Fundamental Theology: A Protestant Perspective

Encyclopedic in scope, this book offers wide-ranging coverage of the foundational teachings and practices within the mainstream of the classical Christian tradition. It begins with their roots in the Scriptures, and also branches out into Eastern and Western Christianity, ancient, medieval, and modern, to the present-day. Part I provides an overview of some of these routes, then presents an historical survey of Christianity's major traditions. Part II unpacks some of the character of that revelation, focusing particularly on epistemological and procedural questions. Finally, Part III looks at Christian theology in a university setting: the possibility and shape of theology as a university discipline, its major subfields, and its relations with humanities and the sciences respectively. Fundamental Theology: A Protestant Perspective, 2nd edition, includes a wide range of pedagogical features: - each chapter begins with an outline thesis statement, highlighted in bold - charts and graphs - relevant headings and subheadings employed throughout the book - keywords - provides a survey of pertinent reference literature - questions for review and discussion - annotated suggestions for further reading

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgments Abbreviations Introduction: Ways into Theology Part I: Christian Theology 1. Traditions of Christianity An historical overview The distribution of Christian traditions Apostolic tradition and the traditions of Christendom 2. Traditions of Christian Theology Ancient Greek theology Ancient Jewish theology Early and medieval Christian theology Reformation and post-Reformation theology Modern Christian theology The last century of Christian theology 3. What Is Christian Theology? Part II: The Subject of Christian Theology 4. The Natural Knowledge of God 5. Natural and Philosophical Theology 6. Atheisms Critiques of God and religion The issue of theodicy Skepticism about the skeptics The persistence of God in human experience 7. Special Revelation and Christian Faith The hidden God The gospel and Christian faith Special revelation in Christian theology Believing and knowing The basic structures of faith-statement 8. Sources and Norms of Christian Theology The issue of sources and norms Sources and norms of Christian theology 9. Interpreting the Scriptures Avoiding extremes Theological hermeneutics Excursus: Martin Luther, “Concerning the Study of Theology” 10. Jesus of Nazareth as the Center of Salvation History A salvation-historical approach to the Bible Sources for the historical Jesus The quest for the historical Jesus The actions and teaching of Jesus Opposition to Jesus, the death of Jesus, and his resurrection The re-creating Spirit and the new creation 11. Key Themes in Special Revelation God the Creator Christ the Redeemer The Holy Spirit Trinitarian theology The church Last things The promise of the gospel Part III: Christian Theology within the University 12. The Shape of Christian Theology as a University Discipline Placing Christian theology within a university Theological encyclopedia Dividing theology The aim of theology as a whole 13. The Sub-disciplines of Christian Theology Fundamental theology Historical theology Practical theology 14. Christian Theology and the Humanities Christ and culture Christian theology within the humanities 15. Christian Theology and the Sciences Modern encounters between theology and the sciences Theology and the human sciences The anthropic principle Creationism and Intelligent Design Rethinking the Christian doctrines of creation and sin Barbour's four models Christianity and the ecological crisis Leading figures Postscript Glossary of Names Glossary of Terms Bibliography Biblical Index Index of Persons Index of Subjects

About the Author :
Matthew L. Becker is Professor of Theology at Valparaiso University, USA.

Review :
Matthew Becker offers college students a crucial book for their study of theology. Fundamental Theology not only provides much of the background material needed to orient students to the study of theology, introducing them to the diversity, practice, and history of Christian traditions, but also provides incisive accounts of basic questions in theology. Becker does this with care to the ecumenical, historical, and present day needs of theological work. Every student can find a place to start and continue the study of theology. In each chapter, Becker does more than summarize or arrange theological positions. He provides important insight while providing connections to the often forgotten theological past. This is the rare book that can play a role on the reference shelf when needed as well as the main text for discussion in an undergraduate theology classroom. This work represents the state of the art in systematic theology; it is a major intellectual achievement that responds to all the stronger and many of the weaker challenges with a persuasive and careful method of argumentation, including both exegesis, historical theology and contemporary philosophy of religion. In a mode of traditional and progressive systematics, and always attentive to contemporary debates, Becker moves outside the established lines of conflict on many of the issues by proposing cutting-edge new readings of, and often forgotten interpretive options, to long-standing theological problems. In ecumenical terms, this promising account of Christian thought outshines the simpler but apparently quite tempting and somewhat successful approach of polarization and radical exclusion (religious or otherwise).