Description
Roger E. Olson, Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1999, 6×9″ hardbound, 652 pages.
Named a 2000 Book of the Year by Christianity Today and won an ECPA Gold Medallion Award (theology and doctrine category.)
This is an ideal text–scholarly, readable, and up to date. It presents theological history in an engaging narrative form which educates interested Christians and students of religion in their heritage.
History is made up of stories–narratives that recount the events, movements, ideas and lives that have shaped religions and nations. Theologian Roger Olson believes that the history of Christian theology should be told as such a story, one replete with thick plots, exciting twists, interesting people and fascinating ideas.
In this panoramic work of historical theology Olson vividly recounts the deeds and words of the cultists and apostolic fathers of the second century, the clash between the theological schools of Alexandria and Antioch, the epochal division between East and West, the revolutionary advent of the Reformation and much more, right on up to the dazzling, sometimes dismaying fallout that has continued to shake Christians through the twentieth century. Through it all Olson detects and traces a common thread: a concern for salvation–God’s redemptive activity in forgiving and transforming sinful human beings.
Evenhanded, refreshingly readable, impressive in its breadth and depth, The Story of Christian Theology is poised to become a standard historical theology text.
Contents:
Abbreviations & General Information for Readers
Preface & Introduction: Christian Theology as Story
Part I: The Opening Act: Conflicting Christian Visions in the Second Century
1. Critics & Cultists Cause Confusion
2. The Apostolic Fathers Explain the Way
3. The Apologists Defend the Faith
4. Irenaeus Exposes Heresies
Part II: The Plot Thickens: Third-Century Tensions & Transformations
5. North African Thinkers Examine Philosophy
6. Origen of Alexandria Leaves a Troubling Legacy
7. Cyprian of Carthage Promotes Unity
8. Christianity Gets Its Act Together
Part III: A Great Crisis Rocks the Church: The Controversy About the Trinity
9. Alexandrians Argue About the Son of God
10. The Church Responds at the Council of Nicea
11. Athanasius Stubbornly Keeps the Faith
12. The Cappadocian Fathers Settle the Issue
Part IV: Another Crisis Shakes the Church: The Conflict Over the Person of Christ
13. The Schools of Antioch & Alexandria Clash over Christ
14. Nestorius & Cyril Bring the Controversy to a Head
15. Chalcedon Protects the Mystery
16. Fallout from the Conflict Continues
Part V: A Tale of Two Churches: The Great Tradition Divides Between East & West
17. Augustine Confesses God’s Glory & Human Depravity
18. The Western Church Becomes Roman Catholic
19. The Eastern Church Becomes Eastern Orthodox
20. The Great Schism Creates Two Traditions Out of One
Part VI: The Saga of the Queen of Sciences: Scholastics Revive & Enthrone Theology
21. Anselm & Abelard Speculate About God’s Ways
22. Thomas Aquinas Summarizes Christian Truth
23. Nominalists, Reformers & Humanists Challenge the Scholastic Synthesis
Part VII: A New Twist in the Narratives: The Western Church Reforms & Divides
24. Luther Rediscovers the Gospel & Divides the Church
25. Zwingli & Calvin Organize Protestant Thought
26. Anabaptists Go Back to the Roots of Christianity
27. Rome & Canterbury Go Separate But Parallel Ways
Part VIII: The Center of the Story Falls Apart: Protestants Follow Diverse Paths
28. Arminians Attempt to Reform Reformed Theology
29. Pietists Seek to Renew Lutheran Theology
30. Puritans & Methodists Struggle to Revive English Theology
31. Deists Try to Transform Protestant Theology
Part IX: The Overall Plots Divides: Liberals & Conservatives Respond to Modernity
32. Liberal Theology Accommodates to Modern Culture
33. Conservative Theology Hardens Traditional Categories
34. Neo-Orthodoxy Transcends the Divide
35. Contemporary Theology Struggles with Diversity
Conclusion: The Unfinished Story & Its Future
