Contours of Christian Theology – serie

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 his self-revelation in a direct way, others have argued that God's revelation is to be found primarily in his actions, or in the person of Jesus Christ, rather than in the Scriptures as such.In a fresh approach, Peter Jensen argues that it is better to follow the biblical categories of the knowledge of God and the gospel, rather than to start from 'revelation' as an abstract concept.First Dr 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 Scriptures 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.

What is theology? What is the nature of God? How should we think about the relationships among the persons of the Trinity? In a carefully reasoned style Gerald Bray distills the essence of these questions and introduces readers to a theological understanding of the personal, trinitarian existence of God.Engaging classical and contemporary theology along the way, Bray also leads us into conversation with the Eastern Orthodox tradition, where he finds valuable insights sadly neglected by evangelical theology.Here is a substantial introduction to the nature and subject of God, and a compelling call for evangelicals to renew their commitment to the solid foundation of a truly trinitarian theology.

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 contemporary theologians 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.

The word 'providence' seems to have dropped out of our everyday Christian vocabulary. But questions about God's activity in our world - his 'provide-ence' for us and his creation - are as alive as ever before.Providence is the point at which theologians and the broader Christian community find their most intense conversations. Questions about God's activity in the world today, his guidance of believers, human freedom versus divine will, the place of prayer in the workings of his will, his responsibility for evil - all of these are related to his providence. How we think about these issues is deeply related to our understanding of God and of how we should serve and worship him.In the face of recent arguments that God's knowledge of the future is limited and that he therefore takes risks, Paul Helm undergirds his discussion of divine providence with an understanding of God as risk-free. The Providence of God is a clear, vigorous and thought-provoking introduction to a critical area of theology.

Perhaps no other doctrine has more tangible impact on Christians than their doctrine of the church. In a cultural climate where the very word 'church' sounds a tone of dull irrelevance, the 'doctrine of the church' has suffered studied neglect. The persistent demands to market and grow the church threaten to quench serious theological reflection on its abiding nature and mission. But few activities bear greater promise for renewing and reshaping the church than the work of theology.Edmund Clowney addresses these issues from decades of thinking and teaching.Biblical, historical, systematic and Reformed, 'The Church' is a timely reflection on the life, order and purpose of the household of God.

At the end of the twentieth century the forces of race, gender, ethnicity, culture, social status, lifestyle and sexual orientation threaten to disassemble any universal notion of "human nature" or "human condition". In light of this historical moment and its challenges, the Christian doctrine of humanity is ripe for clarification and restatement.This theological task, argues Sherlock, demands a "double focus." Both the human image of God and the particular realities of human existence must be brought into sharper, more detailed focus. Only then will we begin to understand human nature in the light of divine revelation. Sherlock notably engages the communal dimension of humanity in its creational, social and cultural aspects before examining the human person as individual, as male and female, and as whole being.The Doctrine of Humanity is a timely and engaging look at what it means to be human on the continuum between our creation in the divine image and our hope of re-creation in the image of Christ.

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 recognised, 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.

Throughout the history of the church the doctrine of the person of Christ has been a centrepiece 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 and the question of the uniqueness of Christ in the twentieth century.The Person of Christ is a valuable point of entrance into 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.