Product Description

The most comprehensive book of its kind, the new edition of the Christian Theology Reader collects more than 360 readings that illuminate the key doctrines, point of views, intellectual developments, and theologies from various factions of Christian history.

• Contains 361 readings, drawn from 233 different sources, spread throughout the 2,000 years of Christian history.
  
• Exceptionally user-friendly: every reading is accompanied its own introduction, commentary, and study questions.
  
• Now includes increased representation of Catholicism, Orthodoxy and women writers.
  
• A new section provides a “bird’s-eye” view of the historical development of Christian theology, allowing users to locate a reading against its historical context.
  
• Additional lecturer resources are available at the accompanying website: www.blackwellpublishing.com/mcgrath.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21874 in Books
• Published on: 2006-10-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 792 pages

Review
"Those who have found [McGrath’s] Introduction a significant resource will undoubtedly also want to use his companion set of readings. Its great strength is the breadth of figures and topics treated, and we can hope that students who become acquainted with the riches in these brief selections will want to return to engage the primary sources in their fullness. Such engagements could offer an important sign of hope for Christianity's future." L. Gregory Jones, Duke University (of a previous edition)

"Those who have found [McGrath's] Introduction a significant resource will undoubtedly also want to use his companion set of readings. Its great strength is the breadth of figures and topics treated, and we can hope that students who become acquainted with the riches in these brief selections will want to return to engage the primary sources in their fullness. Such engagements could offer an important sign of hope for Christianity's future." L. Gregory Jones, Duke University (of a previous edition)

Review
"In a time when Christians are increasingly ignorant of our own traditions, McGrath's efforts in his Introduction and this Reader are most welcome. Those who have found his Introduction a significant resource will undoubtedly also want to use his companion set of readings. Its great strength is the breadth of figures and topics treated, and we can hope that students who become acquainted with the riches in these brief selections will want to return to engage the primary sources in their fullness. Such engagements could offer an important sign of hope for Christianity's future." L. Gregory Jones, Duke University, North Carolina (of the previous edition)

"This anthology of extracts from primary sources will prove extremely useful for teaching historical and systematic theology. It is essential that students use primary sources, and a compromise has to be reached between undue expectations and snippets which are too brief to help. In the light of the author's introductions, the quotations are sufficiently substantial to be useful, yet remain within a compass which is realistic for undergraduate or theological college needs. I shall place it high on my book-lists for students". Anthony C. Thiselton, University of Nottingham (of the previous edition)

"The Christian Theology Reader brings the best primary sources to the theological inquirer." Gabriel Fackre, Andover Newton Theological School (of the previous edition)

From the Back Cover
This bestselling volume is now available in a fully updated and expanded 3rd edition, bringing together 361 readings drawn from 233 different sources, and charting the 2,000 years of Christian history.

• Each reading illustrates a key doctrine, point of view, intellectual development, or theological landmark


• Exceptionally user-friendly: every reading is accompanied by its own introduction, commentary, and study questions


• Features increased coverage of Catholicism, Orthodoxy, and women writers, and includes important sources from patristic, medieval, reformation, and modern periods


• A new section provides a bird’s-eye view of the historical development of Christian theology, allowing users to locate a reading against its historical context


• Additional writers featured include: Yves Congar, Walter Kasper, Bernard Lonergan, Bonaventure, Duns Scotus, Stanley Hauerwas, John Paul II, C. S. Lewis, Maximus the Confessor, Rosemary Radford Ruether, Dorothee Sölle, Dumitru Staniloae, and Rowan Williams.

Whether used as a free-standing resource, or as a companion to various introductions to theology, including McGrath’s market-leading textbook, Christian Theology: An Introduction 4th edition, this Reader is the most comprehensive, accessible and inclusive book of its kind. The 3rd edition is accompanied by a website at www.blackwellpublishing.com/mcgrath.

Customer Reviews

Good Compilation of Sections of Theological Writings
This book is a compilation of theological writings from the early Church Fathers to the Modern 20th century. The book is systematized into topical categories such as "The Nature of God," or "Last Things," etc.

Each section contains a series of writings which range from early to more recent. However, prior to each segment of writings, McGrath writes a small introduction describing the work, the author, the setting, etc. For instance, from the section titled "The Doctrine of God," there is a section of work by Augustine regarding the Trinity (i.e. "Augustine on the Trinity.") Prior to this excerpt from Augustine is an introduction by McGrath which describes why Augustine wrote, whether Augustine was responding to some current or previous heresy, the date Augustine wrote the material, etc. In fact, the introduction is actually very helpful to the piece that is about to be read.

The book also contains a nice glossary of theological terms, a section titled "Details of Theologians" which gives a brief description about all the theologians/philosophers who are present in the book, details of creedal material, and a nice section called "Suggestions for Further Reading."

This book is very helpful for those who want to get a general or broad overview of the various writings which were written throughout church history. McGrath includes works by feminists, liberals, neo-theists, reformers, Catholics, Protestants, philosophers, apologists, etc. Thus, no one view is highlighted or emphasized. I would recommend this book to those interested in reading historical theological writings.

Indispensable companion to Christian Theology
Alister McGrath's collections of readings are excellent reference works for anyone wishing a comprehensive, genuinely pluralistic study of the development of Christian theology. Particularly because many Christians have a limited scope, based entirely on one "school" or tradition, this book, and its highly readable companion volume, is enriching and enlightening. Since the books do not presume a knowledge of the various writers (as would many theology texts), but present a continuous historical perspective, either the student of religious studies, the historian, or one merely seeking to enrich his understanding of Christianity will find these texts "fill in the blanks" of the great richness in Christian thought throughout two millennia.

Christian Theology an Introduction
The most impressive part of the context is the laying down a foundation for the readers and students to acquire the necessary backbround of the Christian theology in order for them to have comprehensive understanding of the main part, the Christian theology. By means of attrackting the readers with the Christian history which is related to the main core of this book, the writer of this book gets the reader to challenge to the rest of the parts, that is the goal of the reader to get to the deepest spot of the theology. Thank you.