Bible Doctrine (Hardcover)

by Wayne Grudem (Author), Jeff Purswell (Editor) "Since we affirmed in chapter 1 that systematic theology attempts to summarize the teaching of the whole Bible on various subjects, we next turn to..." (more)
Key Phrases: pretribulational premillennialism, eternal conscious punishment, kenosis theory, New Testament, Holy Spirit, Old Testament (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
How do we know the Bible is God’s Word? What is sin and where did it come from? How is Jesus fully God and fully man? What are spiritual gifts? When and how will Christ return? If you’ve asked questions like these, then “systematic theology” is no abstract term. It’s an approach to finding answers every Christian needs to know.

Bible Doctrine takes a highly commended upper-level textbook on systematic theology and makes it accessible to the average reader. Abridged from Wayne Grudem’s award-winning Systematic Theology, Bible Doctrine covers the same essentials of the faith, giving you a firm grasp on seven key topics: ? The Doctrine of the Word of God ? The Doctrine of God ? The Doctrine of Man ? The Doctrines of Christ and the Holy Spirit ? The Doctrine of the Application of Redemption ? The Doctrine of the Church ? The Doctrine of the Future

Like Systematic Theology, this book is marked by its clarity, its strong scriptural emphasis, its thoroughness in scope and detail, and its treatment of such timely topics as spiritual warfare and the gifts of the Spirit. But you don’t need to have had several years of Bible school to reap the full benefits of Bible Doctrine. It’s easy to understand—and it’s packed with solid, biblical answers to your most important questions -- Publisher

Product Description
This is an abridgment of Grudem's highly commended Systematic Theology intended for laypeople and nonprofessionals.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 528 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (July 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310222338
• ISBN-13: 978-0310222330
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,533 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a must-buy, March 13, 2000

By	Justin Taylor (Minneapolis) - See all my reviews

This condensed version of Grudem's Systemtic Theology, edited by Jeff Purswell, is an excellent resource for any library. Most pastors and teachers will probably stick with the larger volume, but for laypeople, this edition is hard to beat.

I have used this book in teaching Sunday School, and have been fairly impressed with the editorial decisions made. The book is accessible and yet meaty. Added are review questions and a very helpful glossary. Highly recommended!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great intro for the beginning theologian!, December 2, 2002

By	Internet Guru "neoscion" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

I found this book easy to read and theologically solid. The arguments presented were great introductions to the deeper issues of systematic theology. Grudem, humbly weighs important issues with an emphasis on Biblical truth opposed to the temptation of sentimentalism. Honestly, if you are not intimidated by the size of Grudem's "Systematic Theology", I would recommend that you go ahead and buy that one instead. On the other hand, if you want to "get through" a great systematic study this might be more what you're looking for. To put it another way, Bible Doctrine would be a great text book for grades eleven through college, but Systematic Theology could keep you going up through intro classes in seminary.

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Stick with the big book, March 28, 2006

By	Mark (Bordentown, NJ) - See all my reviews

As a HUGE fan of Grudem's original Systematic Theology (as my review of that book makes clear), I thought this might make a good alternative to recommend to church members who may be a little intimidated by the larger volume. I haven't found it to be as useful as I had hoped. Issues come up where people in the church have questions on certain subjects, and more often than not, this book doesn't address the subject they want to look into.

For example, someone approached me wanting to learn more about how the Bible came into being and why we believe that these particular writings are considered the inspired word of God. I looked in the chapters on the word of God in this volume, and it doesn't even address the subject of how and by what criteria the canon came to be defined. I know this volume is just supposed to cover the basics, but if we haven't established why we consider these particular writings to be the authoritative word of God, we have no basis for saying anything else.

I think that the problem is that the original Systematic Theology was already so readable and easy to understand that the editors of this volume weren't really able to improve upon it from that standpoint; all they accomplished was to chop away a lot of useful material. If you're looking for a good, readable, understandable presentation of Christian beliefs for the lay person, I'd recommend that you spend the extra money and get Grudem's original Systematic Theology instead.