Christianity An Introduction

by McGrath, Alister E.

• ISBN13: 9781405109017
• ISBN10: 1405109017
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-02-13
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

This popular, extensively revised textbook by Alister McGrath is essential reading for anyone wanting to understand the dynamics of the worldrs"s largest religion and offers a lively, jargon-free introduction to Christianity. With material ranging from biblical sources, to diverse Christian traditions, to Christianity in the modern world, this classic work by a leading theologian provides a comprehensive foundation to the subject. Key features include: bull; bull;An introduction to biblical sources and discussion of the central figure of Jesus. bull;Comprehensive discussions of Christian theology, the history of Christianity from its origins to the present day, and Christianity in the modern world. bull;Increased focus on Christianity as a lived experience. bull;Expanded coverage of contemporary issues, non-Western Christianity, globalization and women. bull;Accessible and student-friendly design, including numerous illustrations. Written in a clear and engaging style, the book encourages lateral thinking in students of all levels and includes suggestions for further reading and a glossary of Christian terms.

Author Biography

Alister E. McGrath is Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University. He is a world-renowned theologian, and the author of numerous titles available through Blackwell Publishing, including Dawkins’ God (2005), Theology: The Basics (2004), A Brief History of Heaven (2003), Christian Theology: An Introduction 3rd edition (2001), The Christian Theology Reader 2nd edition (2001), and Historical Theology (1998). He is also the author of In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible (2001) and The Twilight of Atheism (2004).

Table of Contents

List of Plates	xiii
List of Figures and Maps	xv
Preface	xvi
Introduction	1	(1)
Encountering Christianity: Some Gateways	2	(2)
Texts	2	(1)
Services	2	(1)
Buildings	2	(1)
Music	2	(1)
Art	3	(1)
Jesus of Nazareth	4	(32)
The Centrality of Jesus to the Christian Faith	4	(2)
The Gospels and Jesus	6	(3)
Jesus and Roman Historians	9	(1)
Jesus and Israel	9	(2)
Jesus and Jewish Groups	11	(3)
The Birth of Jesus	14	(2)
The Beginning of the Public Ministry of Jesus	16	(3)
Jesus and Women	19	(1)
The Teaching of Jesus: The Parables of the Kingdom	20	(2)
The Crucifixion	22	(3)
The Resurrection	25	(2)
Events and Meanings	27	(2)
The New Testament Understandings of Jesus	29	(7)
Messiah	29	(1)
Lord	30	(1)
Savior	31	(1)
Son of God	32	(1)
Son of Man	33	(1)
God	34	(2)
Introducing the Bible	36	(21)
The Bible: The Origin of the Term	36	(5)
The Continuity between Old and New Testaments	41	(1)
The Contents of the Bible	42	(3)
The Translation of the Bible	45	(2)
The Interpretation of the Bible	47	(3)
The Devotional Reading of the Bible: Christian Spirituality	50	(7)
Medieval conceptions	51	(1)
Protestant spirituality	52	(2)
Biblical themes and imagery	54	(3)
The Old Testament	57	(27)
The Shape of the Old Testament	58	(2)
The Contents of the Old Testament	60	(12)
The five books of the law	60	(3)
The historical books	63	(3)
The writings	66	(2)
The prophets	68	(4)
Major Themes of the Old Testament	72	(12)
The creation	73	(1)
Abraham: Calling and covenant	74	(1)
The Exodus from Egypt and giving of the law	75	(2)
The entry into the promised land	77	(1)
The establishment of the monarchy	78	(1)
The priesthood	78	(2)
Prophecy	80	(1)
The exile	80	(2)
The restoration	82	(2)
The New Testament	84	(16)
The Gospels	84	(9)
The period of oral tradition	85	(3)
Matthew	88	(1)
Mark	88	(1)
Luke	89	(1)
John	90	(1)
The synoptic problem	90	(3)
Acts	93	(1)
The Letters	93	(5)
The letters of Paul	94	(3)
The letters of Peter	97	(1)
The letters of John	97	(1)
Other letters	97	(1)
The Book of Revelation	98	(2)
The Background to Christian Belief	100	(14)
What is Faith?	100	(2)
Proofs for God's Existence?	102	(3)
The Sources of Christian Beliefs	105	(4)
The Bible	105	(1)
Tradition	106	(2)
Creeds	108	(1)
Reason	109	(1)
The ``Handmaid'': Dialogue Between Theology and Culture	109	(2)
What is Theology?	111	(3)
A Brief Outline of Core Christian Beliefs	114	(57)
God	115	(11)
God as father	116	(2)
A personal God	118	(2)
God as almighty	120	(2)
The doctrine of the Trinity	122	(4)
Creation	126	(7)
Models of creation	127	(2)
Implications of the doctrine of creation	129	(1)
Models of God as creator	130	(2)
Creation and natural theology	132	(1)
Humanity	133	(4)
Humanity and the ``image of God''	134	(1)
Humanity, the fall, and sin	135	(2)
Jesus	137	(6)
Islamic approaches to the identity of Jesus	137	(1)
Early Christian approaches to Christology	138	(1)
The concept of the incarnation	139	(2)
Jesus as mediator	141	(2)
Salvation	143	(7)
Christ the victor: The defeat of death and sin	143	(2)
Christ the harrower of hell: Atonement as restoration	145	(2)
Christ the redeemer: Atonement as satisfaction	147	(1)
Christ the lover: Atonement as the enkindling of love	148	(2)
Grace	150	(4)
The Church	154	(5)
The unity of the church	154	(1)
The universality of the church	155	(1)
The holiness of the church	156	(2)
The apostolicity of the church	158	(1)
The Sacraments	159	(3)
What is a sacrament?	159	(1)
Baptism	160	(1)
The eucharist	161	(1)
Christianity and Other Faiths	162	(5)
The ``commonsense'' approach to other religions	162	(1)
The pluralist approach	163	(2)
The particularist approach	165	(1)
The inclusivist approach	165	(2)
The Last Things: Heaven	167	(4)
A Brief History of Christianity	171	(80)
The Early Church	172	(20)
Christianity and Judaism	172	(3)
Christianity and women	175	(3)
The expansion of the gospel: Paul	178	(3)
The expansion of the gospel: Rome	181	(1)
The consolidation of Christianity	182	(5)
Theological debates of the early Christian period	187	(1)
The origins of monasticism	188	(1)
The rise of Celtic Christianity	189	(3)
The Middle Ages	192	(14)
Instability: The church in a period of uncertainty	192	(1)
Christianity in the east to the fall of Constantinople	193	(2)
The renewal of western Christianity	195	(1)
The rise of scholasticism	196	(2)
The rise of the religious orders	198	(1)
The rebirth of western culture: The Renaissance	199	(3)
Western Christianity in the late Middle Ages	202	(2)
The growth in adult literacy	204	(1)
A surge in anti-clericalism	204	(1)
The rise of doctrinal pluralism	205	(1)
The Reformation	206	(23)
The Lutheran Reformation	207	(1)
The Calvinist Reformation	208	(2)
The Radical Reformation (Anabaptism)	210	(1)
The Catholic Reformation	210	(1)
The rise of Protestantism	211	(4)
The Reformation in England	215	(1)
The leading features of Protestantism	216	(1)
The confessionalization of faith: Protestant orthodoxy	217	(1)
English-language Protestantism: Puritanism	218	(1)
A Protestant religion of the heart: Pietism	219	(2)
The Great Awakening: American Protestantism	221	(2)
The resurgence of Roman Catholicism	223	(1)
The Council of Trent	224	(1)
The Society of Jesus	225	(1)
The renewal of Catholic spirituality	226	(2)
The Wars of Religion	228	(1)
The Modern Period	229	(22)
The rise of indifference to religion in Europe	229	(1)
The Enlightenment: The rise of rationalism	230	(2)
Christianity in the American Revolution	232	(1)
The great revolt against God: The origins of western atheism	233	(1)
Karl Marx and the consolidation of atheism	234	(2)
The globalization of Christianity: The age of mission	236	(3)
The shifting fortunes of Roman Catholicism	239	(1)
The First Vatican Council	240	(1)
The Victorian crisis of faith	241	(2)
The Armenian genocide of 1915	243	(1)
The Russian Revolution and the state enforcement of atheism	244	(2)
The Nazi crisis: The failure of ``Culture Protestantism''	246	(2)
The Second Vatican Council	248	(3)
Christianity: A Global View	251	(38)
A Regional Survey of Christianity	251	(10)
Africa	251	(3)
Southeast Asia	254	(3)
North America	257	(1)
South America	258	(2)
Europe	260	(1)
Christianity: A Survey of its Contemporary Forms	261	(14)
Roman Catholicism	261	(3)
Eastern Orthodoxy	264	(2)
Pentecostalism	266	(2)
Protestantism	268	(1)
Anglicans	269	(1)
Baptists	270	(1)
Lutherans	271	(1)
Methodists	272	(1)
Presbyterians and other Reformed Christians	273	(1)
Evangelicalism	273	(2)
Christianity: A Survey of its Global Concerns	275	(14)
The globalization of Christianity	275	(1)
The challenge of fundamentalism	276	(2)
Tensions between Christianity and Islam	278	(2)
The uncertain future of the Protestant denomination	280	(1)
The commodification of Christianity in the west	281	(2)
The demands for de-westernization of Christianity	283	(2)
The emergence of new ways of ``being church''	285	(4)
The Life of Faith: Encountering Christianity as a Lived Reality	289	(57)
The Life of the Church	289	(15)
Christian weddings	290	(1)
Christian funerals	291	(1)
The Service of Nine Lessons and Carols	292	(2)
Christian worship	294	(2)
Prayer	296	(1)
Praise	296	(1)
Reading Scripture	297	(1)
Preaching	298	(1)
The reciting of the creeds	299	(1)
The sacraments	299	(1)
Baptism	300	(2)
The eucharist	302	(2)
The Rhythms and Seasons of the Christian Life	304	(10)
The Christian year	305	(1)
Advent	306	(1)
Christmas	306	(1)
Epiphany	307	(1)
Lent	307	(3)
Easter	310	(2)
Ascension	312	(1)
Pentecost	312	(1)
Trinity	313	(1)
The monastic day	313	(1)
Christian Attitudes to Culture: Some General Considerations	314	(2)
The Impact of Christianity on Culture	316	(30)
Christianity and the development of the natural sciences	317	(3)
Christian symbolism: The cross	320	(2)
Christian art	322	(5)
Church architecture	327	(3)
Stained glass	330	(4)
Icons	334	(1)
Christian music	335	(1)
Christianity and literature	336	(6)
Pilgrimage and the Christian life	342	(4)
A Glossary of Christian Terms	346	(7)
Further Reading	353	(8)
Index	361