Great Review of Great Theologians
343658
As part of his ongoing Wednesday catecheses, Pope Benedict XVI discussed various important figures in the history of the church. Some of these figures are known as the Doctors of the Church. The sense of the word "doctor" here is not the medical one; rather these men and women are great teachers (as in the Latin docere, to teach) and witnesses to the truth of the Christian faith. Their writings and teaching were not only important in their own time, but continue to enrich Christian life. This volume collects Benedict's words on 32 of the 35 doctors officially recognized by the Catholic church. When the volume was published, Benedict had not yet presented on Peter Chrysologus; also, he had not yet declared Hildegard of Bingen and John of Avila doctors. His catechesis on Hildegard is available in the "Holy Women" volume of Benedict's catecheses.

The book is a valuable resource, providing brief biographies and overviews of the major works and theological contributions of these holy men and women. Reading it is inspirational without being difficult, and has pointed me to further reading, i.e. what the doctors themselves wrote.

It also points out the historical challenges of the church which always seem to return again. St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan in the 1200s, had to deal with the "Spiritual" Franciscans, who assumed that St. Francis had ushered in an entirely new age of the church where the old, hierarchical structure should be abandoned as a new utopia begins. One immediately thinks of modern people who are "spiritual" but not "religious," because they don't want to be tied down to any doctrines or obligations.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to catching up on Hildegard in Holy Women.

Sample text: on St. Jerome, who lived in the late 300s...

  Moreover, an aspect rather disregarded in ancient times but held vital by our author [i.e. Jerome] is the promotion of the woman, to whom he attributes the right to a complete formation: human, scholastic, religious, professional. [p. 77]
3231855
A great overview of theology, easy to understand. A great book for laymen to more deeply study.  A valuable text book for adult Bible study classes.
Well worth the price, a great addition to ones library of spiritual books.
4667523
Borgia is clearly one of today's great thinkers and theologians. I have read several books of his and thus one really rounds out the experience.  2 pastors in my life used this book as the basis for Easter sermon series and they were fantastic.  Sent my daughter who finds today's fundamentalist preaching shallow and incomplete like me and Dr. Borg. This book got me back to a critical study of the Word from a whole new and exciting perspective.  Thanks Marcus.
1069912
This is the third book in the Armchair Theologians series and thus far my favorite one out of the three. I originally considered to stop reading this series since the other two were not what I expected (specifically, the one on Augustine and Aquinas). However, this book was enjoyable. It went through the biography of Luther and also discussed his theology. Excellent exposition on Luther's view of justification. I enjoyed the author's explanation of what the Gospel is and is not. Though I don't agree everything with Luther's theology neverthess I'm grateful that this book is able to show Luther's theology accurately without resorting to trying to make him relevant at the expense of being no longer an accurate portrayal of Luther's life and theology as I felt the work on Aquinas has done. I thought this particular book was accessible for the general reading audience while remaining theological enough without resorting to silly humor compare to one other book in this series. The author even drove home Luther's theology that theology is not just something done for arm-chair theologians but during life--an irony that the author even noted contrary to the book's title. Good introduction to Luther and I would recommend it.
3371218
This book is a wonderful insight into the Biblical theology of Pope-emeritus Benedict. He is truly a gift as a theologian and example for other theologians. His view of theology and the reason behind it should be shared by all theologians and Scriptural scholars. His theology is rich and very thoughtful but so beautiful at the same time. Scott Hahn has studied his work thoroughly so it's fun to read this as a peak into Benedict's work. This book has given me a new perspective on Biblical theology and made me want to read some of Benedict's books. Great book!
3258064
I'm a Pastor who serves on the Doctoral Review Board of Reformation International Theological Seminary (RITS), the school that granted Ralph E. Bass, Jr., his doctorate.  So I was one of those who read and approved, "Back to the Future," which was written, originally, as Dr. Bass' doctoral dissertation.

The more I read, the more I liked it.  This commentary on Revelation is one of the best that I've read, perhaps even the best.  Dr. Bass has gleaned insights from the best commentators out there, along with doing his own careful exegesis.  I grew to like his style in presenting his case simply, without a lot of extraneous verbiage.  He takes the "Partial Preterist" position, meaning he believes that the bulk of the prophetic material in Revelation was fulfilled in AD 70, with the destruction of Jerusalem and the apostate Jews.  He doesn't go into a lot of application, as some commentaries do, but I liked the way in which he didn't simply refer to OT texts, but printed them out, demonstrating the many parallels between the book of Revelation and the OT, as well as with NT prophetic material.  And I liked how he allowed the reader to come to his own conclusions, in light of those parallels.  He was dogmatic in areas where dogmatism was warranted, and tentative in areas where things weren't nailed down as well.  I found myself in agreement with most of the positions he took in his interpretation.  I also appreciated his refutation of some of the ideas from the "Full Preterist" camp.  "Full Preterists," I believe, go too far in stating that Christ's final coming also occurred in AD 70, a position which denies the creeds and confessions of most churches today.  Nowadays, one can't write a comprehensive, "Partial Preterist" commentary on Revelation without dealing with "Full Preterism," a serious threat to what I consider to be a more Biblical preterism.

In short, I was more than happy to sign off on this doctorate level work.  And if I ever gain the courage to preach on the book of Revelation, this book will be one of my first resources!
974375
The sketches given for main theologians in each strand was very helpful; it helped to see how the different theologians fit into the bigger picture of historical development.
1375387
D.A. Carson is one of my favorite authors and speakers, so if this book review sound a bit biased it's probably because it is.  Crossway isn't paying me money to give a good book review, I'm just reviewing as I read.  I'm also going to say that D.A. Carson is one of the most brilliant theologians of our day and age and this book shows it.

This book is a collection of essays and book reviews Carson has written during his career.  The book begins with essays on the Bible and answering the questions "What is the Bible?" and "How do we interpret it?"  It then moves to "Recent Developments in the Doctrines of Scripture" The next essay is "Unity and Diversity in the New Testament."  This essay was one of my favorites because Carson really shows his love for the diverse church.  He shows there are some fundamental portions on the doctrine of scripture that all Christians need to affirm, but that we need not say one person is not a brother solely because they don't agree with us completely.

The fourth essay is "Redaction Criticism": On the Legitimacy and Illegitimacy of a Literary Tool"  in which Carson critiques some of the more modern tools of interpreting scripture.  The final essay answers the questions whether or not the "Doctrine of Claritas Scripturae is still relevant today."  In summary, the doctrine of Claritas Scripturae answers the question whether or not scripture is clear and understandable.

The second section are book reviews that Carson has done throughout the years.  I would love to say more, but I have said too much already.  This book was challenging for me, but also freeing considering how much of the doctrine of scripture is being questioned.  This is a must read for any theologian studying the doctrine of the Bible.
2529615
Excellent contempory study of evil and suffering in the world.  The author gives a very comprehensive analysis of the various theologians and philosophers who have attempted to reconcile the idea of an all loving all powerful God with the existence of evil in this world.
The author gives a good analysis of Scripture both the Old and New Testaments.  He covers the thinking of the Church Fathers and notable theologians like Aquinas.  He also gives a very comprehensive analysis of the more modern writers such as Moltmann, Elizabeth Johnson, Gustavo Gutierrez, Wesel, and others.
I just completed a graduate level course on "Creation and Providence" at the seminary I attend and this book was an excellent companion to the readings in the course.  I would classify the writer as having a Catholic perspective on this subject matter and to his credit he attempts to give a very unbiased viewpoint on each of the people he discuees.
I recommend  the book highly for anyone who wants to understand suffering  and evil from a Christian perspective
2154490
Excellent work.  Some of the 'newer' Orthodox theologians provide great perspectives.  Ware, Ouspensky, Meyendorff, Schmemann, and Lossky (among others) are incredible scholars.  As a contemporary reader, the book faithfully depicts timeless truths of the faith, grounded in the Father, but willing to dialogue with other Christian traditions, especially Catholicism.  I would highly recommend it to both the armchair theologian and to the scholar as a practical compilation of orthodox theological thought.
886376
This book contains various perspectives from leading theologians on issues related to that which continues and discontinues from the Old Testament into the New Testament.

Half of the contributors in this book would consider themselves "Covenant Theologians" - including contributions from O. Palmer Robertson, Willem VanGemeren, Knox Chamblin, Bruce K. Waltke, Fred H. Klooster,  Martin H. Woudstra, and Sam Storms. The other half would lean dispensational or in the discontinuity camp - including essays from John S. Feinberg, Paul D. Feinberg, Robert L. Saucy, Walter C. Kaiser, Allen P. Ross, and Douglas J. Moo.

The book is a tribute to S. Lewis Johnson- long time Bible teacher at Dallas Theological Seminary and Teaching pastor at Believer's Chapel in Dallas, Texas (he went to be with the Lord on January 28, 2004). The beginning of the book and ending of the book contain some well written tributes from Sam Storms and John Sproule to Johnson and expound upon his outstanding attributes as a scholar, exegete of God's Word, pastor, mentor, friend, and southern gentlemen - he was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

After a wonderful historical essay on the debate of continuity and discontinuity by Rodney Peterson the format of the book addresses issues related to six key areas: 1) Theological Systems and the Testaments; 2) Hermeneutics and the Testaments; 3) Salvation and the Testaments; 4) The Law and the Testaments; 5) The People of God and the Testaments; and 6) Kingdom Promises and the Testaments. Each of these six topics contains an essay from a continuity perspective followed by an essay from a discontinuity perspective.

Here are some of the issues addressed in the book:

Are Christians to see ethical dilemmas such as capital punishment and abortion enforced today?

Are Israel and the Church one or distinct today?

How do believers relate to the Old Testament law in practice today?

One of the points that became increasingly clear to me as I read this book was that the more one moves in the discontinuity direction, the more dispensational he is likely to become, and the more one moves in the direction of continuity, the more covenantal he will become.

This book is simply outstanding. It's not an easy read - but well worth the effort. In my experience most people from both sides of the continuity/discontinuity continuum have a lot to learn from one another and this book helps people in either camp come closer to the center in balancing how to effectively understand and interpret the two Testaments of the Scriptures. I highly recommend this book to help you become a more effective interpreter of the Scriptures and lover of Jesus Christ at the center of it all.
3339027
This book is a well written introduction to the life and thought of the 16th century Spanish Jesuit, Luis de Molina. Molina has been a neglected thinker in both Catholic and Protestant philosophy until the last forty years. It is perhaps ironic that Protestant evangelicals seem to have written more about him over the last several decades than Catholics. This book provides a great service in making this devout theologian known to a wider audience, especially in view of the potential Molina's creative thought has for helping address theological issues that have been debated in Christian theology since its earliest centuries. I'm a Catholic with a strong academic background in both philosophy and theology. In several degree programs I was taught by Marianists, Franciscans, Jesuits, and Dominicans. The Jesuits and Dominicans emphasized the theology of Thomas Aquinas, and Molina's thought received minimal coverage. Thus it seems ironic, though a promising development, that Protestant evangelical theologians are finding Molina to be such a fruitful source of reconciling Christian faith, both with historical theological issues such as predestination versus free will, and with many contemporary issues such as the theology of world religions. I have a couple of minor comments. First, where the author explains Molina's key concept of middle knowledge, it would have been better if the author had started the discussion by quoting from Molina's original words. The term "counterfactual" is central to the author's explanation of middle knowledge. While "counterfactual" refers to a concept long discussed in the history of philosophy, it's a term only recently coined by the philosopher Nelson Goodman in the 1940s. Second, the author refers to "open theism," and in several places discusses it's emphasis on human freedom, but a brief discussion of the history and concept of open theism would have made the text more robust. My two comments are minor and should not take away from the author's excellent achievement in making the thought of a neglected thinker more available, if not to a general audience--in view of some fairly technical theological discussions--at least to readers interested in philosophical and theological issues. This book is a must for theologians, and would benefit all Christians who are serious readers. Even for readers not so philosophically inclined, the chapter on Molina's life provides an excellent introduction to a very inspirational figure in Christian history.
2269865
This is a great book for understanding introduction to theology. It presents a number of theological points issues that need discussion and further review and the book is wonderful in presenting all of those to you
139955
Willis Jenkins engages Karl Barth, Thomas Aquinas, and Sergei Bulgakov--master theologians from all 3 major branches of Christianity--and puts them in a well-read and -considered dialogue with theories in environmental philosophy and ethics.  If you have an interest in ways that serious systematic theology can engage with environmental concerns, this is the book for you.
1172887
These fourteen essays (with an introduction by Walter Hooper) are about a variety of topics related to Christianity, but not necessarily ABOUT Christianity.  My favorite of the bunch is "Modern Theology and Biblical Criticism", a thumping rejoinder to those whose misapplication of form and redaction criticism (e.g. Bultmann or Schweitzer or Dibelius) to the gospels prevents them from making sound judgments about the life of Christ.  His essay "Petitionary Prayer: A Problem Without an Answer" is brutally honest, ending as it does in a questioning uncertainty about the matter, while his essay "The Psalms" is helpful in guiding the reader to an understanding of how to view that portion of scripture.  Some essays may strike one reader's fancy less than another's, but there is plenty here for most people to find AT LEAST one or two they greatly enjoy.  I liked all of them and found most of them very helpful to my own reflections on life.
933570
This gives a pretty good survey of church history. I agree with other reviewers about the anti-Roman Catholic bias but he doesn't give the reformers any free passes either. I'm grateful for the references at the end of each chapter so that the reader can go more deeply into events that he can only cover broadly in an overview of this kind.

I was pretty surprised in his treatment of Christianity in Nazi Germany that he mentioned Karl Barth and Marin Niemoller - but not Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who is virtually a Saint to most Protestants and is venerated by more than a few Catholics, because of his leadership of the Confessing Church. Even for a quick cover of the topic, Bonhoeffer rated at least a mention. There are many good books about him that cover much Christian ground.

This book's value is in the fact that it's so easy to read and covers the basics of church history; the reader comes away with a solid understanding of Christian historical background.
1520322
Categorizes each of the theological issues as taught by the early Church Fathers.  It is wonderful to see what the early Church believed.  It also goes into the heresies that plagued the early Church and the councils that fought them.  Great Book!