New Lion Handbook of Christian Belief

by Alister E. McGrath

How have Christians come to believe what they do? Now more than ever, in an increasingly secularized generation, there is a need for clear explanation of the unique features of Christian belief. This well-established, highly-regarded Lion handbook has been fully revised, restructured, redesigned and rewritten by a new international team of contributors - with all these revisions carried out with the needs and interests of a new generation of readers in mind. Key features of The New Lion Christian Belief * Major chapters on Faith, God, Jesus, Salvation, the Church and Christian Hope * Over sixty panels on subjects from the origins of the creeds to postmodernity * Expert authorship writing at an accessible level * Takes account of the differences in Christian belief across traditions * Over one hundred full-colour illustrations

Genres: Theology

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Alister Edgar McGrath is a Northern Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian, scientist, and Christian apologist. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion at the University of Oxford, and is Professor of Divinity at Gresham College. He was previously Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King's College London and Head of the Centre for Theology, Religion and Culture, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Oxford, and was principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, until 2005. He is an Anglican priest and is ordained within the Church of England.

Aside from being a faculty member at Oxford, McGrath has also taught at Cambridge University and is a Teaching Fellow at Regent College. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford, a DPhil in Molecular Biophysics, a Doctor of Divinity in Theology and a Doctor of Letters in Intellectual History.

McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion, as well as his writings on apologetics. He is also known for his opposition to New Atheism and antireligionism and his advocacy of theological critical realism. Among his best-known books are The Twilight of Atheism, The Dawkins Delusion?: Atheist Fundamentalism and the Denial of the Divine, Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life, and A Scientific Theology. He is also the author of a number of popular textbooks on theology.

Reviews

[Melanie Rippon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thorough introduction to the basics of Christian belief, accessible without being too simplistic. Each main chapter focuses on a different topic - brief history of Christian belief; faith in general; God; Jesus; salvation; the Church; hope for the future; brief anthology of quotes from the major Christian thinkers of the last 2000 years. Also contains a glossary of common Christian words/phrases.

Gives the reader a solid base on which to build, is non-denominational as it covers some of the major differences between Catholic, Orthodox & Protestant, without partisanship, vilifying or nit-picking. Firmly grounds the roots of the church of the New Testament in the story revealed in the Old Testament. Gorgeously illustrated throughout with photos & pictures, & plenty of quotes in the margins from Christian thinkers through history. Would be a great follow-on to an Alpha/Christianity Explored course, for anyone looking to dig deeper.