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The Great Theologians: A Brief Guide

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In The Great Theologians: A Brief Guide, Gerald R. McDermott provides "a short and accessible introduction to some of the greatest theologians - so that any thinking Christian" can "get a ballpark idea of what is distinctive to each."

Do we need to read and study what the great minds of the church have said? McDermott answers, "Ignoring the great and godly minds of the church - who have been ruminating on God for thousands of years - when we have them at our fingertips through books and even the Internet seems to be a kind of arrogance and presumption." He likens comparing our thoughts with theirs as iron sharpening iron (Prov. 27:17 KJV). By studying their works we can learn what theology is best.

The author chose eleven individuals who, in his opinion, had the greatest influence on the development of Christian thought. This does not mean that all of them had good theology. Friedrich Schleiermacher gave rise to liberal theology, but understanding his thought is important to comprehending the strange turns taken by modern theology.

Each chapter covers a different individual and begins with a story about the person's life, highlighting important events. This leads to a review of the main themes in their thinking. The author then zeroes in on one theme that is distinctive to that individual and examines it in detail. He concludes each section with lessons we can learn, a brief selection from the person's writings, questions for reflection and discussion, and a list of resources for further reading.

The author's knowledge of the subject matter, his eye for important details, his skill as a writer and his wisdom in providing practical application make this a delight to read. Even though I had read about most of these individuals before, I gained new insights. I marvel at the wealth of useful information to ponder.

As I read about Calvin I was struck by the comfort that can come through knowing God's sovereignty. The author writes, "If I know that a tragic event in my life was permitted by God, I can be assured that God meant it for good. I might not understand why this thing was permitted, but at least I will have the comfort knowing that in the long run things will be better because of it."

What a surprise to learn that Jonathan Edwards, best known for the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," was obsessed by God's beauty more than his wrath. McDermott summarizes Edwards' thought on the subject: "The essence of true religious experience is to be overwhelmed by a glimpse of the beauty of God, to be drawn to the glory of his perfections and to sense his irresistible love."

Years of experience have taught me the truth of John Henry Newman's disciplina arcani, or "method of keeping sacred things secret." McDermott summarizes what Evangelicals and Lutherans can learn from it: "Too often we have thrown pearls before swine in our evangelism and Christian education.... We Christians generally have been too willing to blabber the mysteries of the faith to anyone we can get to listen, forgetting that `the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God ... and he is not able to understand them' (1 Cor. 2:4). We have both said too much (when we explain the intricacies of atonement and justification to unbelievers) and too little (reducing the gospel and all the Bible to justification by faith)."

In describing how Athanasius defeated the Arians, the author makes a useful observation, "Sometimes it is necessary to use an unbiblical word such as Trinity to teach properly and clearly a biblical concept." He follows with a revealing thought indicative of his personal leaning, "This is also why theology is necessary and the Bible alone is not enough - it needs an orthodox community and tradition to interpret it." Some Evangelicals may take issue with that last thought, but this book makes a strong case for it.

McDermott's background as a professor of religion and philosophy at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, and a teaching pastor at St. John Lutheran Church have shaped his perspective. His appeal is to the collective wisdom of the church rather than to one segment. "The Great Tradition," led by the orthodox thinkers in this book, provides a means to rightly assess the many competing ideologies that we face today.

Though all great theologians fall short in some ways, McDermott persuades readers that they have something to teach us. We see through the development of doctrine how theologians develop, supplement and correct one another. McDermott advocates learning from this heritage with humility and attentiveness that we might see our own shortcomings. This is an excellent introductory guide that is highly readable.

As interested in the "greats" of Christian theology as I am, I was intimidated by the sheer vastness of the field. I didn't know where to begin. No matter what I read, it seemed that each theologian referred to the works of yet another theologian I had never heard of. Fortunately this book gives a concise, well-balanced, and interesting overview of the main theologians. After reading this book, I have a better understanding of the history of both the Christian church, and the Western world as a whole. For the time-pressed college student, or anyone who wants to know more about theology but lacks the time, this book is a great place to start. It's a fairly easy read, and I would say that even some high school students might be able to handle it.

Furthermore, it has whet my appetite, and I've moved on to reading a biography and the sermons of Jonathan Edwards, one of the theologians outlined in the book. This book is theology for those of us who aren't in seminary. Great stuff.

McDermott gives a very succinct and a very readable chapter on each of the lives and theologies of eleven great theologians: Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, Augustine, Calvin, Edwards, Schleiermacher, Newman, Barth and Von Balthasar. Each chapter starts with a biographical sketch. It then covers the major themes of thought of the theologian. Third, the chapter covers the distinctive theme for that theologian. The rest of the chapter has a section on what we can learn from the theologian, a short selection from one of the works of the theologian, a few discussion questions and finally some recommended readings.

McDermott's writing is easy to read and is very enthusiastic about theology. He brings out the strengths of the theologian and some of the problems. However, he always has irenic tone to his writing. I've read most of the theologians and for a brief summary, McDermott's does a very good job about bringing out the main themes of the theologians. His chapter on Edwards is my favorite because he brought out how Edwards focused on the beauty of God rather than the wrath of God in his work. People who know only Edwards's sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" might be surprised by that observation. I found his biographical sketch of Calvin a little too simplistic, but his summary of his theology was good. The final chapter is about how we can learn from all the theologians and use the "Great Tradition". I would equate "Great Tradition" to C. S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity." The suggestions are valid, but I think has some problems as well. Some of the true contributions of these theologians come from heights the theologians climbed and not the common grounds where ecumenical theology treads.

In summary, the book would be excellent for small group discussions to learn about Church history or theology. McDermott handles the theological discussions in a simple, but I think fairly accurate way. The chapters are short and the insights are very good. The book is fun and it holds the readers' interest.

As I started out on this book, I have to say I was a little hesitant.

The thought that kept on repeating on me was how can you encapsulate the life work of any prolific theologian in twenty odd pages? Some of these guys have published millions of pages of work?

However when I got to the end of the book I have to humbly confess - not that the author had successfully surmised the career work of each and every one of these famous theologians - but rather that the author had successfully communicated to me the distinguishing features that each of their ministries had contributed to the rolling juggernaut that is the Christian tradition down through the ages through the Word of God.

If you want a decent taster of some of the world changing theologians - there are not many better places to start than this.

Here are the theologians covered;

Origen - Athanasius - Augustine - Aquinas - Luther - Calvin - Edwards - Schleiermacher - Newman - Barth - Con Balthasar

The thing you may note if you are half familiar with dead theologians is that some of the guys on the list (particularly the guys towards the end of the list) are not very popular at all in some circles. In fact I am almost certain that asking some of your knowledgeable churchy buds about some of these guys is akin to asking a lamppost what it thinks about dogs.

But in spite of this my advice would be to man up, soldier on and read on as the author's insights into some of these guys not only will better enable you to communicate with some traditions who you previously treated as dengue plague infested dirt bags - but it will help you see clearly that God has used all of these guys in varying degrees and ways for his glory. It is also helpful in showing us that Jesus aside no theologian is wholly infallible and all have varying degrees of raging imperfections

I particularly liked how McDermott rounded out the book with a chapter on what these theologians teach us about theology. The salient points were as follows;

*All theologians work within a distinct cultural environment which helps shape their thinking.

*The cultural limitations of theologians do not prevent their opening up truth for the church.

*The Holy Spirit is at work in the history of the Great Tradition.

*There has been development of understanding over time through the history of the Great Tradition.

*We will be able to discern the spirits today (which is the work of theology) only by studying afresh this great tradition.

*We should read not only about the great theologians but the actual writings of these thinkers.

I thought the book was pretty good - as a side - it was obvious Jonathan Edwards is close to the author's heart as he seems to get a mention in each chapter - but that's okay with me.

Wierd as it may sound - I personally found the chapter on Schleiermacher very helpful - reason being it really helps me engage with many from the liberal tradition who although outwardly use many of the same phrases that I would when it comes to Christian jargon mean something totally different.

All in all - get your hands on one - read.

Gerald McDermott is professor of religion and philosophy at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia and a teaching pastor at St. John Lutheran Church. In this brief survey he introduces eleven theologians which he considers to have contributed significantly to the development of theology. These theologians are Origen, Athanasius, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Friedrich Schleiermacher, John Henry Newman, Karl Barth and Hans Urs von Balthasar.

His approach is very useful. He first introduces them by giving a short theological biography about them, then highlights several main features of their theological contributions and then focuses on their main contribution. I find this very useful as a primer for non theologians and for people who wants to know more about theology but are afraid to ask.

I am using this book currently as the study material for the Adult Sunday school in my church. I have found that the people who are in my study have found this book to be very engaging and the discussions we have had have been very lively and entertaining. I am also currently in seminary and have used this book on a number of occasions for research material in several of my history papers. McDermott does not do a deep dive by any means on any of these theologians, but that is not the intent of this book either. It is a very handy guide to some of the more prominent theologians. McDermott is fair in his portrayal of each man and genuinely projects his enthusiasm for theology in his writing. We have only covered the first 3 chapters at the time of this review, but I can see that the people in my class have enjoyed this subject and are recognizing the benefit to studying such important men in the Christian faith. I would definitely recommend this book to any one who is looking for a primer on theologians either for their own edification or for a new subject to teach in Sunday school. The questions that McDermott has in the back of each chapter are great for group discussion and we have never run out of material to cover in our 30-40 minute class. [...]

Want a quick glimpse of Christianity's foremost theologians? Gerald McDermott provides brief biographical sketches, theological summaries, and primary source material from eleven important theologians.

From Origen to Von Balthasar, McDermott takes us on a journey through time, showing us the passion that drives each theologian, as well as the particular insights they are remembered for. There's just enough biography here to get a good glimpse of the man, and just enough summary to give you a good overview of the theology. You might quibble with a couple of his choices (Newman over Irenaeus? No Cappadocians?), but you'll still gain a good overview of the theologians he profiles. Highly recommended!