Customer Reviews

The Oxford Companion to Christian Thought (Oxford Companions)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This comprehensive book is great for reference purposes but even better for just browsing. The articles are very interesting and informative, covering the gamut from biblical theology to spirituality to ethics, and even literature and philosophy. The contributors run the theological gamut from conservative to liberal, so everyone will find something to disagree with, but that's part of the educational process. Not just for academic types, everyone with an interest in Christian thinking should enjoy this volume.

This book is quite an amazing look at Christianity. Not only does it cover a wide range of topics, its contributors come from a variety of backgrounds. It is niether centered on Western Christianity nor is it overly dogmatic. Particularly I was impressed with the tact with which hotly debated issues were presented (e.g., abortion, homosexuality, etc.). Moreover, it is extraordinarily accessible while remaining engaging. The articles are written excellently with further readings provided at the end. It's an impressive accomplishment that I would whole-heartedly recommend to any Christian from any background.

This was a very inspirational book, it moved me deeply when I read it. There are many thoughts discussed in this book that never even crossed my feeble mind. I wish i had found this sooner. I did not used to have much faith in the Christian religion but this book alone brought me back into the light. I feel like I am floating on a cloud when I read it. I have read through it 3 times already and I have only had it a month. I reccommend this book to any unsure christians, or unsure people period.

There is no denying that the Oxford Companion to Christian Thought is a very expensive book, but as it is something like an entire library in one book, it sure is worth its price.

You can have a look at the table of contents to see what you can find in the Companion. The essays are written by brilliant and committed theologians, there isn't even a whiff of the dead prose of encycolpedias.

The stress is on contemporary theology, but the excerpts which are accessible here show you that the history of Christian thought is well represented too.

Christianity is more than just your local church and your local preacher's views. This book gives you an idea what has been going on all around the world in the past 2000 years. There is much to learn!

This is a large, heavy and cumbersome book to read whilst in a non-tabled environment, but I've learnt so much from having gone out on a limb and purchasing it that I've also learnt to develop strong arm muscles!

A couple of things I have loved about this 'book' (an insufficient word, more accurate would be to describe it as a reference tool, a library of human ideas and thought). Foremost is its sheer comprehensiveness, every subject and topic of Christian thought is covered by an expert in the field and with an accompanying further reading section. In addition are subjects dealing with other religions and Christianity's theological relationship with them (a paucity in today's world which often competes with a comparison with culture and history).

From this expertise therefore emerges the most erudite and enlightening of commentary - another of its strengths. From this authoritativeness is an indispensible guide for any Christian living in the modern world. He who seeks to understand the place of Christianity in the modern world, where it has come from and hints of where it is going. I myself gained solace from the issues of faith which have been previously discussed and treated by emminent theologians from centuries past.

One thing I would have slight fault with this publication is the sometimes forthrightness of its authors. It is sometimes easy to forget that all of its contents are interpretation and not set in stone, much like Scripture itself. I was sometimes put off by some explanations and viewpoints, but this is of course remedied with a reading list below every entry.

Its ultimate strength, however, is as an accompanying and accessible guide to living a Christian life. It provides those who desire it with the ability to make your own judgment on Christian thought and provide intellectual/theological argument to your beliefs. This is very important to all Christians even if it does not necessarily lead to the solving of our differences.

I can safely say that this tome has so much human thought and ideas within it that Christian or non Christian alike will wonder at its breadth.

More than eight years in the making, the editors deserve a note of thanks for compiling this thoughtful, thorough and scholarly collection of 260 theologians' thoughts on more than 600 of Christianity's big issues.

The book represents a panorama of viewpoints. Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, conservative, radical and evangelical viewpoints are all represented in the signed entries. A bibliography follows each essay and cross-references lead from one topic to another. Controversial topics are dealt with in a balanced fashion.

I have two problems with the book. First, I am easily distracted when I use it. This is more my problem than the editors'. When I consult this volume I have a specific topic or question I want answered. The interesting and provocative nature of the entries often leads me far astray from the question I want answered. It is the same problem I have with Study Bibles. I become so enmeshed in the commentary; I lose sight of the verse or topic I want to research.

Second, graphically each page is a vast sea of gray. There are no illustrations, pictures or white space to visually break up the entries. If the content were not so stimulating, you would never pick up the book.

Despite my reservations, this is a great addition to any Christian's library. If it were not for the graphics, it would deserve five stars.