A fresh, inviting text on the content of Christian faith in our contemporary context.This one-volume systematic theology presents an accessible, orthodox overview of the Christian faith for students,
A fresh, inviting text on the content of Christian faith in our contemporary context.
This one-volume systematic theology presents an accessible, orthodox overview of the Christian faith for students, teachers, pastors, and serious lay readers. Cornelis van der Kooi and Gijsbert van den Brink not only cover all the traditional themes—creation, sin, Jesus Christ, Scripture, and so on—but also relate those classical themes to contemporary developments like Pentecostalism, postmodernism, and evolutionary theory.
Consisting of sixteen chapters, the book is ideal for classroom use. Each chapter begins with 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 today’s world.
“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.”
— Charles Van Engen
Fuller Theological Seminary
“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.”
— Michael S. Horton
Westminster Seminary California
“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!”
— Richard J. Mouw
Fuller 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.”
— John Bolt
Calvin Theological Seminary
“I am more than happy to finish my forty-year career of teaching Christian theology to students using [Christian Dogmatics as my primary textbook for upper-level systematic theology students.”
— Roger E. Olson in Patheos
“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.”
— Interpretation
“This textbook offers a blend of historical and systematic theology and, quite frequently, a compressed but lively synopsis of exegetical or cultural conversations. . . . Students here get a sense of the state of the field as well as a principled argument with which to engage.”
— Journal of the Academy of Religion
“A welcome addition to the field.”
— Expository Times
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Cornelis van der Kooi is a distinguished lecturer at Erasmus University Rotterdam and formerly served as professor of systematic theology at the Free University of Amsterdam. His other books include This Incredibly Benevolent Force: The Holy Spirit in Reformed Theology and Spirituality.
Gijsbert van den Brink holds the Chair of Theology and Science in the Faculty of Religion and Theology at the Free University of Amsterdam. His other books include Reformed Theology and Evolutionary Theory.
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Table of Contents
1. Dogmatics as Disciplined Thinking about God
Definitions and Aims
2. Is There a God?
Prolegomena
3. 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
Christology
11. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”
Jesus Christ as Victor, Redeemer, and Mediator
12. Holy Spirit, Giver of Life
Pneumatology
13. 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
Indexes
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