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The Christian Doctrine of Humanity: Explorations in Constructive Dogmatics
Engaging with the Complex Subject of Theological Anthropology. Theological anthropology is a complicated doctrinal subject that needs to be elaborated with careful attention to its relation to other major doctrines. Among other things, it must confess the glory and misery of humanity, from creation in the image of God to the fall into a state of sin. It must reckon with a holism that spans distinctions between body, soul, and spirit, and a unity that encompasses male and female, as well as racial and cultural difference. The Christian Doctrine of Humanity represents the proceedings of the sixth annual Los Angeles Theology Conference, which sought, constructively and comprehensively, to engage the task of theological anthropology. The twelve diverse essays in this collection include discussions Each of the essays collected in this volume engage with Scripture as well as with others in the field—theologians both past and present, from different confessions—in order to provide constructive resources for contemporary systematic theology and to forge a theology for the future.
256 pages, Paperback
Published November 6, 2018
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Zondervan
1,931 books113 followersZondervan is an international Christian media and publishing company. Zondervan is a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA). They are a part of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc. and has multiple imprints including Zondervan Academic, Zonderkidz, Blink, and Editorial Vida. Zondervan is the commercial rights holder for the New International Version (NIV) Bible in North America.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 28, 2018
This collection of cutting-edge essays on the doctrine of humanity is the sixth installment in a series entitled “Explorations in Constructive Dogmatics”. They proceed from the Los Angeles Theology Conference hosted by Fuller Theological Seminary. Previous entries addressed Christology, Trinitarian Theology, the Atonement, the Word of God, and the task of dogmatics. A wide-ranging group of specialists is assembled in each case and this time includes Marc Cortez, Hans Madueme, Ian McFarland, Richard Mouw, Lucy Peppiatt, and Frances Young, and total 12 contributors that look at humanity from many vantage points.
Let’s be clear. There’s no shallow wading here. Though these essays are not geared toward a popular audience, they are well written, There’s a good chance, however, that they will go deeper than you get in most volumes. If you’re game, then, this book is an important, challenging read. As I read, it struck me that many of these essays were in the realm where the doctrine of humanity bumps against the other major doctrines—Christology, Eschatology, Pneumatology, among others. Along the way, you will get a clear overview of where scholars are still debating this key doctrine. You will notice as well that current events are bearing on these theological issues as questions of how we personally identify ourselves is addressed as well, yet with a warmness toward biblical clarity and longstanding Christian belief.
All 12 essays were well done. My favorites were Marc Cortez’s look at “Nature, Grace, and the Christological Ground of Humanity”, Hans Madueme’s “From Sin to the Soul: a Dogmatic Argument for Dualism”, and Lucy Peppiatt’s “Life in the Spirit: Christ’s and Ours”. I took something that helped me from each of them.
I imagine this will be a much-cited and influential book for some time to come as it fully succeeds in what it sets out to do.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
Let’s be clear. There’s no shallow wading here. Though these essays are not geared toward a popular audience, they are well written, There’s a good chance, however, that they will go deeper than you get in most volumes. If you’re game, then, this book is an important, challenging read. As I read, it struck me that many of these essays were in the realm where the doctrine of humanity bumps against the other major doctrines—Christology, Eschatology, Pneumatology, among others. Along the way, you will get a clear overview of where scholars are still debating this key doctrine. You will notice as well that current events are bearing on these theological issues as questions of how we personally identify ourselves is addressed as well, yet with a warmness toward biblical clarity and longstanding Christian belief.
All 12 essays were well done. My favorites were Marc Cortez’s look at “Nature, Grace, and the Christological Ground of Humanity”, Hans Madueme’s “From Sin to the Soul: a Dogmatic Argument for Dualism”, and Lucy Peppiatt’s “Life in the Spirit: Christ’s and Ours”. I took something that helped me from each of them.
I imagine this will be a much-cited and influential book for some time to come as it fully succeeds in what it sets out to do.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
August 16, 2019
This book contains a collection of essays approaching the topic of theological anthropology from various perspectives. As such, it would be too much to try and summarize each individual essay, so I'll instead address the collection as a whole. But I will mention that one recurring theme is how Christology (the doctrine of Christ) properly informs our understanding of anthropology (the study of man).
Typically I find that anthology type books tend to have essays of differing quality. Not so with this one. Each essay is of very high quality, both in academic content and explanatory clarity. As far as academic essays go, each one was a joy to read.
Another point worth noting is that this book is the product of an academic theology conference. This means that each essay provides a new contribution to the discussion of theological anthropology - there are no introductory or repetitive discussions in this book. Therefore, this isn't appropriate for one who hasn't read in this field before. Nevertheless, it is fairly readable provided one has had some exposure to theological anthropology.
Ultimately, I enjoyed reading the book and look forward to reading more from many of the contributing authors. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in theological anthropology.
Typically I find that anthology type books tend to have essays of differing quality. Not so with this one. Each essay is of very high quality, both in academic content and explanatory clarity. As far as academic essays go, each one was a joy to read.
Another point worth noting is that this book is the product of an academic theology conference. This means that each essay provides a new contribution to the discussion of theological anthropology - there are no introductory or repetitive discussions in this book. Therefore, this isn't appropriate for one who hasn't read in this field before. Nevertheless, it is fairly readable provided one has had some exposure to theological anthropology.
Ultimately, I enjoyed reading the book and look forward to reading more from many of the contributing authors. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in theological anthropology.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews