrine of the Atonement
		The Biblical Images
		God versus the Gods
		Were You There?
	14. Who’s in Charge Here? The Doctrine of the Resurrection
		On the Third Day
		The Lord and His Kingdom
Part 5 God The Holy Spirit And New Life
	15. What’s New? The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
		Who Is the Holy Spirit?
		Christian Spirituality
		The Gifts of the Spirit
	16. Are You a Christian? The Doctrine of Justification
		The Problem of Justification
		Justification by Grace
		The Justice of Justification
		Justification by Grace through Faith
		Postscript: Justification and Social Justice
	17. Are You a Christian? The Doctrine of Sanctification
		Christian Faith and Christian Action
		In but Not of the World
		The Holiness Jesus Commands
	18. Living or Dead? The Doctrine of the Church
		The People of God
		The Body of Christ
		A Holy People
		A United, Catholic People
		An Apostolic People
		The Task of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church
	19. What’s Going to Happen to Us? The Doctrine of the Christian Hope for the Future
		Christian Hope, Hopelessness, and False Hopes
		Some Guidelines for Asking the Right Questions
		Christian Hope for the World
		Christian Hope for Individuals
Notes
Index