Contours of Christian Theology
Series · 8 books · 1993-2002
Books in series
#1
The Doctrine of God
1993
Here is a substantial introduction to the nature and subject of God, and compelling call for evangelicals to renew their commitment to the solid foundation of a truly trinitarian theology.
#2
The Work of Christ
1993
In The Work of Christ Robert Letham shapes his discussion around the threefold office of Christ as prophet, priest and king. Within this framework he explores the issues of Christ and the Word of God, the nature and theories of the atonement, and the cosmic and corporate dimensions of the mediatorial kingship of Christ. At crucial points the viewpoints of significant Christian thinkers, from the church fathers to comtemporary theolgians and biblical scholars, are introduced and brought into the conversation.
Lucidly written and clearly presented, this is a soundly orthodox and engaging presentation of what Christ has done. It is a welcome starting point for students of theology.
#3
The Providence of God
1993
In this concise and accessible introduction, Paul Helm outlines for students and interested readers the doctrine of divine providence. Unlike many doctrinal treatments, his approach is not historically oriented. Instead Helm focuses on the underlying metaphysical and moral aspects of God's providence, paying particular attention to the ideas of divine control, providence and evil, and the role of prayer in relationship to providence.
#4
The Church
1995
At a time in which the very word church sounds a tone of dull irrelevance, the doctrine of the church has suffered the studied neglect of many Christian leaders. The persistent demands to market, manage and grow the church and to meet the felt needs of churched and unchurched all threaten to quench theological reflection on the abiding nature and mission of the church. But few activities bear greater promise as a starting point for renewing and reshaping the Christian church than the work of theology. In this book Edmund Clowney takes up that task, addressing along the way a variety of contemporary concerns: worship, mission, church and culture, church and state, church order and discipline, the ministry of women, baptism and the Lord's Supper, tongues and prophecy, signs and wonders. He draws on decades of thinking and teaching about the church as well as from his committed leadership and ministry within the church. Biblical, historical, systematic and Reformed, The Church is a timely and provocative reflection on the life, order and purpose of the household of God.
#5
The Doctrine of Humanity
1996
At the end of the twentieth century the forces of race, gender, ethnicity, culture, social status, life-style and sexual preference threaten to disassemble any notion of universal "human nature" or "human condition." In light of this historical moment, the Christian doctrine of human nature is ripe for rethinking and reformulation. Charles Sherlock sees this theological task as demanding a "double focus." To reflect on the subject of human nature, he says, is like "moving around the different areas of an ellipse with two focal points": humans as made in the image of God and the particular realities of human existence. Both must be brought into sharper, more detailed focus in our quest to understand human nature. The result of Sherlock's "double focus" isThe Doctrine of Humanity. Sherlock notably engages the communal dimension of humanity in its social, creational and cultural aspects before examining the human person as individual, as male and female, and as whole being. He offers a timely and engaging look at what it means to be human on the continuum between our creation in the divine image and our recreation in the image of Christ.
#6
The Holy Spirit
1996
The Holy Spirit, once forgotten, has been "rediscovered" in the twentieth century—or has he? Sinclair Ferguson believes we should rephrase this common assertion: "While his work has been recognized, the Spirit himself remains to many Christians an anonymous, faceless aspect of the divine being." In order to redress this balance, Ferguson seeks to recover the who of the Spirit fully as much as the what and how. Ferguson's study is rooted and driven by the scriptural story of the Spirit in creation and redemption. Throughout he shows himself fully at home in the church's historical theology of the Spirit and conversant with the wide variety of contemporary Christians who have explored the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Foundational issues are surveyed and clarified. Hard questions are explored and answered. Clarity and insight radiate from every page. Here is the mature reflection of a Reformed theologian who will summon respect and charity from those who disagree.
#7
The Person of Christ
1998
Throughout the history of the church the doctrine of the person of Christ has been a centerpiece of theological reflection. In The Person of Christ Donald Macleod rearticulates this multifaceted doctrine. He begins with the New Testament and recent attempts to understand its Christology. Macleod then turns his attention to Christ in the history of Christian theology, examining the principal issues extending from Arianism in the fourth century to kenotic Christology in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries to the current debate over the uniqueness of Christ. The Person of Christ is a valuable point of entrance and a biblical assessment of the full panorama of issues that have shaped orthodox confessions of Christ through the centuries. The pathway of Christian revelation and tradition is clearly charted, with hazards new and old carefully marked.
#8
The Revelation of God
2002
"In modern times the Christian faith's claim to possess a unique revelation of God has faced numerous challenges. A central issue has been the role of the Bible. While some have continued to defend the view that the Bible, inspired by God, is God's self-revelation in a direct way, others have argued that God's revelation is to be found primarily in divine action or in the person of Jesus Christ, rather than in the Scriptures as such." Peter Jensen argues that it is better to follow the biblical categories of the knowledge of God and the gospel than to start from "revelation" as an abstract concept. First, Jensen focuses on revelation, whether special or general, from the viewpoint of the knowledge of God through the gospel. Next, he examines the nature and authority of Scripture and our approach to reading it. Finally, he turns to the revelatory work of the Holy Spirit through illumination. The result is a creative and compelling exposition of the evangelical understanding of revelation for the contemporary scene.
Authors
Sinclair B. Ferguson
Author · 47 books
Sinclair B. Ferguson is Associate Preacher at St Peter's Free Church in Dundee and also Distinguished Visiting Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was Senior Minister of First Presbyterian Church of Columbia, South Carolina and prior to that, he was minister of St. George's-Tron Church in Glasgow.
Edmund P. Clowney
Author · 8 books
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he earned a Bachelor of Arts from Wheaton College in 1939, a Bachelor of Theology from Westminster Theological Seminary in 1942, a Master of Sacred Theology from Yale Divinity School in 1944, and a Doctor of Divinity from Wheaton College in 1966.
Gerald L. Bray
Author · 18 books
Gerald L. Bray (Ph.D., University of Paris—Sorbonne) is director of research for the Latimer Trust, based in London, and a research professor at Samford University, teaching in the Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. A priest of the Church of England, Bray has also edited the post-Reformation Anglican canons. He has edited several volumes of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture and Ancient Christian Texts, as well as volume one of the Ancient Christian Doctrine series, all for IVP Academic. General EditorTimothy George (Th.D., Harvard University) is a renowned Reformation historian and author of Theology of the Reformers, as well as many other theological and historical works. He is founding dean of Beeson Divinity School of Samford University and an executive editor of Christianity Today.
Paul Helm
Author · 11 books
Paul Helm teached philosophy at the University of Liverpool before becoming Professor of the History and Philosophy of Religion at King s College, London (1993-2000).
Robert Letham
Author · 8 books
Robert Letham (MAR, ThM, Westminster Theological Seminary; PhD, Aberdeen University) is professor of systematic and historical theology at Union School of Theology in Bridgend, Wales, and the author of a number of books, including The Lord's Supper and Union with Christ.
Donald MacLeod
Author · 9 books
Donald Macleod is a Scottish theologian. Macleod studied at the University of Glasgow and the Free Church College before being ordained as a minister of the Free Church of Scotland in 1964. He served as professor of systematic theology at the Free Church College from 1978 to 2011, and as principal from 1999 to 2010. In 1996, Macleod was cleared of allegations that he had sexually assaulted four women. The Sheriff court found that "the women had all lied in the witness box to further the ends of Professor Macleod's enemies in the Free Church of Scotland." A number of people who believed Macleod should be put on trial by the General Assembly then formed the Free Church Defence Association and ultimately a new denomination, the Free Church of Scotland (Continuing). However, Johnston McKay notes that although on the surface the split was about Donald Macleod, he believes it was about theology since Macleod belonged to the more "modernizing" wing of the Free Church. In 2011, a Festschrift was published in Macleod's honor. The People's Theologian: Writings in Honour of Donald Macleod (ISBN 1845505840) included contributions from Richard Gaffin, Derek Thomas, and Carl Trueman.
