Christian Thought Revisited

This is truly a great book for those who want a concise history of the development of Western Theology. What makes it truly outstanding is that it's not just a history lesson, but it explains the discussion's implications/relevancy for contemporary theology. You won't need to be an expert to follow the discussion (though some knowledge of church history might be helpful, though not necessary). As an evangelical, I have been rather frustrated with evangelicalism's view of salvation as simply a door into heaven. It has left me despairing of relevancy considering the fact that I'm not in heaven yet but still living in the here and now. This book explains how much of traditional Christian theology (including evangelicalism but also Catholicism and liberal Protestantism) is based on a specific interpretation of the Bible and theology originally based on Tertullian's legalistic theology (what the author calls type A theology: the Bible is a set of laws to be obeyed). This theology has been mixed with Augustine's Neo-Platonism (type B theology) resulting in the theology dominant in the West:a theology that interprets Scripture as a set of fixed, universal truths that need to be followed. God is the Judge that will punish any deviation herefrom. But the author shows that there was an early theology, originally from Syria and probably closest to the tradition of the New Testament. The author calls it type C theology and considers Irenaeus its main exponent. This type of theology has disappeared due to social and political circumstances. But it's a theology that considers the Christian faith not a set of rules to be obeyed, but God's active participation in the history of mankind. In this theology history is the stage where His purposes will unfold, where His kingdom of justice will be established. This Christianity is not just relevant for the individual Christian who wants to "change his bad behavior" but for the whole Christian community fighting evil in all its forms and manifestations (including society's). And thank God this theology is experiencing a revival thanks to the end of modernity, the fight for social justice (for blacks, women, the poor) and the resurgence of the younger churches from the Third World (and I'm a woman from the Third World). Anyways, a book that has made me think extensively and is helping me free myself from more traditional theology that IMHO has immasculated much of the liberating, earth-shaking, life-transforming, yes, even politically subversive elements of the gospel.

I read this book years ago when it first came out and am delighted to see it has gone into second printing. Since that time I have used this book on a number of occassions as reference. If you have ever wondered why there are so many different Christian religious denominations in the world, this book is a must. If you've ever taken a Christian History class at the seminary level you're probably familiar with this author. Gonzolez is known for two different sets of 3 Volume books on Christian History and now in this relatively small treatment, he brings it all together on how the splits in early Christian thinking developed. In his books he looks at three theological perspectives that developed as Christianity was taken to different cultures. The comparison he makes show the Early Syrian theology, the early Greek theology, and the Latin Theology. His mastery of Christian History goes unquestioned, but in showing how each of the cultures absorded Christianity differently and put their little spin on it, we see the beginnings of split in the Church. Not that all three of these theological perspectives were not considered orthodox. Quite the contrary, but the way in which they perceived Christianity was different enough that it would take that particular theology off in a different direction that eventually lead to the schism between east and west as the Syrian Tradition (earliest form) died off. It even covers how each of the three traditions viewed and interpreted scripture to arrive at conflicting perspectives. You may be surprised to learn that this idea of a unchanging Christian tradition passed down over the passed two thousand years is a fairly tale. This book has spurred me onto further study in the area to find more about the theology that was originally taught by the earliest apostles, rather than taking the party line of St. Augustines Neoplatoism. This is an excellent entry level book into those who are truely seeking the Jesus of the scriptures and one I highly recommend for all.

Gonzalez takes what I consider to be a very legitimate approach to interpreting Christian history by clearly separating his perspective on historical events from the objective account of facts and events (see Gonzalez's History of Christian Thought) that his interpretation is based upon. This seems an honest approach that lends credence to his conclusions.

In this short but lucid volume, popular Christian writer Justo Gonzalez analyzes how three different streams of theology emerged out of the Early Church: TYPE A - originating in the West (Rome) and represented by Tertullian, this theology was heavily influenced by Roman law and culture. TYPE B - centered in Alexandria and represented by Origen, it attempted to mesh the Christian faith with the Greek philosophy. TYPE C - originating in Antioch and represented by Irenaeus, this theology saw the Christian faith as a liberating, salvation history. Gonzalez then shows how TYPES A and B continued to be prominent in the Church, while TYPE C was forgotten and has only now become fully in vogue again. This book is a fantastic analysis of theology in the history of the church, and will cause everyone (especially evangelicals) to re-evaluate their thinking about the message of the Gospel.