The story of Christian thought is essential to understanding Christian faith today and the last two millennia of world history. This fresh and lively introduction explores the central ideas, persons, events, and movements that gave rise to Christian thought, from early beginnings to its present forms. By highlighting the important but often neglected role of women and the influence of non-Christian ideas and movements, this book provides a broader context for understanding the history of Christian ideas and their role in shaping our world. Christian Thought:
- provides an overview of the context of Christianity’s origin, including discussion of the influence of Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans
- explores the major events and figures of the history of Christian thought, while drawing attention to significant voices which have often been suppressed
- analyses the impact on Christian thought of widely discussed events such as The Great Schism, the Scientific Revolution, and modernism
- surveys contemporary trends such as fundamentalism, feminism, and postmodernism.
This fully revised and updated second edition features a new chapter on liberal theology and reflects recent scholarship in the field. Complete with figures, timelines and maps, this is an ideal resource for anyone wanting to learn more about the development of Christian thought and its influence over the centuries. Further teaching and learning resources are available on the companion website at www.routledge.com/cw/meister.
1. The Pre-History of Christian Thought 2. Jesus of Nazareth 3. The Apostle Paul: His Thought and Context 4. The Break from Judaism 5. Persecution of Christians 6. Spirituality and Asceticism: Desert Fathers and Mothers 7. The Christian Apologists: Interacting with Gnosticism and Other 'Heresies' 8. The Early Church Councils: Christological Controversy and Definition 9. Trinitarian Debate 10. Formation of the New Testament Canon 11. Augustine: Philosopher, Theologian, and Church Father 12. Monasticism of the Early Middle Ages 13. Eastern Christianity Splits from the West 14. Anselm, Abelard, and Bernard 15. Islam and Judaism in the Middle Ages 16. Women and Theology in the Middle Ages 17. Thomas Aquinas 18. Preparation for Reform 19. Martin Luther 20. The Reformed Tradition 21. Protesting Against the Protestants: Anabaptism and the Radical Reformation 22. Reformation Continues: The English and the Catholics 23. The Challenge of Modernism 24. Pietism and Revivalism 25. Romanticism's Response to Enlightenment Theology 26. Neo-Orthodoxy: Karl Barth and Others 27. Liberal Theology 28. Major Theological Traditions and Developments in the 20th Century 28. Recent and Emerging Themes
Biography
Chad Meister is Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Bethel College in Indiana, USA.
J.B. Stump is Senior Editor at BioLogos and Visiting Scholar at the University of Notre Dame, USA.
Praise for the first edition:
"This ambitious and far-reaching volume surpasses other introductions to Christianity in its combination of depth and scope, and its attentiveness to the contributions of women, of different liberationists, and, indeed, of Jews and Muslims, to Christian thought. Its focus is not the Church or Christian movements or practice, but theology. It brings the story of theology alive by telling it through the people and circumstances in which theological understanding has been demanded, mined, sculpted and honed."
- Harriet Harris, Member of the Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford, and Chaplain of Wadham College, Oxford
