The Faith Of The Christian Church: An Introduction To Theology

THE FAITH OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: An Introduction to Theology......Page 4
Contents......Page 8
I. A New Entry into the Field......Page 12
Diversity within the Student Body......Page 13
Relatively Traditionless Students......Page 14
Demographic Shift in the Population......Page 15
The Increasing Gap between the Universities and the Seminaries......Page 16
The Shattered Spectrum......Page 17
The Blurred Lines between Premodern, Modern, and Postmodern Culture......Page 18
Indifference to Modernity......Page 19
Heterogeneity......Page 21
IV. The Author\'s Framework......Page 22
Main Features of the Book......Page 26
What Is Unique about the Book......Page 27
I. The Faith of the Christian Church......Page 30
Facing Intimidation......Page 33
Two Objections......Page 36
III. Making Sense of Faith: The Task of Theology......Page 39
How Theology Arises......Page 40
The Object of Theology......Page 41
The Nature of Theology......Page 42
Who Does Theology?......Page 44
The Audience for Theology......Page 45
The Criteria for Theology......Page 47
IV. The Limits of Theology......Page 48
Context......Page 49
Perspective......Page 50
V. Modes of Thinking Theologically......Page 52
I. The Question of Authority in Theology......Page 56
II. The Primacy of Scripture......Page 58
Conservative Views of the Authority of Scripture......Page 60
Liberal and Other Modern Views of Scripture......Page 62
Postmodern Views of the Authority of Scripture......Page 63
The Bible As Scripture and Canon......Page 64
III. Shaped by Tradition and Traditioning......Page 67
The Concept of Tradition......Page 68
The Dynamic Nature of Tradition......Page 69
The Authority of Tradition......Page 71
Uses of the Concept of Reason......Page 72
Criticism and Defense of the Authority of Reason in Theology......Page 76
The Concept of Experience in Theology......Page 78
Experience As Source and Norm for Theology......Page 80
An Approach for Beginners: The Dialectical Nature of the Sources and Norms......Page 82
I. The Idea of Revelation in Recent Thought......Page 85
II. General Revelation......Page 89
III. Special Revelation......Page 93
IV. Elemental Faith and Saving Faith......Page 97
V. The Faith of the Church......Page 104
Mystery and Transcendence......Page 110
Nearness and Immanence......Page 112
Language about God......Page 113
II. God in the Bible......Page 116
III. The Theistic Concept of God......Page 121
IV. Dialectical Theism......Page 125
V. The Triune God......Page 131
I. Scripture and Creation......Page 139
II. Creation and the Question of Origins: Creatio ex Nihilo......Page 143
III. Six Days or Forever? Creation and Evolution......Page 149
IV. Continuing Creation and Divine Providence: Creatio Continua......Page 153
Sustaining the Creation: The Principle of Continuation......Page 156
Directing the Creation: The Principle of Possibilities......Page 157
V. Miracle and Prayer......Page 159
I. How Long, Ο Lord? Suffering and Evil......Page 167
II. We Deserve What We Get: A Theistic Explanation of Suffering and Evil......Page 172
III. The Devil, the Demons, and the Demonic......Page 176
IV. Why Doesn\'t God Do Something? Creation, Tragic Structure, and the Will of God......Page 182
V. God with Us: God and Human Suffering......Page 186
I. The Image of God......Page 193
II. Sin and Original Sin......Page 198
III. Becoming Children of God: Developments within the Classical Tradition......Page 203
IV. Beyond the Tradition: Shame and Han......Page 211
V. Redeemed Humanity......Page 214
I. The Ministry of Jesus of Nazareth......Page 218
II. The Birth and Death of Jesus......Page 224
\"Who Was Conceived by the Holy Spirit, Born of the Virgin Mary\"......Page 225
\"Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was Crucified, Dead, and Buried\"......Page 227
III. The Resurrection of Jesus......Page 229
IV. Jesus the Christ......Page 234
V. Jesus Christ Liberator......Page 239
I. \"He Was Crucified, Dead, and Buried\": The Cross and Atonement......Page 245
Classical Models of Atonement......Page 247
Exemplar Models of Atonement......Page 249
Legal Models of Atonement......Page 250
II. Cross Purposes: Interpreting the Atonement......Page 252
III. Amazing Grace: The Christian Idea of Salvation......Page 257
Conviction of Sin......Page 259
Justification by Grace......Page 260
Regeneration......Page 261
Liberation......Page 262
IV. \"You Are Accepted\": Justification......Page 263
V. \"Be Perfect, Therefore\": Sanctification......Page 268
I. \"The Lord and Giver of Life\": The Holy Spirit and the Christian Life......Page 275
The Spirit in the Creeds......Page 277
The Spirit and Gifts......Page 279
Believing Too Little or Too Much......Page 280
A Dialectical View of the Church......Page 281
The Church and the Triune God......Page 283
III. \"One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic\": The Marks of the Church......Page 287
One......Page 288
Holy......Page 289
Apostolic......Page 290
IV. Our Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18): The Mission of the Church......Page 291
V. \"The Gifts He Gave . . . for the Work of Ministry\" (Eph. 4:11): The Ministry of the Church......Page 295
Ordained Ministry......Page 298
I. \"Every Common Bush Afire with God\": Worship in a Sacramental Universe......Page 304
II. Christian Sacraments......Page 309
III. The Sacrament of Initiation into the Christian Life: Baptism......Page 314
IV. The Sacrament of Maintenance of the Christian Life: Eucharist......Page 321
Transubstantiation......Page 323
Virtualism......Page 324
V. FAQs......Page 325
I. What Can Christians Hope For? Eschatology and Apocalypticism......Page 332
II. What Is the Goal of History?......Page 338
III. Dying We Live: Do We Survive Our Death?......Page 342
IV. What Are God\'s Ultimate Purposes?......Page 347
V. Is Jesus the Only Way to God?......Page 352
Glossary......Page 360
Index......Page 399