Know the Theologians

KNOW Series

by Jennifer Powell McNutt, David McNutt, Justin S. Holcomb (Editor)

Know the Theologians is an introduction to the most important thinkers throughout church history and a demonstration of their ongoing relevance for believers today. The Bible describes the church as a kind of family. Those who believe in Christ are sisters and brothers in the faith, whether they live at the same time or are separated by centuries. For that reason, believers today need to know our family members who have come before and shaped our beliefs and practices now. In Know the Theologians , professors and authors Jennifer Powell McNutt and David W. McNutt introduce the most significant thinkers in the church's history. McNutt and McNutt survey over a dozen primary figures, including Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant theologians, who represent the breadth and depth of the church's theology. The book explores how they fit into their own time period and demonstrates their ongoing relevance today. In addition, it draws attention to the theological voices of women throughout the church's history, and every chapter includes short sidebars on figures contemporary to the main theologians, bringing in additional important voices. As part of the KNOW series, Know the Theologians is designed for either personal study or classroom use, and it will also be an accessible resource for small groups and adult education in churches. Chapters end with reflection questions and recommended reading for further study.

Genres: Theology, Church History, History, Christian, Christianity, Religion

288 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2024

About the author

Jennifer Powell McNutt (Ph.D., University of St. Andrews) is the Franklin S. Dyrness Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies and Professor of Theology and History of Christianity at Wheaton College, IL. She is a Fellow in the Royal Historical Society and an award-winning professor and author. She has received both the Sidney E. Mead Prize and the Frank S. and Elizabeth D. Brewer Prize from the American Society of Church History for her writing including her first monograph, Calvin Meets Voltaire (Routledge, 2014). Her research interests include the Reformation, John Calvin, the history and theology of the Reformed tradition, and the history of the Bible and its interpretation. She is the author of the forthcoming The Mary We Forgot (Brazos Press, 2024), the co-author of Know the Theologians (Zondervan, 2024), and co-editor of the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of the Bible and the Reformation (Oxford University Press, 2024). She is also an ordained minister in the Presbyterian church and is co-President of McNuttshell Ministries, which bridges the church and the academy.

Reviews

[Lainey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional primer on Christian theologians. The writing is accessible and clear, noting historical movements and their primary people. Though the book features 16 theologians, really you get a look into so many more. The authors' inclusion of women demonstrates the truth that theology and faith is not relegated now or ever to a male endeavor. Women have thought and spoken about God for centuries. The writing is popular level and brilliantly explains key doctrines and their histories so that the information can be understood easily. At times, the writing is funny too. I found myself chuckling at the wit. I will recommend this book to others!

[Colin Michaelis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have slowly, and I mean slowly, been working my way through this book. It is quite fascinating and very importantly, also thouroughly informing, as you work your way through key figures who have, over the last 20 centuries, profoundly influenced and clarified Christianity. This book covers more than 16 of them in depth, while also providing brief vignettes of more than 40 others.

This group of theologians, men and women, from different continents, confronted heresy, provided deep theological foundations, faced persecution, exile and death, and yet, courageously helped bring light to the solid theological foundations of our faith.

I wish I could expect to remember 1/10th of the details, in this book. I won't. But maybe I will remember some of the key figures and the heresies they fought, the orthodoxy they preached and wrote about, and I will have been challenged by the courage that they exhibited.

If you would like to learn more about Athanasius, the Cappadocian Four, Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, the Wesleys and Karl Barth, to name a few, this book will really get you started.

[David Holford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christian history and thought stretches back two millennia - a lot of time to get your mind around. This book gave me an insight into some of the major thinkers of that time. It helped me see them as often ordinary people grappling with some of the same questions as we struggle with today. A great overview which deserves to be read by every believer. Theologians are people just like you and me.

[Chandler Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes and reflections from my second read of this wonderful book:

- The church is a family. Shouldn’t we get to know the members and ancestors of our family?
- Tertullian coined the term “Trinity.” Irenaeus referred to Son and Holy Spirit as the “two hands” of the Father
- Irenaeus, like Maximus, argued for the supremacy of the Roman church
- The incarnation of God is crucially tied up with the question of our salvation
- Nestorius and the Antiochenes: a union of divinity and humanity “in good nature.” Cyril of Alexandria and the Alexandrians: a real ontological union of divine and human natures
- Athanasius’s Easter Letter of 367: the first source to list the 27 canonical books of the New Testament
- Jesus’s identity is revealed in what he does. What he does (his work) flows from who he is (his person)
- There is no single orthodox theory of atonement
- The Marburg Colloquy: the question was not whether Christ was present in communion, but how Christ was present in communion
- Teresa of Avila: the first woman named a Doctor of the Church. Between the chapters on Julian of Norwich and Teresa, this book functions as an excellent historical introduction to the Christian mystical tradition
- John Wesley significantly engaged with the natural sciences of his day
- Barth’s theology as expounded upon in the church dogmatics is thoroughly Christo-centric

Notes and reflections from my first reading:

“To know the theologians of the body of Christ means recognizing God's faithfulness in sustaining the church throughout its history and through the work of theologians and ministers over the centuries and around the globe.”

This is one of the best, most accessible, and most informative works I have ever read in historical theology. I know that is high praise, but it is an incredible work, and the authors demonstrate incredible, careful, and thorough knowledge of each of the theologians they survey from each period of church history. It is incredible to watch, really. What I also appreciate is the ecumenical focus on theologians from each period. The authors give a balanced focus on Eastern and Western theologians in the patristic period. They write on the mystics and scholastic, as well as John of Damascus (yay!) in the medieval period, and they focus on the reformers, Roman Catholic reformers, and anabaptists in the Reformation period. Arguably the strongest section of the book is the section on the Modern period. Here the authors focus on the Wesley Brothers (Methodism), Friedrich Schleiermacher and Karl Barth (Protestantism), and Gustavo Guttierez (Liberation theology). What is also a standout in this book is the focus on women and their theological and ministerial contributions in church history. In fact, my favorite chapter in this book was the chapter on Julian of Norwich’s life and mystical theology. I also really loved the chapters on Schleiermacher as well as Barth. What’s also commendable is that the chapter on the Cappadocians includes an equal focus on Macrina as it does on Gregory of Nyssa, Basil of Caesarea, and Gregory of Nazianzus. Though female leaders have been marginalized in a lot of contemporary studies of church history, the authors of this work seek to counteract these marginalizing efforts. The authors also so naturally springboard from the theologians of focus in each chapter to the wider theological and historical context of the theologians in order to show the contextual nature of theological development and the impact of each theologian. At the end of the book, the McNutts show how, even though theological history is a diverse and developing theme, each theologian shows a profound interest in the theme of Christ’s centrality and our union with Christ.

Please read this book if you love church history!

[Sam Nesbitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised as to how well this survey of church history was done. The authors achieve a good balance between particular theologians, specific doctrinal developments and controversies, and significant events in the church, all the while maintaining conciseness and depth. The framework for their survey emphasizes the familial bond within the church, which is no doubt true and good, but this is utilized for a thin veneer of ecumenism and egalitarianism, which comes out in minimal evaluation and the inclusion of many women throughout church history (which is still needed and important nonetheless). This is definitely a work worth reading for both those familiar and unfamiliar with the history of doctrine and the church. Those familiar with church history may find some minor points to gripe with (e.g., discussing perichoresis as a trinitarian doctrine in John of Damascus but not discussing perichoresis as a christological doctrine in Gregory of Nanziansus, overemphasizing the discontinuity between medieval scholasticism and the Reformation, etc), but overall it is a fine and edifying work.

[James McPherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very digestable introduction to some of the major theologians of church history. Jennifer Powel McNutt writes in very clear and readable prose.

I am very to happy to see popular protestant works of church history beginning to fully include the medieval period (after augustine) as part of our own heritage without making any apology for it. This tendancy to jump from augustine to luther (maybe briefly pausing for aquinas) was not always present in the protestant world, and I say "good ridance" as we see it fading way again.

The inclusion of modern theologians in this book was refreshing. Again, no apology was made for doing this, and none was needed. More of that, please.

Rating 4 stars because there were some cliche presentations of thinkers/ideas that come off as just a bit shallow if you have you have some background in the things discussed. Also a somewhat uncritical presentation of liberation theology.

I would very much reccomend to someone looking for a broad overview of ideas and people in church history.

[Sarah Cate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for church book club.

A GREAT overview of many key theologians! The first half of the book was full of familiar names, the back half not so much.

I love how the McNutts make learning about these mothers and fathers of the faith easily accessible - and it's notable how often they include the frequently left out mothers of the faith.

Thankful my priest picked this book for us to read - I'd recommend it to anyone looking to understand more of church history.

[T.K. CHAPMAN · Rating 4 out of 5]

Authors cover sixteen theologians through Church history, divided into four time periods
A number of others are given coverage in sidebars throughout the book. Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox are included. Easy to read and includes questions and suggestions for further reading at the end of each chapter.

[Kyosti · Rating 5 out of 5]

No I haven't read this yet, but judging by the podcast John Dickson just did with the McNutt's, this book will be a treasure to worth diving into!

[Adam Marquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The strength to this book is its enjoyable approachability in which accuracy is prioritized and the authors’ love of the topic is evident.