Theology: The Basics

by Alister E. McGrath

Written by one of the world’s leading Protestant theologians, The Basics is designed for students taking a first short course in Christian theology or for lay Christians who wish to find out more about their faith. Accessible and lively, this introductory Alister E. McGrath is the author of numerous popular theology textbooks, including Christian Theology 3rd edition and The Christian Theology Reader 2nd edition. Readers may wish to use this book in order to make the transition to these more challenging texts.

Genres: Theology, Religion, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Philosophy, Faith

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Alister Edgar McGrath is a Northern Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005. He is an Anglican priest and is ordained within the Church of England.

Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.

McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.

Reviews

[Samcwright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been trying to think about how to review this book. Theology is not for everyone. I happen to be a fan. But it’s ambiguous and complex and can be confusing at times. And you don’t need to study theology to be a better believer. Theology can deepen belief or create doubt. I love the statement of one scholar who compared the difference between theology and religion to a menu and a meal. While theology can enlighten and inform, religion is what nourishes us.

With that said, this is a good overview of Christian Theology. Many of the ideas could probably be stated more simply. But I think the complexity of McGrath’s approach highlights the challenge of creating an overview of Christian theology more broadly (i.e. Catholicism and Protestantism). This is a fine book but I’m still searching for an overview that I feel comfortable recommending to friends who may just be getting started in theology or who want a summary.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is basically a really short version of McGrath's longer textbook Christian Theology: An Introduction. It is structured around the Apostle's Creed, giving a brief introduction to each of the concepts along with a study in a primary theological text. It's not bad, but McGrath has still not gone very far in repairing his woefully poor take on eschatology. The very fact that the last chapter is titled 'Heaven' rather than 'Eschatology' to explain those phrases 'the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting' at the end of the creed, illustrates the problem. Bodily resurrection is mentioned almost as a historical oddity rather than the primary belief of historic Christianity. McGrath just can't seem to get out of his mindset of conceiving of Christian hope as no more than 'going to heaven when you die'. Given the depth of his understanding of other areas in Christian theology, this continued shortcoming is utterly baffling.

[Kendall Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great textbook. McGrath is trying to do too much and cover too much. There is too much trying to summarize what every theologian has ever said about a topic instead of actually just talking about the topic itself. McGrath is also too obsessed with 20th century perspectives. Such a focus is out of place in an introductory textbook like this.

[Steve Irby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished "Theology: The Basics," by Alister McGrath.

The purpose of reading this was to see if it falls closer to the pew or academia. He begins with "Yeah, I assume you dont know anything about theology so its basic; but I have another book that's deeper if this one doesnt cut it."

His chapter layout is interestingly enough along the same structure as the apostles creed. The intro is a bit long so that he can stick with the above Apostles creed structure as proper chapters with a quick prolegomena as intro. But its good, and he doesnt call it prolegomena. His use of technical language thus far is restrained while being this-aint-flannelboard-anylonger about it; a deft hand, so to say.

Ch 1, faith:

McGrath goes a bit before theology proper in this chapter on faith and back into apologetics. But drawing from Aquinas' five ways he list the arguments found in Summa.

Random thoughts: he lists how Aquinas pulled from the Prime Mover concept to get to "movement." How would he attribute Gods placing movement into humans?--by giving life or something more?

"The efficacy of faith does not reat upon the intensity with which we believe, but in the reliability of the one in whom we believe," p 12.

Ch 2, God:

McGrath does a very good job at breaking down how analogy is used in scripture by speaking of God as shepherd. Truly more forgiving and unassuming than any other theology I have read at any level. He speaks of analogy here so that he can deal with the apostles creed entry of God our Father. I am glad that he follows the Father analogy with a statement that God also possesses Maternal qualities and sexually speaking God is not male. Or, if I could say what he hasn't or has not yet: to speak of God a Mother is just as appropriate as speaking of God as Father. To those who cant get over this point I would simply ask to try to be in solidarity with those who have had an abusive father and to allow them grace to come to God with whatever mental picture they need to psychologically be at ease (and the Spirit is neuter in Greek and feminine in Hebrew if the point really needs to be pressed).

McGrath really does justice to omnipotence stating that Gods power can not involve logical contradictions. I would rather state it that God created reality and abides by the rule sets which correspond to reality. Let's see how far he presses this point.

"In an age which has become increasingly suspicious of the idea of 'power,' it is important to be reminded that talk about 'an almighty God' does not imply that God is a tyrant," pp 36-37. What a wonderful sentence for one beginning theology to internalize and to live in light of and peace with God because of.

The more 101 topics such as transcendence and immenance were only mentioned in quoting the Roman catechism from 1992 and they were not elaborated upon. I believe this was good because there are so many nooks and crannies one can get bogged down in while exploring these concepts. For a "welcome to theology" book I believe explaining the "Wholly Other" or "Ground of Being" as concepts in relation to transcendence is getting to Technical with little pay off.

Ch. 3, Creation:

It will be interesting to see if McGrath, who is so scientifically minded (God bless you for it) brings up evolutionary creation. Many of the fundamentalist hang-ups had by Americans are not shared across the pond (paraphrasing N.T. Wright).

McGrath goes straight to the Hebrew view that creation is victory over the forces of chaos. Wow. He even names the forces as seen by the OT writers: Yam, Leviathan, et al. This is interesting because to get this view (ANE worldview) one usually has to dig through specialized literature.

"The constant biblical emphasis upon the goodness of creation is a reminder that the destructive force of sin is not present in the world by Gods design or permission," p 46.

His section on the imago Dei is very good. His listing of differing models posited by theologians is systematic and well written. He goes about this in what seems an unbidden way.

He does get to young earth which he states encounters considerable problems with conflicting earth ages between the calculated 6-10k years arrived at biblo-mathematically and fossil records which demand a much older earth.

Old earth as a position on creation is proclaimed as the Protestant default. (He wasnt raised in fundamentalist circles.) This basically says "day" a period of time in which God creates the universe [insert time] and makes life come forth.

Intelligent design states that the complexity of life begs for God as the designer. Also it doesnt seem to have a problem with evolution as per Darwin but is critical of darwinism because it posits no goal for creation.

Finally theistic evolution suggests that God made evolution to bring about life like God wanted it. I would think McGrath lands here but have no reason beyond him being scientifically minded to think so.

Ch. 4, Jesus:

McGrath does a good though quick job going.over the Son of Man/God texts. The section that follows this deal with Him being God.

He then lists Christological models of the early church. He lists adoptionism, Docetism and Arianism as three no-go models. He moves to Chalcedon and constrains our Christological model by the hypostatic union. Though basic this section is very good and maintains a high Christology.

Ch. 5, Salvation:

He deals first with the use of analogy in models of atonement using the old question "to whom was the ransom paid?" Historically there have been three possible answers: Devil, Death or Deity. But this also presses the analogy to ask for a recipient of the ransom. Also, I think ransom is a poor word to use here. A better phrase is "slave price." It still begs the same questions but only if one stretches the analogy. It is like assuming that God as Father is male. (Though I'm sure John Mcarthur would...nevermind.)

The first of three models he speaks to is sacrifice, drawing on the letter to the Hebrews, Augustine and Hugh of St. Victor. The second is victory. Quoting Irenaeus "The Word of God was made flesh in order that He might destroy death and bring us to life. For we were tied and bound in sin, we were born in sin, and we live under the dominion of death," p 91. The third is basically the substitution theme from Paul through Anselm to Calvin and Edwards.

Ch. 6, The Trinity:

I appreciate how McGrath opens with "yes, it is deep." Let's acknowledge that not everything we talk about in theology is Sunday-school-easy. But he, like I have, appeals to fidelity to scripture demands this later doctrinal articulation. Or, while being faithful to scripture and taking it for what it says, scripture controls this as an outcome. Beginning, as did the patristics, with Christology, we let the Kenotic and crucified Christ be our hermeneutic control.

This chapter was good though basic. But he did pull in some of Barth's concepts showing that The Father revealed in the Son still needs to Spirit to reveal the Father and the Son to man. Hence Trinity and revelation go hand in hand. McGrath said this without approaching the Neo-orthodox view of revelation which is ex post facto in mechanics and beautiful, though only half the picture of revelation if I understand the Neo-orthodox view correctly.

Ch. 7, The Church:

He begins simply enough covering the visible and the catholic aspects of the church. He also covers the Donatists controversy which was about if a bishop baptized or ordained someone and was later found to be a traitor--fell away--does this impact the others baptism or ordination? Rightly it seems the answer was that one was sealed by God and another is but a bystander in the operation. He spends sadly only a little time developing the Church (local) role in culture. Is she a closed off group?--a walled Eden, possibly? This is an area I believe deserves a bit more discussion. But because this book is so widely ecumenical I imagine such a tangent may make some irate. Some will say that the Church is a walled Eden while some will contend that the Church should be actively serving the community. The other extreme in my mind would be a Church marching for this or that cause or for/against the election of this person/bill.

Ch. 8, The Sacraments:

McGrath spends time covering the historical Protestant (and Roman/Eastern) perspective on the Sacraments. He covers baptism from infant and adult stances without making a value judgement on one over the other. The same was done with the eucharist in trans and con substantion and memorial.

Ch. 9, Heaven:

McGrath begins with the present tension of the already and not yet: citizens of heaven now for a future heaven (I am recording here and not stating my thoughts about the common disembodied soul concept which usually accompanies "heaven" in theology).

I have to take that back: McGrath does suggest a real New Jerusalem where we will be resurrected with glorified bodies. He also seems to hold an Amill position, but again, this is a very descriptive rather than prescriptive book and his opinion is hard to read.

[David J. Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Raises the right questions, gives a generous scope, and shows how to carefully interact with sources. McGrath writes toward the end that his purpose was to whet the appetite to study the truths of theology, not to explore the depths of the truths themselves. To that end, this book accomplishes its mission and is a worthy read.

[Ren · Rating 3 out of 5]

FINALLY. I thought this class may never end. Now to go take my final.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back to basics! I used this book to teach an adult ed class at our church and it went very well. The book was ideal for this purpose and everyone found it approachable, if challenging in some places. A few minor quibbles along the way but that’s the way this goes! The companion volume of readings was also well done.

[Corey · Rating 3 out of 5]

McGrath's work is very straightforward and an excellent introduction to theology. I'm interested in reading his full outline in theology as this was only a brief introduction. The chapters on the Holy Spirit and the Trinity were worth the price of the book alone.

[Isabelle]

Read for school

[David Kerslake · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few years ago I watched Alister McGrath debate religion with Richard Dawkins on Youtube. I really liked the way he argued his case. I then went off and read Dawkins' The God Delusion and then followed it up with McGrath's The Dawkins Delusion. These guys never give up!
This current book does what it says on the tin and does it well, the basics of Christian
theology.
What interested me most was the way Christian thinking emerged from a never ending argument about what the New Testament actually means. They just can't seem to agree. Although this makes it a bit confusing it does mean that thinking can evolve and change with the times which is a good thing.
At times you do find yourself wondering why people got so worked up about things such as the Trinity but they did and if we want to understand religion in its past and present contexts we have to engage.
A really helpful introduction to a fascinating and complex subject.

[Don Bryant]

I want to begin by saying I am a fan of Alister McGrath. He speaks as a standard bearer for that brand of Evangelicalism with which I am most comfortable. He is featured in the video series, The Apostles Creed, and demonstrates clarity, conviction and intellectual credibility and soberness. I have read his "In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible." Good writing. I at some point will read his new biography on CS Lewis, "C. S. Lewis - A Life: Eccentric Genius, Reluctant Prophet."

I use this book for my Christian Traditions class in college. It is a companion volume to his "Theology: The Basic Readings," and a shorter version of his "Christian Theology: An Introduction." It is a short but still sophisticated explication of the essentials of Christian theology, structured by the Apostles Creed. There is only 199 pages of text so brevity is critical and much is left out. But he sets the jib of the sail, as it were, and the alert reader will be sent in a direction that will yield much value along the way. Each chapter ends with engaging a specific original source and then gives the reader some follow up questions that would be useful for personal and group exercises.

The chapters are: Faith, God, Creation, Jesus, Salvation, Spirit, Trinity, Church, Sacraments, and Heaven. There is a glossary, very helpful for students.

McGrath is a British Evangelical. That means he has fewer axes to grind than American Evangelicals who struggle with a Fundamentalist heritage with its inherent "urge to purge" instincts. He is clearly an Evangelical who speaks for supernatural Christianity while maintaining as large a consensus as is intellectually feasible.

In his book, "Theology: The Basic Readings," he gives the reader exposure to original sources without culling out those who do not cross t's and dot i's. He will refer to some of these in his Christian theology book but he refers to these scholars less, since, I am supposing, much of it is liberal, skeptical of supernaturalism, and at the far edges of the Christian tradition. This is particularly true of modern theology.

This is a book that I would like Sunday School teachers to read for their own continuing education as well as church leaders in general. For those who seek a deeper exposure, McGrath's "Theology: The Basics" will be, well, basic, and leave a taste for more.

[Jim Bennett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good introduction to the basics of theology. You can spend a lot of time on some of the topics or you can just get the main points and move on. I guess I'm most comforted in knowing that over the centuries, others asked many of the same questions that I ask today. If our faith is worth anything, we should not be afraid to discuss what we're thinking or questioning. The great reformers and theologians of the past did exactly that. This book makes me want to learn more about the historic Christian faith.

[Kristina Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alister McGrath’s Theology: The Basics is an introduction to and an explanation of the “basic themes, problems, and personalities” of Christian theology, “aimed specifically at those who are approaching it for the first time.” In assuming that the reader knows nothing about the subject, McGrath’s goal is to provide an accessible starting point for the reader who is interested in theology, but unsure about where to begin in a study with such a lengthy, complex, and diverse tradition.

The book is divided into ten chapters, organized loosely along the lines of the Apostle’s Creed, each one dealing with a major theme in Christianity: Faith, God, Creation, Jesus, Salvation, Spirit, Trinity, Church, Sacraments, and Heaven. McGrath delves briefly into the major historical figures who contributed to the understanding of each of these themes. Quoting such august voices as Augustine, Iranaeus, Ignatius, Calvin, Luther, Wesley, Brunner, Barth, and Tillich, McGrath traces the major arguments, agreements, and disagreements throughout the centuries of church history.
Beginning with an historical exploration of the concept of Faith, McGrath illuminates Aquinas’ Five Ways, showing how his “argument from motion” was further developed by William Paley’s clockmaker argument in the late 18th century, before its “plausibility was eroded by the theory of evolution” in the 19th century. He then outlines Blaise Pascal’s understanding of the existence of God as something that we must know, “not only through our reason, but also through our heart.” Next, he consolidates these approaches with a brief exploration of Anselm’s notion of “faith seek[ing] understanding,” before turning to a second aspect of Faith: more than just believing in God’s existence, “faith is about trusting a God who makes promises, and whose promises may be relied upon.” To elucidate this, McGrath guides the reader through Luther’s emphasis that “faith is only as strong as the one in whom we believe and trust; …even a weak faith in someone who is totally reliable is vastly to be preferred to a strong faith in a scoundrel or trickster.”

The section on Creation is particularly interesting, because McGrath explains the ancient Hebrew conception of God’s creation as being a victory over chaos, putting the account of God’s struggle with Leviathan in the book of Job into a rich perspective that would have been understood by the Hebrew people, but is largely lost on the modern Christian reader.

McGrath is an Irish theologian, historian, scientist and an Anglican priest; his own theological position is not highlighted within the text. He is careful to present different sides of theological arguments fairly: while he clearly calls out heretical doctrines of the past such as Arianism, when it comes to the many theological differences that can reasonably be held by bible-believing Christians in friendly opposition to each other, McGrath’s interest is not in making a case for his own perspective, but in providing an overview of the various claims for his student to assess.

One of the valuable features of this book is the manner in which McGrath invites his reader to participate in an active study of the text. He assists the reader in taking on a role not just as a passive recipient of information, but as a student grappling with each of the concepts in order to come to a fuller understanding of their many nuances. Throughout the text, McGrath develops his reader’s ability to “interact with a theological text… in a manageable way.” To this end, at the end of each chapter, he presents an “extract from a leading theologian or theological document… drawn from a variety of Christian traditions, offering… experience of a number of different approaches.” McGrath guides the reader through the process of engagement with these extracts, which are short at first, but grow longer through the book, as the reader learns to examine them carefully and thoroughly, engaging with each concept represented.

This is not a comprehensive book of theology, but it does not purport to be. McGrath keeps in mind his intended reader, the interested beginner, and does a fine job of creating a student of that reader as he guides him through key doctrines of the Church, elucidating some of the variations within the historical theological tradition, and building a solid foundation from which to broaden the study of theology in the future.

[Adrian Romaniuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hate to say this - because I respect prof. McGrath deeply - but this book was a very difficult, long, and quite painful read. Not in terms of content, but rather the lack of it. The author claims that The Basics is written as an introductory text for someone without prior knowledge on Christianity. But reading the book I was under the impression that the Christian context is presumed and technicalities are discussed.
Rarely do we see a clear introduction to a doctrine, rather opinions of theologians over the ages on it. But without some grounding definitions the text feels like you're missing something. I felt like someone tried to teach me the formula for the area of a circle, discussing radius and perimeter without first telling me what a circle actually is.
If I could change one thing that would make the book infinitely better, I would add the introdcution summing up the biblical roots for a doctrine, or briefly explaining what we currently know about it (which was nicely done in the chapters on christology [tension between two natures of Christ] and Trinity [tension between the biblical data and raw logic]).

[Randall Connally · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good primer on the fundamental tenants of theology affirmed by most ‘professing’ Christians using the Apostles Creed as a rough outline. The book can be purchased with a separate volume of readings that supplement the material in the book. I bought this and read most of them and they do add depth and perspective to the material. In particular I liked the way the author encourages the reader to “do theology” throughout the book.

I believe this is an excellent text for use in Christian high schools, Sunday school classes or for lay persons like myself who enjoy theology.

It is written in what I would consider to be an “academically oriented style” as opposed to other theologies which lean more toward being a “new believer oriented” presentation of the material. But I don’t say this to condemn the book, in fact I think this volume nicely supplements other introductions to theology and in tandem with such would reinforce and deepen the historical understanding of theology.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m just going to come out and say it, I don’t enjoy reading systematic theology. I find it much more interesting to explore theology in the context of the biblical story. I’m thankful for systematic theologians who take the time to think through issues of theology carefully, they do help a lot, but wow, it’s so often dry reading.

This book is no exception. It covers the basics of theology in an okay manner, but I found it difficult to get through. Someone needs to write a “Theology for Dummies” book and make it a little more interesting/snappy. Or maybe do a better job of explaining why a particular theological issue matters to your average christian. Someone else quoted a seminary professor saying, “we do theology in the light, so we can stand on it in the dark.” Now that is a theology that matters.

[Alex]

A solid starting place as an overview of the history of Theology, systematising topics by loosely following the structure of the Creed.

Not what I was expecting - was a far more even-handed descriptive work of various theological approaches to each topic (ie. describing the topic of Jesus and the various theological understandings of him throughout history) rather than offering a philosophical methodology for thinking through theology.

Worth a read, but I just wanted something different from what I got.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compared to McGrath’s other books, this one approaches the subject matter in a very similar way but in a different angle. I would say this is the more approachable basic introduction to Christian theology rather than his introduction to Historical Theology. This one is arranged thematically rather than historically but covers many of the same topics. A good introduction to the study of Christian theology for those who are new and those who are familiar.

[Raymond Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an acceptable starting point for learning more about the subject. The work accomplishes its goal of a basic introduction to the major themes of Christian theology. The prose is clear and concise. It includes several short quotations from theologians and study questions, helping the reader to learn to probe theological texts a bit further.

The author's biases become evident largely by what is omitted. However, as a primer, I don't think I can fault the work too much for its omissions.

[Jessica Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was quite different from what I normally pick up, but it was an interesting read nonetheless. I would recommend it for anyone who has come across mentions of heresies, schisms, or debates within the church in their readings of history or in stumbling upon apologetics etc. online and wants more clarity. The author included excerpts from a variety of texts at the end of each chapter, along with some questions for the reader to consider.

[Remi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a terrific introduction to Christian theology, especially when paired with its companion "The Basic Readings." It barely scratches the surface but gives a wide overview. My one complaint is how McGrath's own theology creeps in, sometimes unacknowledged and thus seemingly claiming to be normative or universal.

[Lukas Stock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in preparation for use as a textbook in high school theology classrooms. For use as a secondary source textbook in an introductory setting, it likely doesn’t get much better than this. For personal reading without the added guidance of an instructor, I’d go to more substantial introductions, including McGrath’s own Christian Theology: An Introduction.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent primer on the subject that employs concise language to summarize complicated material in a field often charged with obscurantism and verbosity. However, this tendency emerges even here at times, such as at the end of Chapter 7 when discussing Barth's take on the Trinity (itself already labyrinthine).

[Between a Shelf and a Hard Space · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just too weirdly organized and the topics and figures discussed were also strange. I think the newer editions are longer so they may be a better choice. But overall there are better introductions to theology, including by this author!

[Patrick Lacher · Rating 4 out of 5]

McGrath was known to me. Mainly for his excellent work on C.S.Lewis. This little book is very worth the time of anyone interested in the Theology of Christianity, written for the layman but points to advanced study if interested

[Dawood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recommend this book to All Christian to read!!'

[Richard Worden · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to theology.

[Caleb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book for undergraduates with no theology background. McGrath is a gem with crystal clear thinking and writing.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 ½ stars

[Josh Sweeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic systematic theology book