B.Min. / B.Th. 2191
GDA / M.A. / M.Div 3191
Subject Facilitator: Dr Brian Edgar
The topics in this subject are:
Doctrine of God
Christology and Atonement.
As a student of theology you now need to begin to develop your resources, and because not everything is on CD or the web you need to purchase at least one book. You will also need this book because, most weeks at least, there will be reading set from it in each of the lessons. However, you do have a choice as to which book you buy. You are expected to have immediate access to any one of three systematic theologies.
A 'systematic theology' is a book which, in a logical (theo-logical) way, covers all of the major doctrines of the faith. The doctrines control the format of the book, and so it is different to a 'biblical theology' or a 'historical theology' even though it will contain biblical and historical material.
You should get access to one of the following:
Stanley Grenz, Theology for the Community of God. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1984.
Millard Erickson, Christian Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1985.
Alistair McGrath, A. Christian Theology, 3rd edition, Oxford: Blackwell, 2001.
Which one should you choose? That is up to you. If you click on their names you will see their table on contents and, ideally, you will actually read some of each book before making your choice. The BCV Bookshop usually has copies of each of them in stock but you may also be able to find them elsewhere.
All are evangelical. Grenz and Erickson are North American in origin, McGrath is British. Grenz has a more contemporary feel as he is interested in post-modernism, Erickson has the most material, McGrath has a strength is historical analysis. McGrath does not have a lot of material in his book on the first half of this course (the Introduction to Theological Method and Sources) but, apart from that, each of these three texts contain pretty much the same areas, although they are written differently.
These three books will also be set as reading for the other two theology units in the core theology series. If you buy one of these books for this subject you will not need to buy another systematic theology for either of those units. (It is always possible that another type of text, perhaps on a more specific topic will be required, but that is another story).
Of course there are many other, very useful systematic theologies as well, but readings from these three have been included in the lessons. If you have one of these you do not need to do the readings from the other two (although it would be useful supplementary material sometimes).
Because these books occasionally come out in revised editions and, even more frequently, new printings the page numbers, and even chapter numbers can and do vary. Some of you may purchase, or already have, for example the second edition of McGrath in which the chapter numbers are have changed because of the insertion of a new chapter. Consequently, the references in the lessons give the chapter or section title rather than just the chapter or page number. It might take a second or two longer to find but there is less chance of reading the wrong pages.
Another book which is recommended but not required for this subject is Timothy Phillips & Dennis Okholm, A Family of Faith, Baker 2001.
Finally, if you want to develop your theological resources in general then a theological dictionary is a useful accompaniment to your systematic theology. This is not compulsory but you might want to consider purchasing one, especially if you are going to go on and do the other theology units.
A theological dictionary has articles on all sorts of theological topics and terms in alphabetical order. This means, for instance that when you are doing some reading and there is a reference to Arianism, Bonaventure, Church, Damnation, Ecumenism or whatever, you can look it up to get an overview of the topic.
Two useful dictionaries which are suitable and usually available immediately in the BCV Bookshop are
Ferguson, S. (ed.). The New Dictionary of Theology. Leicester: IVP, 1988.
Elwell, W. (ed.) The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1984.
Again, there are other possible choices and some dictionaries can be obtained on CD - often bundled with other reference books and sometimes quite cheaply. Check it out.
During the semester you will be required to email responses to issues raised at end of selected lessons (they appear in Lessons 2,4, and 6-13).
There is an essay due by May 10 (or Oct 5), and you will also do a 2 hour exam. There is only one essay question set, and various readings are provided to enable you to operate at the basic level required.
This is the distribution of marks.
E-mail responses (completion
item - must be complete for a pass - no special marks awarded)
Essay 50%
Exam 50%
General Theology
Edwards, David L. with John Stott, 1988, Essentials: A Liberal-Evangelical Debate, Hodder & Stoughton, London.
Erickson, Millard J., 1998, 2nd edn, Christian Theology, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Grenz, Stanley, 1994, Theology for the Community of God, Paternoster, Carlisle.
Grudem, Wayne, 1994, Systematic Theology, Inter-Varsity Press, Leicester.
Kelly, J.N.D., 1978, Early Christian Doctrines, Harper and Row, San Francisco.
McGrath, Alister, 1997, 2nd edn, Christian Theology, Blackwell, Oxford
McKim, Donald, 1988, Theological Turning Points: Major issues in Christian Thought, John Knox Press, Atlanta.
Moody, Dale, 1981, The Word of Truth, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
Packer, J. I, 1975, Knowing God, Hodder and Stoughton, London.
Pinnock, Clark, 1994, “Systematic Theology” in The Openness of God, IVP, Downers Grove, 101-125.
Alexander, T. D. and Brian S. Rosner (eds.), R, 2000, New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove.
Bettenson, Henry (ed.), R, 1963, Documents of the Christian Church, OUP, London.
Bettenson, Henry (ed.), R, 1956, The Early Christian Fathers, OUP, Oxford.
Bettenson, Henry (ed.), R, 1970, The Later Christian Fathers, OUP, Oxford.
Bettenson, Henry (ed.), R, 1963, Documents of the Christian Church, OUP, London.
Douglas, J. D. (ed.), R, 1974, New International Dictionary of the Christian Church, Paternoster, Exeter.
Erickson, Millard J., R, 1986, Concise Dictionary of Christian Theology, Baker Books, Grand Rapids.
Harris, R. Laird, Gleason L. Archer And Bruce K. Waltke (eds.), R, 1980, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 2 vols., Moody Press, Chicago.
Kerr, Hugh T. (ed.), R, 1966, Readings in Christian Thought, Abingdon, Nashville.
Leith, John H. (ed.)., R, 1973, The Creeds of the Church, John Knox Press, Atlanta.
McGrath, Alister (ed.), R, 1995, The Christian Theology Reader, Blackwell, Oxford.
Richardson, Alan and John Bowden (eds.), R, 1983, A New Dictionary of Christian Theology, SCM, London.
Stevenson, J., R, 1972, Creeds, Councils and Controversies: Documents Illustrative of the History of the Church to A.D. 337-461, SPCK, London.
Stevenson, J., R, 1957, A New Eusebius: Documents Illustrative of the History of the Church to A.D. 337, SPCK, London.
Schaff, Philip (ed.), Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Eerdmans. Numerous volumes.
The Attributes of God
Achtemeier, Elizabeth, 1962, “Righteousness in the OT”, 1962, in Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, Vol 4, pp. 80.
Achtemeier, Elizabeth, 1993, 1993,, “Why God Is Not Mother”,, Christianity Today, August 16 1993,16-23.
Beilby, James K. and Paul R. Eddy, 2001, Divine Foreknowledge: Four Views, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove.
Bloesch, Donald G. 1995, God the Almighty, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove.
Bray, Gerald, 1993, The Doctrine of God, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove.
Geisler, Norman, 1997, Creating God in the Image of Man, Bethany House, Minneapolis.
Gray, Tony, 1999, “God Does Not Play Dice”, Themelios vol. 24 no. 2, 21-34.
Nash, Ronald H. 1987, “Process Theology and Classical Theism” in Process Theology, ed. Ronald H. Nash, Baker, Grand Rapids, 7-13.
Pinnock, Clark, 2001, Most Moved Mover: a Theology of God’s Openness, Paternoster, Carlisle.
Ware, Bruce, 1986, “An Evangelical Reformulation of the Doctrine of the Immutability of God”, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, vol. 29, no. 4, 431-446.
“The Holy Spirit–God’s Active Force”, 1989, Should You Believe in the Trinity? Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.
Adam, Peter, 1986, Living the Trinity, Grove Books, Bramcote, Nottingham.
Bloesch, Donald G. 2000, The Holy Spirit, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove.
Bloesch, Donald G. 1985, The Battle for the Trinity: The Debate over Inclusive God-Language, Servant Publications, Ann Arbor.
Boff, Leonardo, 1988, Trinity and Society, Orbis Books, Maryknoll.
Bruner, Frederick D. 1970, A Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Pentecostal Experience and the Witness of the New Testament, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
Erickson, Millard J. 1995, God in Three Persons, Baker books, Grand Rapids.
Ferguson, Sinclair, 1996, The Holy Spirit, IVP, Downers Grove.
Fiddes, Paul S. 2000, Participating in God, Darton Longman and Todd, London.
Fortman, Edmund J. 1972, The Triune God: A Historical Study of the Doctrine of the Trinity, Hutchison, London.
Giles, Kevin, 2002, The Trinity & subordinationism : the doctrine of God & the contemporary gender debate, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove.
Green, Michael, 1975, I Believe in the Holy Spirit, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
Gresham, John, 1993, “The Social Model of the Trinity and Its Critics”, Scottish Journal of Theology, Vol. 46, no. 325-343.
Gunton, Colin, 1991, The Promise of Trinitarian Theology, T&T Clark, Edinburgh.
Hodgson, Leonard, 1944, The Doctrine of the Trinity, Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York.
Kimel, Alvin F. (ed.), 1992, Speaking the Christian God: The Holy Trinity and the Challenge of Feminism, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
McDonald, H.D. , “Monarchianism”, 1988, New Dictionary Of Theology, S.B. Ferguson & D.F. Wright (eds.), I-VP, Leicester, 440-441.
Moltmann, Jürgen, 1981, The Trinity and the Kingdom of God, SCM, London.
Nicole, Roger, 1980, “The Meaning of the Trinity”, in One God in Trinity, ed. Peter Toon and James D. Spiceland, Cornerstone Books, Westchester, 1-10.
Olsen, Roger E. and Christopher A. Hall , 2002, The Trinity, Eerdmans, Grand Rapids.
Packer, J. I, 1988, “Holy Spirit”, in New Dictionary Of Theology, S.B. Ferguson & D.F. Wright (eds.), I-VP, Leicester, 316-319.
Plantinga, Cornelius, 1988, “The Perfect Family”, Christianity Today, 4 March, 24-27.
Rahner, Karl, 1970, The Trinity, Burns & Oats, London.
Sherlock, Charles, 1991, God on the Inside: Trinitarian Spirituality, Acorn Press, Canberra.
Stott, John, 2002, Baptism and Fullness, IVP, Downers Grove,
Toon, Peter, 1996, Our Triune God, Victor Books, Wheaton.
Wainwright, Arthur W. 1962, The Trinity in the New Testament, SPCK, London.
Berger, Peter L. The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion. (New York: Anchor, Doubleday & Company, 1967)
Cahill, Thomas. How the Irish Saved Civilization. (New York: Anchor, 1996)
Crysdale, Cynthia. Embracing Travail. (New York: Continuum, 1999)
Dorrien, Gary. The Remaking of Evangelical Theolog., (Louisville, KY: John Knox, 1998)
Dryness, William A. Learning about Theology from the Third World. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990)
Fraser, Elouise Renich. Confessions of a Beginning Theologian. (Downers Grove, Ill: IVP, 1998)
Gaarder, Jostein. Sophie's World. (New York: Farrar, Strauss & Giroux)
Green, Joel B & Baker, Mark D. Recovering the Scandal of the Cross. (Leicester:IVP, 2000)
Grenz, Stanley. A Primer on Postmodernism. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996)
Johnson, Elizabeth A. Consider Jesus: Waves of Renewal in Christology. (New York: Crossroad, 1990)
Johnson, Elizabeth A. She Who Is: The Mystery of God in Feminist Theological Discourse. (NY:Crossroad, 1993)
Jones, Serene. Feminist Theory and Christian Theology: Cartographies of Grace (Minneapolis: Fortess, 2000)
Levison, Jack & Priscilla Pope-Levison. Jesus in Global Context. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox: 1992)
McGehee, Michael D. God’s Word Expressed in Human Words: The Bible’s Literary Forms. (MI: The Liturgical Press, 1991)
Middleton, J. Richard & Brian J. Walsh. Truth is Stranger than it Used to Be. (Downers Grove: IVP, 1995)
Migliore Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans 1991)
Moltmann, Jurgen. Jesus Christ for Today’s World (MI: Fortress, 1991)
Murphy, Nancey. Beyond Liberalism & Fundamentalism (Valley Forge: Trinity Press, 1996)
Niebuhr H. Richard. Christ & Culture (New York: Harper, 1951)
Phillips, Timothy R. & Okholm, Dennis L. A Family of Faith (was called, Welcome to the Family)
An Introduction to Evangelical Christianity. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001)
Riddell, Michael. Threshold of the Future. (London: SPCK, 1998)
Storkey, Elaine & Hebblethwaite, Margaret. Conversations on Christian Feminism. (London: Fount, 1999)
Thielicke, Helmut. A Little Exercise for Young Theologians. (Grand Rapids: MI: Eerdmans, 1996)
Watts, Fraser, ed. Science meets Faith: Theology and Science in Conversation. (London: SPCK, 1998).
Weaver, John. In the Beginning God (Oxford: Regents Park College, 1994)
Webb, Val. Why We’re Equal: Introducing Feminist Theology. (St. Louis, MO: Chalice, 1999)
Witherington, Ben III. The Many Faces of the Christ: The Christologies of the New Testament and Beyond. (New York: Crossroad Herder, 1998)
Young, Frances. The Making of the Creeds. (London: SCM Press, 1991)