DESCRIPTION
Learn more and explore the book at NetGalleyA fresh, inviting text on the content of Christian faith in our contemporary context, this one-volume systematic theology offers an accessible, orthodox explication of the Christian faith for students, teachers, pastors, and serious lay readers alike. Cornelis van der Kooi and Gijsbert van den Brink not only cover all the traditional themes—God, creation, sin, Jesus Christ, Scripture, and so on—but also relate those classic themes to such contemporary developments as Pentecostalism, postmodernism, and evolutionary theory.
Consisting of sixteen chapters, the book is ideal for classroom use. Each chapter begins with several engaging questions and a statement of learning goals and concludes with a list of recommended further reading. Written in a student-friendly tone and style and expertly translated and edited, van der Kooi and van den Brink’s
Christian Dogmatics splendidly displays the real, practical relevance of theology to the complexities of our world today.
CONTENTSPreface to the English Edition
Preface to the Original Edition
1. Dogmatics as Disciplined Thinking about God
Definitions and Aims
2. Is There a God?
Prolegomena3. God as Three in One
The Doctrine of the Trinity
4. “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”
The Names, Attributes, and Essence of God
5. Encountering God
The Doctrine of Revelation
6. Existence Given
The Doctrine of Creation
7. Human Beings and the Image of God
Theological Anthropology
8. Existence Ravaged
Sin and Evil
9. Israel, the Raw Nerve in Christian Theology
The Doctrine of the Covenant
10. The Person of Jesus Christ
Christology11. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
Jesus Christ as Victor, Redeemer, and Mediator
12. Holy Spirit, Giver of Life
Pneumatology13. The Book of God and of Humans
The Doctrine of Scripture
14. Renewal of God’s Community
Ecclesiology
15. Renewal of the Human Being
Justification and Transformation
16. Renewal of God’s World
Eschatology
Bibliography
Index of Names
Index of Subjects
Index of Scripture Reference
REVIEWS
Charles Van Engen
— Latin American Ministries, Inc.
School of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary
“One of the best and most helpful one-volume summaries of Christian thought published in the last several decades. Accessible, clear, inspiring, informative, and very readable, this work should be in every pastor’s library.”
Michael S. Horton
— Westminster Seminary California
“Deeply informed by biblical studies as well as the history of doctrine, van der Kooi and van den Brink engage a wide range of conversation partners and offer a crucial perspective for ecumenical conversation.”
Richard J. Mouw
— Fuller Theological Seminary
“This fine work was widely praised by Dutch readers when it first appeared in the Netherlands, going through several printings. Now all of us English-speakers can see what the enthusiasm was all about. The subtitle correctly presents the book as an ‘introduction,’ but it is more than that. For me it has served—and will continue to serve—as a much-needed refresher course in how to bring new vitality to the exploration and twenty-first-century updating of the best of the theology that we have received from the past!”
John Bolt
— Calvin Theological Seminary
“Non-Dutch readers can now see for themselves why this Christian Dogmatics became such a best-seller in its native land. It provides a cogent, fresh, confident statement of the Christian faith that honestly engages the tough challenges our modern world throws at it. In addition, this work is a pedagogic success. . . . A great text for students of Christian theology that is also accessible to all who want to deepen their understanding of the faith.”
Interpretation
“This theology is doctrinal without being doctrinaire, pluralistic without being polarizing, open-minded without being open-ended, tolerant without being timid, and culturally perceptive yet without using invective. This volume is a sorely needed reference work for correcting facile stereotypes in the church, the academy, and the public square.”