Customer Reviews
Adequate as introduction but... - By: E. Danielyan, 07 Aug 2008 
a book entitled "Christian Theology" has a moral duty to cover not only Protestantism & Roman Catholicism, but also the Orthodox - both Eastern & Oriental. While this book gives a good introduction to the first two, there is almost complete lack of coverage of the third, which is most unwarranted & unfortunate, considering the spiritual wealth & contributions of Eastern & Oriental Orthodox theologians to Christianity. This book would be of very limited use to anyone interestedin Christianity as it is understood & practiced by the Orthodox. Perhaps it should have been entitled "Western Christian Theology".
The best introduction to Christian Theology for students - By: Scientia quarens Intellectum, 02 Apr 2007 
This is by far the best, most comprehensive & most clear intro to Christian theology available. In any attempt such as this certain areas will not be handled with the utmost sophistication (perhaps outdated notions of Gregory of Nyssa not overcoming tritheism & the old chestnut about Barth's "modalism" being preserved) but on the whole it's impossible to envision a more sucessful, comprehensive & clear intro to Christian Theology.
Great introduction and overview - By: , 16 Feb 2006 I found this book to be exactly what I was looking for - an unbiased, comprehensive introduction to Christian theology that I could actually understand! Having read some other so-called "Introductions", I was wary about this one. So often they turn out to be unintelligible, or just an excuse for the writer to promote his own views or ride his own hobbyhorses. McGrath made me feel like a genius. Every idea was clearly explained. I bought this book after a friend had recommended it, & was really pleased that I did. I gather that a new edition (fourth) is due next year, & hope that this will continue the excellent tradition of the previous editions. This is a great book for anyone who, like me, wanted to learn about theology. It left me wanting to know more & go further!
Great content, inaccurate indexing in 3rd Edition - By: , 23 Jan 2006 
Really loved the 2nd edition, which I borrowed from the college library. It's a great reference source for anyone doing theological work - clear, concise - good entry level but has the weight for more serious study. I was given the 3rd edition as a Christmas present & was sad to find the index isn't accurate - I contacted the publishers, who know about it & apologised. Next edition not due until 2010.
A thorough introduction - By: Kurt Messick, 01 Feb 2004 This is one of the best single-volume broad-scope introductions to Christian theology available today. Currentlyin its second edition, it will most likely have more editions, & there are frequent reprintings of the edition as it continues to be a field-specific best sellerin the English speaking academic & seminary communities.
One of the things that makes this book such a useful text for teaching, reference & study is that is contains three primary sections that deal with the foundation issues of all subsequent Christian theology: one must be aware of the history & what has been done before; one must know the how, where & why of theology; & one must have a basic outline, pattern or understanding from which to begin.
Landmarks: Periods, Themes, & Personalities
The pattern of historical development on Christianity is presentedin a fairly objective manner by McGrath. He deals with a broad overview of the major periods, looking at key theological developments as well as key persons, events & geographic groupings & distinctions. Most chapters follow the same pattern of setting out a clarification of terms, a brief overview historically, a presentation of key theologians, an examination of key theological developments, a section on key names, word & phrases, & a section of questions & further suggested readings.
The Patristic Period is the time of the Church Fathers, post-apostolic but while 'the world' was still a Roman world. Keyin this period is the fixing of creedal formulations of doctrine, the establishment of the biblical canon, & various issues of church, grace, & tradition. Key figures McGrath highlights are Justin Martyr, Ireneaus of Lyon, Origen, Tertullian, Athanasius, & Augustine. If there is one criticism of this section & the book as a whole, it is that it pays far too little attention to those parts of the Christian tradition that were not mainstream & historically victorious. One could easily be fooled into thinking controversies such as the Arian beliefs were fairly minor.
In the Middle Ages & Renaissance periods, McGrath highlights Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, William of Ockham, & Erasmus. Key theological issues include a re-examination of grace (one will notice that certain issues remainin the forefront of Christian consideration & are constantly re-appraised), sacramental theology, patristics, formal theological systematics, & the issue of biblical translation.
In the Reformation & Post-Reformation section, McGrath highlights Luther, Calvin & Zwingli, & looks at the issues of the various Reformations, including the Counter-Reformation of the Roman Catholic church. The Modern Period section looks at the Enlightenment & its influence on Protestant & Catholic development, but much moreso the former. Various theological schools highlighted include Romanticism, Neo-Orthodoxy, Postmodernism, Liberation theology, Postliberalism, Evangelicalism, Pentecostal & charismatic movements, & the influence of various political developments such as Marxism on theological thought.
This is a rather sweeping examination of the history of Christian Theology, donein a mere 130 pages. It is good for an introduction, & one would do well to take McGrath's recommended readings lists to heart, as so much is glossed over with barely a mentionin much of this treatment, by necessity. This is a theology text, not a history text.
Sources & Methods
McGrathin this section addresses the tools & methodologies, as well as the primary & secondary sources of theology. He shows the architecture of Christian theology to be comprised of biblical studies, historical theology, pastoral theology, philosophical theology, & systematic theology. These work together to form a broad framework of support; no one will be complete without addressing elements of the others.
In examining Sources of Theology more directly, McGrath looks at the issues of revelation. How precisely is revelation to be defined, & how does it work? He looks at issues of natural theology, scriptural revelation & authority, the importance & limitation of reason as a source of theology, the various waysin which tradition gets used as source material, & the issues & controversies surrounding direct religious experience as a valid source of theology. The reader will be introduced to some key debatesin these topics, such as the Barth-Brunner debate over natural theology, & Feuerbach's critique of religious experience as a basis for theology.
Christian Theology
The third part of McGrath's text is the longest, dealing with all of the key issues of a systematic theology. First perhaps a definition isin order. Systematic theology is not a type of theology per se, but rather it is a type of types of theology. For instance, a Liberation theology work can be systematic or not; a Process theology work can be systematic or not. The various 'doctrines' set out are not set pieces of a creed here, but rather areas for examination. In looking at the Doctrine of God, the issues of gender, relationship, creativity, omnipotence & the like are all examined. McGrath gives the picture of God portrayedin the writings of theologians through history; for instance,in examining the issue of evil, McGrath highlights the work of Irenaeus, Augustine & Barthin particular, with a nod to more recent contributions.
Conclusions
The book can be easily adapted for usein an order other than what is presented here; however, McGrath recommends for the self-taught that the book be followedin the order of the Table of Contents, & I would tend to agree with that recommendation. There is a glossary, a good section on sources of citations, a handy reference section for theology resources on the internet, & a well-developed index.
The text is a broad-based approach. It is rather Protestantin its developmental approach & the subtle bias is alwaysin that direction, but it is not so apparent or intrusive as to detract from the true value of this text as a major guide toward theological investigation.
