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The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition & Reform Hardcover – May 1, 1999

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Roger E. Olson (Author)
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Roger E. Olson (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars 68 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 652 pages
  • Publisher: IVP Academic; First Edition edition (May 1, 1999)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0830815058
  • ISBN-13: 978-0830815050
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 2 x 9 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,196 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsHelps Make Sense of Theology
By M. Khor on February 6, 2007
Format: Hardcover
Having studied in Bible college, and now teaching in one, it is the experience of many students and I, that theology makes better sense when set in a historical context, and told in a narrative form. Olson ought to be congratulated and highly commended for doing just that in this book.

It is no mean feat to tell the story of twenty centuries of theology in an interesting, insightful, and informative manner: capturing sufficient details of key Christian doctrines, yet without being tedious; presenting and discussing major disagreements, yet without being sectarian.

Olson's genius is shown in both the breadth and depth of the topics covered. All the major theological doctrines and issues through the twenty centuries are covered - from Christology to Trinitarian theology, Socinianism to Calvinism, Liberal to Fundamental. All the major figures were as well: from Athanasius to Luther to Zinzendorf. I enjoyed most his treatment of the rise and decline of liberal theology, where he demonstrated his depth of understanding through linking its pedigree back to Schleiermacher, Kant, and Spinoza.

In his effort to be even and fair, there sure will be some readers who would quibble with perceived lack of clarity in some cherished doctrine or tradition, or particular Christian era. Some may even protest the focus on human action, at the expense it seems of God's. Would these excise the book of Esther from the Bible for its lack of the word "God"?

I commend this book to lecturers and students of theology and church history. I believe this book will greatly open Christian theology to a wider audience, further enquiry, and greater appreciation for Christ.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA story definitely worth the reading
By Amazon Customer on May 16, 2000
Format: Hardcover Verified Purchase
For the serious student of theology this book is a must. It begins with the early fathers and their theological views and works onward toward the twentieth century. It traces the development of theological thought from one generation to another with the highlights of that class of theology having the greatest impact per period.
The story goes from the apostolic fathers and the church council, to the conflict between the Antiochians and the Alexandrians, to the monogerism of Augustine contrasted with the synergism before and after him, to the scholasticism of Aquinas, to the Reformers who attempted to get back to the purity of Scripture and the early church, to the Arminians, Pietists, Puritans, to the liberal theology of the 19th century followed by the modern fundamentalism and Neo-Orthodoxy. The reader is given an in-depth panorama of the significant history of theology.
The one drawback of the book is that an unabridged dictionary is a useful tool to navigate some of the terms particularly the "isms" that reflect the different theological thought.
I particularly like the section Olson has on Neo-Orthodoxy and Fundamentalism as it relates to modern thought. A greater understanding of the history of theology, particularly to what we see today will clearly enable one to identify the origin of and respect current viewpoints with their strengths and weaknesses.
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5.0 out of 5 starsA thoughtful and approachable overview.
By Ken Smith on May 28, 2000
Format: Hardcover
Olson's book is easily the most thoughtful and insightful overview to the history of Christian theology that I've read. Compared to the other similar books in my library, it's much more approachable, but even so, it provided a number of insights into the reasons behind the debates that I had never considered before.
I've been reading more history lately, and if they weren't so annoying, I would've laughed at some of the books and what they try to do. I recently finished _A Brief History of Ireland_, and found myself extremely frustrated at the author: he would refer to various events that I'd never heard of with a phrase like, "As everyone knows," or "The well known story of 'x'", or sometimes just with a wave of his literary hand -- and then would never bother to explain precisely what it is that everyone supposedly knows. He apparently forgot that the reason someone would be reading a brief history of Ireland -- as opposed to academic journals about Irish history -- is because they don't know anything about it! Good books on history -- at least, good books for the general reader -- just tell the story. Thomas Cahill is the perfect example: he doesn't always get every last detail right, and he sometimes skips over huge opposing viewpoints with barely an acknowledgement of their existence, but he has one gift, and a solid one: he can tell a story.
That's one of the primary reasons why I appreciated Olson's book so much: he just tells the story. He explains the theology, but also explains why it was important. I had a year of church history in seminary, but I guess I never quite grasped how external forces -- i.e., responding to critics like Celsus -- played their role in the development of trinitarian and christological dogma.Read more ›
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2.0 out of 5 starsKindle Version - STAY AWAY!!!
By A. Green on September 20, 2010
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
I purchased the Kindle edition of "The Story of Christian Doctrine" by Roger Olson. Currently I'm only 15% through the book. While I'm enjoying the content of the book, unfortunately it is blatantly obvious the Kindle version of it was never proof-read or edited.

A few (!) of the mistakes (so far) include:

"consatrrt" (contra)
"Cclsus's" (Celsus)
"Iren,ieus"
"corruption of sm"
"uncertam"
"Clernent's"
"cortsermative" (conservative)
"mmd's" (mind's)

There are a few points where I really do not know what word the author intended!!

Punctuation is also affected.

********NOTE**********
I noticed the kindle version has been removed.

A note about the exceptional integrity of the publisher. After writing them a short email (mainly consisting of this Amazon review) they replied very quickly with an apology, removed the book from Amazon and sent me the hardcover version of the book at no charge. I would therefore buy an ebook from this publisher again without hesitation because I know if there were similar problems they wouldn't hesitate to make it right.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsHelpful

A great help to understand the progression of Christian theology through the ages. For history buffs its a page turner.

Published 3 months ago by suwanee reader
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Excellent detailed account written in language everyone can understand!

Published 3 months ago by Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 starsThree Stars

Product is as expected and at a good value

Published 4 months ago by Shannon
5.0 out of 5 starsNot for immature Christians

Very informative wouldn't recommend for a immature Christian ,but great book.

Published 5 months ago by Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

It's a very good book. I use it in my Systemtic Theology class. Very clear and concise reading.

Published 6 months ago by Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsFour Stars

Great read on early church theology,

Published 6 months ago by Erica Ramsey
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

great

Published 7 months ago by WKDMH
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

A must have in one's library .

Published 8 months ago by Gina Wheelock
5.0 out of 5 starsChristian theology made easy to follow amid it's own tangles.

As in all the books I've read so far by Olson, he is consistently precise while at the same time concise and clear. Read more

Published 9 months ago by Nelson Banuchi
5.0 out of 5 starsRead like a novel, learn like an academic!

Dr Olson's book is engaging and written very well. I'm reading it as a foundation of Christian theology for a year long study at my church. Read more

Published 10 months ago by amDentist

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