Customer Reviews

Charts of Christian Theology & Doctrine

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am looking at some of the other reviews, and 4 of the 5 people who have responded have criticisms of this book because they apparently felt that House did not accurately portray their pet doctrine or church. I'm guessing that in a chart book like this, the author will never be able to please every single reader. What I like about this is that the material is simple to understand, and in just a few pages, House adequately summarizes a doctrine and the views Christians have on it. For instance, if you wanted to better understand the issue of Calvinism vs. Arminianism, House gives views from both camps. He doesn't tell you what to believe. Certainly if you rest on one side, you might feel like he "missed" important points that could have been made. But this chart book was not meant to be an exhaustive resource that would relieve you of further research on your own. The author merely meant this to be a starting place, to better understand the various views. Maybe this will help a person better sort through an issue and to come to a conclusion about which view is the most biblical and therefore accurate. I have used these charts in explaining different doctrines (i.e. the Trinity). It's worthy of the investment.

I use this book alot to help get the big picture and basic cases for various theological views. The author does a good job of presenting the views of various systems. Most of the charts have the well known related scriptures and short arguments for and against the view.

I think it could be a little better if it had a detailed subject index in the back, but the table of contents is sufficient. It helps if the reader is familiar with the structure and topics of a systematic theology (prolegomena through eschatology). However, this is not the book for an depth study of any particular doctrine. It just helps you get the overall structure quickly. This is a good reference for the intermediate or early theology student. It's probably too terse for a true newcomer to theological studies but could be helpful soon after a little systematic study. This is not a criticism just something to be aware of before you purchase. It's a book of charts not detailed explanations.

For more meat get the Moody Handbook of Theology, by Pentecost, it's an excellent theology summary/introduction. It originated and explains some of the best charts in this chart book. One other thing - this chart book does not describe various church denominational teachings/differences at all. For that see Handbook of Denominations in the United States, by Mead.

. . .which, like the others in the series, will not please everyone, but provide a decent "starting point" for the interested student (primarily Protestant) in learning some of the most basic issues surrounding various theological topics.

It is also useful as a quick reference tool for explaining various theological positions in a "bare bones" or "introductory" fashion.

I own most of this seriee, and have found them helpful for what they are intended to be, but not without flaws.

This is an extremely useful book for anyone who has questions about Christian theological issues. The book is layed out using tables, charts, and diagrams -- that is, outlines. It is not written in normal paragraph format.

For example, if you have a question about the Trinity, you will be treated with a brief history of the doctrine showing what doctrines were debated at the Council of Nicea; an ancient diagram of the Trinity that nicely shows the orthodox view of the doctrine, a chart of a Biblical Presentation of the Trinity, and a two-page chart showing five major views of the Trinity including the source of each, adherents, criticisms, and more.

I find this book incredibly useful and use it all the time.

WOW! What a great book! Really great stuff. Here are some of my comments about the portrayal of "orthodox" Catholic thought.

1) page#3, Chart#1: Good, second statement in the Block about Revelation is not necessary in the presentation of "orthodox" catholic doctrine. We simply call these people what they are, DISSENTERS. See Vatican II document on Divine Revelation. Last sentence at bottom of page about Mary can be misleading to those unfamiliar with authentic Marian Dogma. See definition of "mediatrix" in catholic pocket dictionary.

2) page#11, chart#1: Good presentation of Liberation Theology, Statement about RC theologians in Latin America,(last sentence top block)should be stricken. a) only a very few tried this b) Pope John Paul II Squashed this heresy in the early 80's (See A&E's biography of JPII)

3) page#124(?)&125(?), chart#80: O.K. but not quite correct, WE DO NOT BELIEVE THAT CHRIST IS RE-SACRIFICED AT EACH MASS! See definition of "Mass" in Pocket Dictionary and the Catechism. Participants column incorrect. Laity may recieve the Eucharistic Lord under both "species": Body and Precious Blood. (I do every Sunday.) There was a period when the Laity were restricted but that had to do with a discipline imposed for health and abuse reasons rather than a Doctrinal mandate. However, we teach that HE is truely and completely present in both "species". See 1983 "Code of Cannon Law".

I was pleased to see in the Bibliography on page 144 that he does make use of Ludwig Ott's "FUNDAMENTALS OF CATHOLIC DOGMA". I did finally order this book thanks to your influence. It is a great masterpiece and I am making great use of it. I am a little surprised that Mr. H. Wayne House made the inaccurate statements that I've cited above in view of what Ludwig Ott's book says.

BUT! , THIS IS A GREAT BOOK AND I WILL STUDY IT ALONG WITH MY OTHER REFERENCES. YOU HAVE DONE ME A GREAT SERVICE. I WISH I COULD FIND A CATHOLIC SOURCE AS CONCISE AND EASY TO READ AS THIS ONE! THIS IS

I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED A SNAPSHOT VIEW OF ALL THE DIFFERENT VIEWS OF THEOLOGY AND NOW I HAVE ONE! GREAT! , I really appreciate how he presents the arguments for and against the different position that are out there. And, I really liked Chart #63 on page#103 and what the "Vatican II Emphasis column had to say.

The side-by-side comparisons chart format is a visual alternative to sifting thru narrative about who believes what within Christendom. Nine key areas of theology are covered--Bibliology, Soteriology (study of salvation), Eschatology (study of endtimes), etc. But before getting into the specific areas, chapter one broad theological systems and views--Roman Catholicism, Reformed, Arminian, Neo-Orthodox, covenenant theology vs. dispensationalism, etc. Differences about specifics follow in chapters devoted to each of the 9 theology categories. The charts are factual, without commentary, advocacy or obvious bias for one view over another. I've found this reference book to be particularly helpful for sharing with nonChristians wanting to know the belief differences between one group or another.

I really wanted to like this book. I keep trying to use it as a tool to help my wife and I understand the distinctions between the various "isms" which Christians discuss. We are both college educated and reasonably Biblically literate. We found this book frustrating for a number of reasons, but the main recurring problem is that difficult subjects are consistently defined in terms that are incoherent unless one is already familiar with the viewpoint to begin with. How about this definition of the "Idealism" view of God:

"This philosophy is a mentalistic reductionism that explains a perceived dualism of matter and mind in terms of one all-inclusive mind. All components of the universe, including good and evil, become but a finite counterpart of the Infinite. All elements merge with the ultimate good. The good in turn represents ideal reality." (Section 13)

Or this definition of dynamic monarchianism:

"The notion of a subsistent God is a palpable impossibility, since his perfect unity is perfectly indivisible. The 'diversity' of God is apparent and not real, since the Christ event and work of the Holy Spirit attest only to a dynamic operation within God, not to a hypostatic union." (Section 23)

This book is probably good at getting some conversation going about these things. But we have found it generally unhelpful in actually understanding them at all, or even understanding exactly where position X differs from position Y. What this book lacks is clear articulation--in unambiguous language--of those points at which the various positions differ.

This book is a wonderful starting point for studying (and preparing lessons on) issues of in-house Christian debate, such as predestination vs. free will, which it summarizes in four tables on six pages.

Other tables cover alternative views on biblical inerrancy, theories of inspiration, the Trinity, original sin, the Atonement, water baptism, "tongues", the rapture, the millennium, etc. For each issue, the chart lists positions, adherents/proponents and descriptions/explanations.

The book also has a number of straightforward lists, such as Messianic prophecies fulfilled, names of God, biblical teachings on the Holy Spirit, etc. The book concludes with an extensive bibliography.

I highly recommend it as a very handy, helpful reference.

This is a great suite of information, and very even-handedly presented. I've been looking for a quick referece guide of this nature for years. Indispensable as a ready reference that presents core theological perspectives represented in volumes of other works.

Mr. House has provided a very fine general guide to the various views of historic and modern theology. the comparative charts make the positions of such great christian theologians such as calvin, augustine, luther, barth, etc. clear for students of the Bible. the author covers most of the major areas of theology including Christology, Soteriology and Eschatology.