Sunday, November 10, 2013

Six Books on Christology

It's been several years since I have taught my Christology course so in addition to dusting off my lectures, I've also been reading several books to refresh my thinking. Since these books were written for average Christians (rather than seminarians or theologians), I thought I'd mention them here.

1) The Supremacy of Christ by Ajith Fernando - With his experience in reaching Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists, Fernando deftly explains why Christianity is not just one among many religions. 288 pages

2) On the Incarnation: Saint Athanasius (Popular Patristics) by Athanasius (99 cents on Kindle) - Probably the least "user-friendly" of the books because of old-fashioned language, but not as difficult as I expected. 98 pages. (Unlike the book pictured above, mine did not have the introduction by C.S. Lewis. I'd LOVE to get my hands on that version someday.)

3) Blood Work by Carter and Anthony - 150 pages, most "user-friendly" of all the books I read, but instead of emphasizing the common beliefs of evangelical Christians, this one emphasizes election and limited atonement (the idea that Christ did not die for all mankind.)

4) Who Is Jesus? by R.C. Sproul - Just over 100 pages, this is an excellent and inspirational overview of the subject. It was free for Kindle the last time I checked.

5) The Cross of Christ by John Stott - I'm still working my way through this one, but it's considered a classic on the subject. 380 pages

6) Creeds in the Making: A Short Introduction to the History of Christian Doctrine
 by Alan Richardson - 128 pages, brief explanation of how the Early Church Fathers fought to preserve the basic tenents of Christianity and to protect the Church from heresy. Richardson is spot on when discussing history, but a little off center in his own views (universalism).



2 comments:

Carol said...

I loved the introduction by C.S. Lewis to On the Incarnation but haven't attempted the actual book yet!

Janet said...

Glad to have these titles! The only one I've read is 'On the Incarnation.' I'm interested in 'Creeds in the Making.' Hope you'll share your thoughts on Stott when you finish.

(Incidentally, I think Lewis's intro "On the Reading of Old Books" is also included in 'God in the Dock' -- if that's any easier to find.)