Christian Theology: An Introduction

Christian Theology: An Introduction
	Brief Contents
	Contents
	List of Illustrations
	Preface
	To the Student: How to Use This Book
	To the Teacher: How to Use This Book
	The Structure of the Book: The Fifth and Sixth Editions Compared
	Video and Audio Resources
	Part I: Landmarks: Periods, Themes, and Personalities of Christian Theology
		Introduction
		1: The Patristic Period, c.100–c.700
			The Early Centers of Theological Activity
			An Overview of the Patristic Period
				A clarification of terms
				The theological agenda of the period
			Key Theologians
				Justin Martyr (c.100–c.165)
				Irenaeus of Lyons (c.130–c.202)
				Tertullian (c.160–c.220)
				Origen (c.185–c.254)
				Cyprian of Carthage (died 258)
				Athanasius (c.293–373)
				The Cappadocian fathers
				Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
			Key Theological Debates and Developments
				The extent of the New Testament canon
				The role of tradition: the Gnostic controversies
				The fixing of the ecumenical creeds
				The two natures of Jesus Christ: the Arian controversy
				The doctrine of the Trinity
				The doctrine of the church: the Donatist controversy
				The doctrine of grace: the Pelagian controversy
			Key Names, Words, and Phrases
			Questions for Chapter 1
		2: The Middle Ages and the Renaissance, c.700–c.1500
			On Defining the “Middle Ages”
			Theological Landmarks in Western Europe
				The rise of medieval schools of theology
				The founding of the universities
				A theological textbook: the Four Books of the Sentences
				“Cathedrals of the Mind”: scholasticism
				The Italian Renaissance and the rise of humanism
			Byzantine Theology: Major Themes
			Key Theologians
				John of Damascus (c.676–749)
				Simeon the New Theologian (949–1022)
				Anselm of Canterbury (c.1033–1109)
				Thomas Aquinas (c.1225–74)
				Duns Scotus (c.1266–1308)
				William of Ockham (c.1285–1347)
				Erasmus of Rotterdam (1466–1536)
			Key Theological Debates and Developments
				The consolidation of the patristic heritage
				The exploration of the role of reason in theology
				Scholasticism: the development of theological systems
				The development of sacramental theology
				The development of the theology of grace
				The role of Mary in the scheme of salvation
				The Renaissance: returning to the original sources of theology
			Key Names, Words, and Phrases
			Questions for Chapter 2
		3: The Age of Reformation, c.1500–c.1750
			The Main Movements of the Age of Reformation
				The German Reformation: Lutheranism
				The Swiss Reformation: the Reformed church
				The radical Reformation: Anabaptism
				The English Reformation: Anglicanism
				The Catholic Reformation
				The Second Reformation: confessionalization
			Post-Reformation Movements
				The consolidation of Catholicism
				Puritanism
				Pietism
			The Copernican and Galilean Controversies
			Key Theologians
				Martin Luther (1483–1546)
				Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1531)
				John Calvin (1509–64)
				Teresa of Avilà (1515–82)
				Theodore Beza (1519–1605)
				Robert Bellarmine (1542–1621)
				Johann Gerhard (1582–1637)
				Jonathan Edwards (1703–58)
			Key Theological Debates and Developments
				The sources of theology
				The doctrine of grace
				The doctrine of the sacraments
				The doctrine of the church
			Developments in Theological Literature
				Catechisms
				Confessions of faith
				Works of systematic theology
			Key Names, Words, and Phrases
			Questions for Chapter 3
		4: The Modern Period, c.1750 to the Present
			Theology and Cultural Developments in the West
				The wars of religion and disinterest in religion
				The rise of the Enlightenment
				The Enlightenment critique of Christian theology: some case studies
				Marxism: an intellectual rival to Christianity
				Darwinism: a new theory of human origins
				The First World War: a theology of crisis
				Postmodernism: beyond the modern theological agenda
				Globalization: world Christianity and world religions
			Key Theologians
				F. D. E. Schleiermacher (1768–1834)
				John Henry Newman (1801–90)
				Karl Barth (1886–1968)
				Paul Tillich (1886–1965)
				Karl Rahner (1904–84)
				Hans Urs von Balthasar (1905–88)
				Jürgen Moltmann (born 1926)
				Wolfhart Pannenberg (1928–2014)
			Major Modern Theological Movements
				Liberal Protestantism
				Modernism
				Neo-orthodoxy
				Liberation theologies
				Feminism
				Black and “womanist” theology
				Postliberalism
				Radical orthodoxy
			Key Names, Words, and Phrases
			Questions for Chapter 4
	Part II: Sources and Methods
		5: Getting Started: Preliminaries
			What Is Faith?
			Defining Theology
				A working definition of theology
				The historical development of the idea of theology
				The development of theology as an academic discipline
			The Architecture of Theology
				Biblical studies
				Systematic theology
				Philosophical theology
				Historical theology
				Practical, or pastoral, theology
				Spirituality, or mystical theology
				Apologetics
			The Question of Prolegomena
			Commitment and Neutrality in Theology
			Orthodoxy and Heresy
				Historical aspects
				Theological aspects
			The Theology of the Relationship Between Christianity and Secular Culture
				Justin Martyr (c.100–c.165)
				Tertullian (c.160–c.220)
				Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
				The twentieth century: H. Richard Niebuhr (1894–1962)
			Questions for Chapter 5
		6: The Sources of Theology
			Scripture
				The Old Testament
				The New Testament
				Other works: deutero-canonical and apocryphal writings
				The relationship between the Old and New Testaments
				The canon of Scripture: historical and theological issues
				The Word of God
				Narrative theology
				Methods of interpretation of Scripture
				Theories of the inspiration of Scripture
			Tradition
				A single-source theory of tradition
				A dual-source theory of tradition
				The total rejection of tradition
				Theology and worship: the importance of liturgical tradition
			Reason
				Reason and revelation: three models
				Enlightenment rationalism
				Criticisms of Enlightenment rationalism
			Religious Experience
				Experience as the basis of Christian theology
				Theology connects with human experience
				Theology as the interpreter of human experience
				God as a misinterpretation of human experience
			Questions for Chapter 6
		7: Knowledge of God: Natural and Revealed
			The Idea of Revelation
			Models of Revelation
				Revelation as doctrine
				Revelation as presence
				Revelation as experience
				Revelation as history
			Natural Theology: Its Scope and Limits
				Thomas Aquinas (c.1225–74) on natural theology
				John Calvin (1509–64) on natural theology
				The Renaissance: God’s two books
				Eastern Orthodoxy on natural theology
				The Barth–Brunner debate (1934)
			Approaches to Discerning God in Nature
				Human reason
				The ordering of the world
				The beauty of the world
			The Natural Sciences and Christian Theology: Models of Interaction
				Warfare: the “conflict” thesis
				Isolation: the “non-overlapping” thesis
				Enrichment: the complementarity thesis
			Questions for Chapter 7
		8: Philosophy and Theology: Dialogue and Debate
			Philosophy and Theology: The Notion of the “Handmaid”
			Can God’s Existence be Proved? Four Approaches
				The ontological argument of Anselm of Canterbury (c.1033–1109)
				The “Five Ways” of Thomas Aquinas (c.1225–74)
				The kalam argument
				A classic argument from design: William Paley (1743–1805)
			The Nature of Theological Language
				Does theological language refer to anything?
				Apophatic and kataphatic approaches
			Questions for Chapter 8
	Part III: Christian Theology
		9: The Doctrine of God
			Is God Male?
			A Personal God
				Defining “person”
				Dialogical personalism: Martin Buber (1878–1965)
			Can God Suffer?
				The classical view: the impassibility of God
				The twentieth century: a paradigm shift?
				A suffering God: Jürgen Moltmann (born 1926)
				The death of God?
			The Omnipotence of God
				Defining omnipotence
				The two powers of God
				The notion of divine self-limitation
			God’s Action in the World
				“Special” and “general” divine action
				Deism: God acts through the laws of nature
				Thomism: God acts through secondary causes
				Process theology: God acts through persuasion
			God as Creator
				Development of the doctrine of creation
				Creation and the rejection of dualism
				The doctrine of creation of Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
				The doctrine of creation ex nihilo
				Implications of the doctrine of creation
				Models of God as creator
				Creation and Christian approaches to ecology
			Theodicies: The Problem of Evil
				Irenaeus of Lyons (c.130–c.202)
				Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
				Karl Barth (1886–1968)
				Alvin Plantinga (born 1932)
				Other recent contributions
			Questions for Chapter 9
		10: The Person of Jesus Christ
			The Place of Jesus Christ in Christian Theology
				Jesus Christ is the historical point of departure for Christianity
				Jesus Christ reveals God
				Jesus Christ is the bearer of salvation
				Jesus Christ defines the shape of the redeemed life
			New Testament Christological Titles
				Messiah
				Son of God
				Son of Man
				Lord
				Savior
				God
			The Patristic Debate Over the Person of Christ
				Early explorations: Ebionitism and Docetism
				Justin Martyr (c.100–c.165): the Logos Christology
				Arius (c.260–336): Jesus Christ as “supreme among the creatures”
				Athanasius (c.293–373): Jesus Christ as God incarnate
				The Alexandrian school: Apollinarianism and its critics
				The Antiochene school: Theodore of Mopsuestia (c.350–428)
				The “communication of attributes”
				The Council of Chalcedon (451)
			Medieval Christology: The Relationship Between the Incarnation and the Fall
			The Relationship Between the Person and Work of Christ
			Christological Models: Classical and Contemporary
				The substantial presence of God in Christ
				Christ as mediator between God and humanity
				The revelational presence of God in Christ
				Christ as a symbolic presence of God
				Christ as the bearer of the Holy Spirit
				Christ as the example of a godly life
				Christ as a hero
				Kenotic approaches to Christology
			The Quest for the Historical Jesus
				The original quest for the historical Jesus
				The quest for the religious personality of Jesus
				The critique of the quest, 1890–1910
				The quest suspended: Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976)
				The new quest for the historical Jesus
				The third quest for the historical Jesus
			The Resurrection of Christ: History and Interpretation
				The Enlightenment: resurrection as nonevent
				David Friedrich Strauss (1808–74): resurrection as myth
				Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976): resurrection as an event in the experience of the disciples
				Karl Barth (1886–1968): resurrection as an historical event beyond critical inquiry
				Wolfhart Pannenberg (1928–2014): resurrection as an historical event open to critical inquiry
			Questions for Chapter 10
		11: The Nature and Basis of Salvation
			Christian Approaches to Salvation
				Salvation is linked with Jesus Christ
				Salvation is shaped by Jesus Christ
				The eschatological dimension of salvation
			The Foundations of Salvation: The Cross of Christ
				The cross as a sacrifice
				The cross as a victory
				The cross and forgiveness
				The cross as a demonstration of God’s love
				Violence and the cross: the theory of René Girard (1923–2015)
			“Can a Male Savior Save Women?” Feminists on Atonement
			Models of Salvation in Christ: Classical and Contemporary
				Some Pauline images of salvation
				Deification: being made divine
				Righteousness in the sight of God
				Personal holiness
				Authentic human existence
				Political liberation
				Spiritual freedom
			The Appropriation of Salvation in Christ
				The church as the means of salvation
				Christ as a representative
				Participation in Christ
				Christ as a substitute
			The Scope of Salvation in Christ
				Universalism: all will be saved
				Only believers will be saved
				Particular redemption: only the elect will be saved
			Questions for Chapter 11
		12: The Holy Spirit
			The Biblical Witness
			The Patristic Period
				Early patristic reflections: Irenaeus of Lyons (c.130–c.202)
				Athanasius (c.293–373): the debate over the divinity of the Holy Spirit
				The Council of Constantinople (381)
				Augustine of Hippo (354–430): the spirit as a bond of unity
				Symbols of the Spirit: a dove, fire, and oil
			The Filioque Controversy
			The Holy Spirit: Recent Discussions
				The Great Awakening: Jonathan Edwards (1703–58)
				The Second Vatican Council on the Holy Spirit
				Liberation theology: the Spirit and empowerment
				Feminism: the Spirit and relationality
			The Functions of the Spirit
				God’s active presence in the world
				The illumination of revelation
				The appropriation of salvation
				The renewal of the Christian life
			Questions for Chapter 12
		13: The Trinity
			Approaching the Christian Doctrine of the Trinity
				The apparent illogicality of the doctrine
				The Trinity as a statement about Jesus Christ
				The Trinity as a statement about the Christian God
				Islamic critiques of the doctrine of the Trinity
			The Biblical Foundations of the Doctrine of the Trinity
			The Historical Development of the Doctrine
				The emergence of the trinitarian vocabulary
				The emergence of trinitarian concepts
				Rationalist critiques of trinitarianism: the eclipse of the Trinity, 1700–1900
				The problem of visualization: analogies of the Trinity
				“Economic” and “essential” approaches to the Trinity
			Two Trinitarian Heresies
				Modalism: chronological and functional
				Tritheism
			The Trinity: Six Classic and Contemporary Approaches
				The Cappadocian fathers
				Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
				Karl Barth (1886–1968)
				Karl Rahner (1904–84)
				John Macquarrie (1919–2007)
				Robert Jenson (born 1930)
			Some Discussions of the Trinity in Recent Theology
				F. D. E. Schleiermacher (1768–1834) on the dogmatic location of the Trinity
				Jürgen Moltmann (born 1926) on the social Trinity
				Eberhard Jüngel (born 1934) on the Trinity and metaphysics
				Catherine Mowry LaCugna (1952–97) on the Trinity and salvation
				Sarah Coakley (born 1951) on feminism and the Trinity
			The Trinitarian Renaissance: Some Examples
				A trinitarian theology of mission
				A trinitarian theology of worship
				A trinitarian theology of atonement
				A trinitarian ecclesiology
			Questions for Chapter 13
		14: Human Nature, Sin, and Grace
			The Place of Humanity within Creation: Early Reflections
				The image of God
				The concept of sin
			Augustine of Hippo (354–430) and the Pelagian Controversy
				The “freedom of the will”
				The nature of sin
				The nature of grace
				The basis of salvation
			The Medieval Synthesis of the Doctrine of Grace
				The Augustinian legacy
				The medieval distinction between actual and habitual grace
				The late medieval critique of habitual grace
				The medieval debate over the nature and grounds of merit
			The Reformation Debates Over the Doctrine of Grace
				From “salvation by grace” to “justification by faith”
				The theological breakthrough of Martin Luther (1483–1546)
				Luther on justifying faith
				The concept of forensic justification
				John Calvin (1509–64) on justification
				The Council of Trent on justification
			The Doctrine of Predestination
				Augustine of Hippo (354–430)
				Catholic debates: Thomism, Molinism, and Jansenism
				Protestant debates: Calvinism and Arminianism
				Karl Barth (1886–1968)
				Predestination and economics: the Weber thesis
			The Darwinian Controversy and the Nature of Humanity
				Young-earth creationism
				Old-earth creationism
				Intelligent design
				Evolutionary theism
			Questions for Chapter 14
		15: The Church
			Biblical Models of the Church
				The Old Testament
				The New Testament
			The Early Development of Ecclesiology
			The Donatist Controversy
			Early Protestant Doctrines of the Church
				Martin Luther (1483–1546)
				John Calvin (1509–64)
				The radical Reformation
			Christ and the Church: Some Twentieth-Century Themes
				Christ is present sacramentally
				Christ is present through the word
				Christ is present through the Spirit
			The Second Vatican Council on the Church
				The church as communion
				The church as the people of God
				The church as a charismatic community
			The “Notes” of the Church
				One
				Holy
				Catholic
				Apostolic
			Priesthood and Ministry: Some Major Themes
			Questions for Chapter 15
		16: The Sacraments
			The Early Development of Sacramental Theology
			The Definition of a Sacrament
			The Donatist Controversy: Sacramental Efficacy
			The Multiple Functions of the Sacraments
				Sacraments convey grace
				Sacraments strengthen faith
				Sacraments enhance unity and commitment within the church
				Sacraments reassure us of God’s promises toward us
				A case study in complexity: the functions of the Eucharist
			The Eucharist: The Question of the Real Presence
				The ninth-century debates over the real presence
				Medieval views on the relationship between “sign” and “sacrament”
				Transubstantiation
				Transignification and transfinalization
				Consubstantiation
				A real absence: memorialism
			The Debate Concerning Infant Baptism
				Infant baptism remits the guilt of original sin
				Infant baptism is grounded in God’s covenant with the church
				Infant baptism is unjustified
			Questions for Chapter 16
		17: Christianity and the World Religions
			Western Pluralism and the Question of Other Religions
				The detached approach
				The committed approach
			Approaches to Religions
				The Enlightenment: religions as a corruption of the original religion of nature
				Ludwig Feuerbach (1804–72): religion as an objectification of human feeling
				Karl Marx: religion as the product of socioeconomic alienation
				Sigmund Freud (1856–1939): religion as wish fulfillment
				Emile Durkheim (1858–1917): religion and ritual
				Mircea Eliade (1907–86): religion and the sacred
				J. R. R. Tolkien (1892–1973) and C. S. Lewis (1898–1963): religion as myth
				Karl Barth (1886–1968) and Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–45): religion as a human invention
				Trinitarian theologies of religion
			Christian Approaches to Other Religions
				Exclusivism
				Inclusivism
				Pluralism
			Questions for Chapter 17
		18: Last Things: The Christian Hope
			Developments in the Doctrine of the Last Things
				The New Testament
				Early Christianity and Roman beliefs about reunion after death
				Augustine of Hippo (354–430): the two cities
				Joachim of Fiore (c.1132–1202): the three ages
				Dante Alighieri (1265–1321): the Divine Comedy
				The Enlightenment: eschatology as superstition
				The twentieth century: the rediscovery of eschatology
				Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976): the demythologization of eschatology
				Jürgen Moltmann (born 1926): the theology of hope
				Helmut Thielicke (1908–86): ethics and eschatology
				Dispensationalism: the structures of eschatology
				Spe salvi: Benedict XVI (born 1927) on the Christian hope
				N. T. Wright (born 1948) on (not) going to heaven
			The Last Things
				Hell
				Purgatory
				The millennium
				Heaven
			Questions for Chapter 18
	Jargon-Busting: A Glossary of Theological Terms
	Sources of Citations
	Acknowledgments
	Index
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