Reading Christian Theology in the Protestant Tradition

Reading Christian Theology in the Protestant Tradition offers a distinctive approach to the value of classic works through the lens of Protestantism. While it is anachronistic to speak of Christian theology prior to the Reformation as “Protestant”, it is wholly appropriate to recognize how certain common Protestant concerns can be discerned in the earliest traditions of Christianity. The resonances between the ages became both informative and inspiring for Protestants who looked back to pre-reformation sources for confirmation, challenge, and insight. Thus this book begins with the first Christian theologians, covering nearly 2000 years of theological writing from the Didache, Justin Martyr, and Origen to James Cone, José Míguez Bonino, and Sallie McFague. Five major periods of church history are represented in 12 key works, each carefully explained and interpreted by an expert in the field.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements List of Contributors Introduction Part 1. The Patristic Period (100-500), Amy Brown Hughes, Gordon University, USA and George Kalantzis, Wheaton University, USA Part 2. Medieval Period (500-1500), Gerald Bray, Beeson Divinity School, USA Part 3. The Reformation Period (1500-1600), Kirsi I. Stjerna, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, USA Part 4. 17th and 18th Centuries (1600-1800), David P. Barshinger, Crossway Publisher, USA, Douglas A. Sweeney, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, USA and W. Stephen Gunter, Duke Divinity School, USA. Part 5. 19th and 20th Centuries (1800-2000), Wesley Vander Lugt, Warehouse 242, USA Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Kelly Kapic is Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College, USA. He is the award-winning author and editor of numerous books including Embodied Hope, A Little Book for New Theologians, Communion with God, Mapping Modern Theology, and Sanctification. Hans Madueme is Associate Professor of Theological Studies at Covenant College, USA, and Adjunct Professor at Trinity Graduate School, Trinity International University, USA.

Review :
This is a thoroughly enjoyable gigantic book. Get a copy, take it to your local Starbucks, sit in a corner, turn off your electronics, and have some fun ‘discussing’ the important works of important theologians. And be sure to read the chapters concerning persons you’ve never heard of. Your theological world will be expanded. And that, in short, is the glory of this volume. Kapic and Madueme have compiled a resource students of church history will find especially helpful … The final product is a book of immense worth to anyone who wishes to learn more from the depths of the communion of saints but doesn’t know where to begin. I will gladly return to this volume again and again. [The book] successfully provides the undergraduate or lay-person reader with well-organized historical information, summaries and contributions of primary writings on spiritual formation, philosophy, historical and systematic theology on Protestant. Christian theology is a fellowship activity; we learn from those who have read the Bible both before us and alongside us. This introduction to some of the great texts of the Christian tradition is a welcome encouragement to do just that. It is a fascinating selection, one which does not rest content with the old favorites but introduces us to new writings and opinions. The past can challenge the preoccupations of the present, and reading these texts will undoubtedly stimulate us to look again, more carefully, at the word of God, so that we might both proclaim and embody the gospel faithfully in our own time. For a gourmand, it’s dangerous to be in a kitchen filled with the best delicacies of all periods of history and from all over the world; you’re never full! That was my experience reading this impressive book, which offers a selection of the best theological and spiritual delicacies of two thousand years of Christianity; a happy, exciting and inviting danger which is healthy for heart and head. Reading Christian Theology in the Protestant Tradition is a tour de force of Christian theology that masterfully traces the development of the protestant tradition from the early church period to the 20th century. By dividing the nearly two millennia of history into five major epochs, the book and the different contributing authors serve as our tour guides as we explore the landscape of Protestant ideas. The depth of research and the faithful and objective interpretation of the data not only add an unimpeachable quality to the scholarship on which the book is based, but also provide a window to look at those ideas—Protestant though they may be—that is truly Catholic in their spirit and significance. This volume is a great literary accomplishment in service of academia and the church universal. A wondrous introduction to the treasures of Christian theology, this book is a superb survey offered by committed, conscientious and capable guides. I am impressed by the way in which it opens up new territory through judicious selections that provide important, accessible pointers to the greater depth on offer. I can’t wait to make this work available to my students in Church History - it is helpful and edifying, a gift to us all.