God: The Sources of Christian Theology

by Lois Malcolm

This volume provides an excellent collection of primary source documents from key Christian theologians that show ways in which God has been understood throughout the history of Christian thought. Malcolm surveys the major features which have marked theological understandings of God throughout six distinct periods, including the early church, the medieval era, the Reformation, modernity, the twentieth-century, and the present day. She describes the historical contexts and theological relevance of each of these works, which have helped shape the various ways Christians have come to understand God. This book will be particularly valuable to students of theology by providing significant insights from these important and accessible texts.

456 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2012

Reviews

[Jesse Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The compilation of texts by Dr. Lois Malcolm in God: The Sources of Christian Theology is incredible. In this reader Malcolm was tasked with gathering texts to give a foundational understanding of the Doctrine of God throughout Christian History. Considering almost every Christian theologian has dealt with this topic at some point, it probably took a Herculean effort to narrow down the selection. The book would make an excellent text book for an advanced Systematic Theology class. Malcolm’s introduction, which is mainly a highlight reel of the theologians in the book and major theological trends in Church History, is very well done. She also provides an introduction to each of the source materials in the book and a list of “Suggestions for Further Readings.”

There are several positive points to make about Malcolm’s book. The organization is appropriate, especially over the last three chapters. Other editors might have combined at least two of these chapters into one. The translations of the source material are well chosen. It can be especially hard to find good modern translations of Patristic texts. The Introductions do not bog down the book with unneeded or unwanted information. Neither do they give too little, leaving the reader wondering why the text was included or the benefit of reading the selection. The length might be a little scary for some at just under 400 pages without the general Introduction. However, with 46 different theologians, each chapter is quite manageable. Above all, Malcolm’s selection of texts to be included is superb, making it an invaluable collection of sources.

While Malcolm has done so many things well, she has neglected some areas. It was noted early in the book that it was to be mostly a collection of Western Theologians. Malcolm did include some important Eastern Theologians in the Early Church section. As the series focuses on Western Theology, it is still a pitfall that the book/series does not take in the complete “Sources of Christian Theology.” Also lacking is the section on “God in the Reformation,” with only two authors represented, Martin Luther and John Calvin. Where are the rest of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation Theologians?

This book is mainly indended for a classroom setting. It could be used in personal setting and would be useful along with a general Church History book for personal study.