Christianity 101 [Paperback]

Gilbert Bilezikian (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 1993

You Mean to Say You Don't Know the Meaning of * Monophysitism * Hypostatic Union * Infralapsarian * Traducianism * Chiliastic * Pneumatomachian Cheer up! You don't have to have thousand-dollar vocabulary in order to grasp the priceless basics of Christianity. Christianity 101 bridges the gap between biblical scholarship and people who want to understand the Christian faith. This book presents eight basic doctrines of Christianity--The Bible, God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Human Beings, Redemption, The Church, and The Last Things--in clear, simple language that gives seasoned Christians a fresh understanding of the Bible and its teachings and puts new Christians on familiar terms with Christian doctrine. Gilbert Bilezikian does not shape his analysis of these doctrines in the worn-out, rationalistic categories of older systematic theologies, but in vibrant, dynamic language designed to communicate biblical truths to contemporary believers.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

You Mean to Say You Don’t Know the Meaning of * Monophysitism * Hypostatic Union * Infralapsarian * Traducianism * Chiliastic * Pneumatomachian Cheer up! You don’t have to have thousand-dollar vocabulary in order to grasp the priceless basics of Christianity. Christianity 101 bridges the gap between biblical scholarship and people who want to understand the Christian faith.

This book presents eight basic doctrines of Christianity--The Bible, God, Christ, Holy Spirit, Human Beings, Redemption, The Church, and The Last Things--in clear, simple language that gives seasoned Christians a fresh understanding of the Bible and its teachings and puts new Christians on familiar terms with Christian doctrine. Gilbert Bilezikian does not shape his analysis of these doctrines in the worn-out, rationalistic categories of older systematic theologies, but in vibrant, dynamic language designed to communicate biblical truths to contemporary believers.

About the Author

Gilbert Bilezikian (ThD, Boston University) is a professor emeritus of Wheaton College, a charter member and elder of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and the author of Community 101. SPANISH BIO: La vida profesional del Dr. Gilbert Bilezikian, (Th D de la Universidad de Boston), comenzo en Paris donde sirvio como ministro de educacion cristiana en la Iglesia Americana y como maestro en el Instituto Biblico Europeo. Es profesor emerito de la Facultad Wheaton, miembro fundador y anciano de la iglesia Willow Creek Community Church del Sur de Barrington, en Illinois. Ademas, es autor de un sinnumero de articulos y varios libros entre ellos Cristianismo Elemental, el cual recibio la version francesa del premio 'Libro Americano del Ano'. Su trasfondo y experiencia le hacen un conferencista popular en iglesias, convenciones, facultades y seminarios alrededor del mundo. el y su esposa, Maria, residen en Wheaton, Illinois.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 1St Edition edition (May 2, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310577012
• ISBN-13: 978-0310577010
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #314,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gilbert Bilezikian (ThD, Boston University) is a professor emeritus of Wheaton College, a charter member and elder of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, and the author of Community 101.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great help to Christians new and old, November 3, 1998

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Christianity 101 (Paperback)

This book clarifies many confusing and sometimes misunderstood aspects of Christian theology, including the triune nature of God and the individual aspects of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God's original plan for man and how it was impacted by the Fall, and God's plan for man's salvation. I found that it filled a lot of gaps in my knowledge, even though I've been a Christian since childhood and have read and studied the Bible.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro to Basic Theology, September 5, 2002

By 

Brent Hudson (Moncton, NB) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christianity 101 (Paperback)

Dr. Bilezikian's introduction to basic Christian doctrine is a wonderful distillation of eight basic doctrines of the Church. The book is very easy to read, does not get bogged down in technical debate and does not add endless Scripture references that add little to the point in question. Starting with the doctrine of Revelation, working through each person of the trinity, the church and end times. Bilezikian shows that he has thought through the issues with the question of the average layperson in mind. Bilezikian's chapter on the church is nothing if not inspiring and his chapter on End Times adds a nice touch to a beleaguered area of theology.

I did find some blemishes in the work. At times, Bilezikian jumps to conclusions that are not supported by his argumentation. For instance, on page 16, he makes the claim: "Since the truth of the Old Testament is partial and incomplete, the Old Testament cannot have the final word on any aspect of revelation, unless it is confirmed as such in the New Testament." That is a pretty hard pill to swallow, particularly when one remembers that 2 Tim 3:16 originally referred to the Hebrew Scriptures! More than once, I found myself asking "why" or saying "so what?" after he made some disconnected bold claim (see pp. 156, 183, 201, etc.). His section on predestination was weak in its argumentation, for anyone who has actually studied the issue. Bilezikian argues for corporate election and a self-limitation of God's foreknowledge not unlike the open-theists. It is an interesting argument, but it would have been more helpful to show the reader its weaknesses as well as its strengths. There were a couple of typos in the book ("gopsel" on p.153 etc.) but none were serious. The only major editing flaw was the omission of the discussion questions for chapter 7 (church). I emailed Zondervan about this and a day later the questions were in my inbox -- I was impressed.

Enough nit-picking, all in all, this is a great introductory text with "small-group" or "freshman" written all over it. If you want some basic doctrine in an accessible style, Christianity 101 is the book for you.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Intro Text, September 5, 2002

By 

Brent Hudson (Moncton, NB) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Christianity 101 (Paperback)

Dr. Bilezikian's introduction to basic Christian doctrine is a wonderful distillation of eight basic doctrines of the Church. The book is very easy to read, does not get bogged down in technical debate and does not add endless Scripture references that add little to the point in question. Starting with the doctrine of Revelation, working through each person of the trinity, the church and end times. Bilezikian shows that he has thought through the issues with the question of the average layperson in mind. Bilezikian's chapter on the church is nothing if not inspiring and his chapter on End Times adds a nice touch to a beleaguered area of theology.

I did find some blemishes in the work. At times, Bilezikian jumps to conclusions that are not supported by his argumentation. For instance, on page 16, he makes the claim: "Since the truth of the Old Testament is partial and incomplete, the Old Testament cannot have the final word on any aspect of revelation, unless it is confirmed as such in the New Testament." That is a pretty hard pill to swallow, particularly when one remembers that 2 Tim 3:16 originally referred to the Hebrew Scriptures! More than once, I found myself asking "why" or saying "so what?" after he made some disconnected bold claim (see pp. 156, 183, 201, etc.). His section on predestination was weak in its argumentation, for anyone who has actually studied the issue. Bilezikian argues for corporate election and a self-limitation of God's foreknowledge not unlike the open-theists. It is an interesting argument, but it would have been more helpful to show the reader its weaknesses as well as its strengths.

There were a couple of typos in the book ("gopsel" on p.153 etc.) but none were serious. The only major editing flaw was the omission of the discussion questions for chapter 7 (church). I emailed Zondervan about this and a day later the questions were in my inbox -- I was impressed.

Enough nit-picking, all in all, this is a great introductory text with "small-group" or "freshman" written all over it. If you want some basic doctrine in an accessible style, Christianity 101 is the book for you.