A Primer for Christian Doctrine

By Jonathan R. Wilson

Book Overview

Penned by a Christian teacher who has led thousands of students through the unfamiliar terrain of systematic theology, A Primer for Christian Doctrine serves as a friendly guide to theology's topics, debates, and terminology. Telling you what you need to know as you begin your study of theology or doctrine, the book is an ideal companion to more comprehensive texts.

After a brief introduction defending the continued need for doctrine, Jonathan Wilson clearly and concisely maps out each of the main topics of Christian belief in separate chapters. He also traces the differing emphases of theologians while suggesting reasons for their differences.

Whether as a first taste of theology or as a readable summary of its present state, Wilson's Primer for Christian Doctrine will be an invaluable resource for students and small groups pursuing a deeper knowledge of what Christians believe.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802846564
• ISBN13: 9780802846563
• Release Date: May 2005
• Publisher: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
• Length: 143 Pages
• Weight: 0.44 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.7" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Very Good Primer on Christian Doctrines

If you're looking for a short and easy-to-read but informative book on Christian doctrines for teaching or personal devotion then this book will serve your purposes well. It is especially good for lay Christians who don't have time to wade through the more heavy and technical systematic theologies that are available out there (e.g., Erickson, Grudem, etc.) Wilson's book is not exhaustive by any means. However, it contains enough information regarding each of the standard topics of systematic theology to well inform any inquiring mind. Also, what one has to keep in mind is that Wilson is hardly ever argumentative (he rarely promotes his own theological perspective). His main purpose, instead, is to give the reader an adequate overview of the various perspectives on every major Christian doctrine. Overall, I would highly recommend this book for ministers, students, and lay people. It is a book especially useful in a classroom setting in an introductory theology course at a Bible college or a study group at church. Though many will find the book lacking because of its length, it still serves its purpose well by giving readers enough information on the standard topics of Christian theology.