Description
A Brief History of Theology presents a fun, concise and informative introduction to a fascinating and challenging subject. This is the ideal book for students coming to theology for the first time, or anyone who just doesn’t know where to start. The book examines 16 key thinkers and concepts, from the New Testament to Feminist Theology. It starts by considering some of the authors of New Testament writings and then focuses on thinkers of the western tradition of theological speculation, and devotes a significant amount of thought to consider 20th century thinkers and problems. This book puts all thinkers in their historical, social and cultural settings, emphasizing that theology is as much a reflection on the world we live in as it is on God.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1. The First Christian Theologians: St Paul 2. The First Christian Theologians: the Gospel Writers 3. St Augustine of Hippo: a Father of the Church 4. St Thomas Aquinas: Revelation and Reason 5. Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation 6. St Ignatius Loyola and John Calvin: The two sides dig in 7. John Wesley and Evangelical Revival 8. The Contexts of Modern Theology 9. Friedrich Schleiermacher and Religious Feeling 10. John Henry Newman and Catholic Renewal 11. Karl Barth and a Theology of the Word 12. Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Cost of Discipleship 13. Karl Rahner and Human Transcendence 14. Rosemary Radford Ruether and Women-Church 15. Walter Brueggemann and the Biblical Imagination 16. Don Cupitt and being Adrift Conclusion Further Reading
Author(s)
Derek Johnston, Derek Johnston is a retired teacher. He was Vice-Principal of Midleton College, Co Cork, Ireland, where he taught for over 30 years.
Reviews
“At first glance, it would seem impossible to write a history of Christian theology that runs only 300-odd pages. However, this book is not so much a history of theology as it is a sampling of key figures from that history. These theological "snapshots" are designed to provide an introduction to readers who have little or no familiarity with the subject. Johnston (former vice principal, Midleton Coll., Ireland) has over 30 years of experience teaching theology, and he is effective in explaining difficult concepts in a clear and simple manner. He also includes helpful definitions of theological terms throughout the book, assisting the reader in grasping the material. Johnston generally makes excellent selections in terms of theological figures to cover, featuring Paul, gospel writers, Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Loyola, Calvin, Wesley, Schleiermacher, Newman, Barth, Bonhoeffer, Rahner, Reuther, Breuggeman, and Cupitt. Johnston also provides brief historical discussions that link the different periods covered by these theological writers. Recommended for all libraries.” – John Jaeger, Library Journal, February 15, 2009
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"This concise overview of the history of theology consists of 16 chapters accompanied with a
further reading list…The structure of the book clearly show that author’s focus
is on modern theologies. The volume is written in an easy-to-understand style.
Moreover, the author’s use of a number of headings and his explanation of basic
theological terms (that appear in boxes) will assist the reader to grasp the content
of the volume that covers a wide range of theologians and their thoughts."
Theological Book Review, Vol 21, 2009
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