Customer Reviews

Christian Theology

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I bought this theology at the urging of one of my ministers at Church. I found the book deep, but not overwhelming. Erickson comes from a robustly evangelical, gently Calvinistic background. He is respected by moderates and conservatives alike for interacting with other positions fairly, namely that position of Karl Barth--Erickson offering an Evangelical interaction.

For the information of one reviewer who said that Erickson's book Lacked the intellectual rigor of a Barth or Rahner, I would reply that this is an intro-level text at seminary , not a doctoral text (I went to one seminary bookstore to look around and conversed with other PhD students to find this out). In fact, Erickson's willingness to interact with Barth on numerous occasions is praiseworthy. Although Erickson is said to be Calvinistic in his approach, there will be times that he annoys Calvinists (See Wayne Grudem for a slight difference in, for example, "Does Regeneration precede faith?"). To get the most out of this text, read another systematic theology at the same time to compare and contrast.

Final Analysis:
THis is a good work, especially for young evangelicals as myself. It is a work that will get one excited about systematic theology.

"Christian Theology" by Millard Erickson is a comprehensive, seminary level, evangelical systematic theology. Erickson is obviously well studied in a vast array of theological issues from various schools of thought. Typically he will present common viewpoints on a subject and then make an argument for his own position. Most of Erickson's positions seem clearly Calvinistic, but he treats other views with fairness, appreciation, and respect. Though I come from a dissimilar denominational background and some of my personal views are very different than his, I never felt my beliefs were under an unfair scrutiny or malicious attack. The book was so engaging and interesting that I actually found it hard to put down. I highly recommend the book to anyone desiring to study Christian theology at a seminary level.

Millard Erickson is one of the most prolific evangelical theologians writing today. His CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY is (from what I've read) the most widely used systematic theology in Baptist seminaries. The doctrinal perspective of this work is premillenial, baptistic and moderately Calvinistic.

One of the advantages of this book is that Prof. Erickson doesn't bombard the reader with a list of theologians who have opined on various topics. He takes a topic, discusses three or four key thinkers and options, analyzes them, and gives his own opinion.

Prof. Erickson discusses most of the major topics of theology, including important background areas such as biblical criticism, the relationship between theology and philosophy, and contemporizing the Christian message. One area that Prof. Erickson skates over is that of women in the ministry. Last I checked, Prof. Erickson is a member of a pro-women's ordination group called Christians for Biblical Equality, but you wouldn't know it from reading this book. The discussion of women implies that he supports it, but he isn't as clear as one would expect. (See p. 565-66.)

For even more conservative protestant works in systematic theology, readers should consider the works of Robert Reymond and Wayne Grudem.

When I had Dr. Erickson for Systematic Theology in seminary the cover of this book was green and it was affectionately referred to as "the green monster." It was big and intimidating. I bought the book and began my forced, daily readings of it. I found that this monster was gentle and fascinating. Dr. Erickson covers all the sides of the doctrines he discusses and yet does not fail to define where he falls on them. His writing style is such that he is able to make the deepest issues understandable for anyone willing to put a little time into the book. While, the book is not the book I would recommend for someone with no previous theological reading, it is one that I would say needs to be in the collection of anyone seriouesly interested in systematic theology.

There are two primary systematic theologies used by conservative Evangelicals today. One is written by Wayne Grudem and the other by Millard Erickson. In my opinion, Erickson is quite superior.

Erickson is much more thorough in his treatment of the philosophical landscape, both in presenting crucial background information and in his use of philosophical materials in crafting his theology. Therefore he offers a more subtle and critical evaluation of certain theological problems than does Wayne Grudem. Additionally, Grudem many times ignores difficulties and is satisfied simply to quote biblical proof texts in order to support his positions.

An example of the difference in their approach is their presentations of the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture. Erickson deals head on with difficulties raised by critics of inerrancy that might undermine his own view of this doctrine. After fully considering opposing arguments, he offers 5 or 6 nuanced versions of inerrancy that could be acceptable to an Evangelical. Grudem, however, flatly denies that he is aware of even one contradiction in Scripture. Thus, he expends no ink in offering solutions to difficult biblical problems. This is somewhat typical.

If you are interested in a good summary of conservative Christian theology based almost soley on biblical exegesis, then Grudem may be for you. But if you want a systematic theology that truly wrestles with serious objections to Evangelical doctrines by using not only excellent exegesis, but also philosophical tools in a highly competent manner, then buy Erickson.

If there is one evangelical systematic theology book to own for reference purposes, Erickson's book should be it. The positive thing about this book (in contrast to many others) is that this one covers viewpoints from various angles. Though Erickson does give his own opinions on certain matters (for instance, he is a mildly Calvinistic Baptist with premillennial leanings) he still gives a fair hearing to views that differ from his own. Not only that, Erickson is willingly to engage with non-evangelical viewpoints giving the reader the insides on what those outside of the conservative evangelical circle believe. If there is one textbook that evangelical seminaries should use for their systematic theology courses this book should be it. Though many will argue that Erickson is soft on certain theological points, they should realize that he is not out there to push one particular evangelical line (except, of course, those that are foundational to orthodox evangelical theology). Overall, the information contained in this book is very useful. It should be the standard theology textbook for any Christian library.

Outstanding effort. Faithful to Biblical text, logical, consise, contemporary, fairly evaluating interpretive options and honestly and humbly coming down on the side of views most persuasive to his research. Hallmarked by clarity and completeness without sacrificing brevity. Balanced and objective doing justice to the Scriptural witness without compromising truth or conviction. What is most admirable is how he masterfully refuses to artificially resolve doctrinal/theological paradoxes, but lets them stand in the hope that they may resolve into a higher, complementary, whole-orbed truth unknowable here and now. He follows the Biblical injunction, "Do not go beyond what is written." As Scripture is not beholden to any doctrinal camp or denominational persuasion, so the author heroically strives to follow suit, producing a truly Biblical theology summation, the finest I have seen of late. See D.A. Carson's Exegetical Fallacies and note how few (if any) are repeated in this excellent volume.

Erickson does an admirable job of presenting all sides of controversial topics in the best possible light. There are no straw men here. For instance, on predestination, he lists scores of scripture references supporting Armenian free will, and as many supporting Calvinist predestination. In most cases, he weighs in with his own take after both sides have been presented.

I have the 3-volume set of Erickson's work, and it is the one I utilize first when looking for background on a particular issue or doctrine. Erickson is evangelical, orthodox, and even fair. He shares different perspectives on an issue, though he will let you know what his conclusion is. In addition, he is very clear about his points and is not impossible to understand, unlike some books out there can confuse more than enlighten. Erickson deals with every issue you would expect a systematic theology book to discuss. You may not agree with everything he says, but then again, is there anyone you would agree completely with? I recommend this as a valuable tool.

Erickson's language may be simple, but not simplistic. Interfaith theology students will find the book absent of theological "good guys" and "bad guys." The book creatively presents "hard core" theology in plain, contemporary language. Students of theology from non-English speaking countries may happily find Erickson's sources adequate for thesis writing!