The Christian Faith

by Colin E. Gunton

This book offers a comprehensive and lively look at the Christian faith by internationally-respected theologian, Colin Gunton. Distilling a lifetime's experience of teaching and thought, this is a book for those who wish to understand the meaning and relevance of the fundamental beliefs of Christianity.
The order of the book follows the central themes of the Nicene Creed, the manifesto of the Christian faith. Beginning with consideration of creation and providence, it moves on to the person and work of Christ, and then to the human appropriation of belief and eschatology. A concluding chapter brings together, in a treatment of the Trinity, a discussion of the divine attributes and the doctrine of God that has been revealed in the process of the book's argument.
No other book offers such a comprehensive, systematic and accessible overview of the Christian faith. It will prove invaluable to students of introductory theology, as well as anyone interested in the fundamental claims of Christianity.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction

211 pages, Paperback

First published October 17, 2001

About the author

Colin Ewart Gunton (1941-2003) was a British systematic theologian. As a theologian he made contributions to the doctrine of Creation and the doctrine of the trinity. He was Professor of Christian Doctrine at King's College London from 1984 and co-founder with Christoph Schwoebel of the Research Institute for Systematic Theology in 1988. Gunton was actively involved in the United Reformed Church in the United Kingdom where he had been a minister since 1972. He was arguably the most important British theologian of his generation.

Gunton's most influential work was on the doctrines of Creation and the Trinity. One of his most important books is The One, the Three and the Many: God, Creation and the Culture of Modernity" (1993), and is "a profound analysis of the paradoxes and contradictions of Modernity." The One, the Three and the Many remains a "majestical survey of the western intellectual tradition and a penetrating analysis of the modern condition."

Reviews

[John Lussier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Colin Gunton's introduction to the Christian Faith is a very approachable book for those who wish to think about systematic theology. He organizes the book in the same way that Friedrich Schleiermacher did with his book under the same name, as a discussion of the Christian creed and the Trinitarian faith we've inherited. Yet where Schleiermacher talked about only the experience of God, Gunton is able to talk about the creator God who reveals himself to humanity as Father, Son, and Spirit. The book was a quick read for me and a good refresher on Trinitarian thought. I especially appreciated the almost deductive way Gunton talks about the Trinity. His theology of the Creator and his creation was also very helpful.

[Armando Maese Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tour de force, creatively indebted to the theologies of Irenaeus, Schleiermacher, and Barth.

[Joseph Sverker]

This book gives a very interesting insight to the a little more mature Gunton and how the relational Trinity is made the foundation and starting point for all theology. I suppose one can argue that there is not much directly new in this book that has not been mentioned by Gunton in previous books. However, there is a little more balance and my feeling is that it is not as unbalanced in his statements. Augustine is critiqued at times, and Irenaeus is lauded, but not in the very black and white fashion as one finds it in Promise of Trinitarian theology. There is much of interest in this book however, and to my mind Gunton is doing a very good job to show how theology can be pulled together as a whole if a relational Trinity is to be in foundation for theology, together with a very strong emphasis on the incarnation and the economy of God as starting points or givens. I particularly like how God's attribute, the 'omnis' as Gunton calls them, are treated at the end of the book.

There is, as has been pointed out by others, something of a problem exactly how relationally can be ontologically constitutive. I suppose one will have to make a choice somewhere there, that either it is possible, or one has to start from some sort of essence, or universal? However, as Gunton points out in other books, there are problems with those starting points too, in particular for anthropology.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an amazing book, very helpful and thought provoking. I really enjoyed it, despite the often convoluted prose. The book is a systematic (in brief) treatment of Christian belief. It takes particular views without trying to address the variety of views that have been held on each subject (which would have of course been much longer). There are a few main strengths here, as I see them. One is the pervasiveness of forward-looking purpose in every aspect of theology, meaning he sees the end purpose of time & space as the crucial idea for understanding everything in the past and present. This makes for a well-integrated result, but also an inspiring one. Some of the ideas are truly beautiful. There were some unfinished areas I felt, but overall excellent, challenging and lovely.

[Seth Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic theology book from this term. This term has been steeped in Gunton, von Balthasar, and Boff. All theologians that I haven't spent much time reading, but certainly will in the future, as they have been formational this term.

Gunton's British reformed perspective on the Nicene Creed and the shape of the Trinity offers great hope, pointing to the Christ who comes alongside of Creation, mediates on our behalf, and in his fullness of humanity and divinity, restores and builds our relationship with God. Beautiful thoughts, clear writing, and lots to unpack.

[G Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good and helpful... a little squishy in parts... Nice treatment of a Creational theology with a Christotelic (or Christological) emphasis... good stuff, but I still think his _promise of trinitrain theology_ and father, son and holy spirit_ are better... I would rank this though as an important book... and helpful to theological discussions in general and along with the other two aformentioned titles a good introduction to Gunton.

[Joshua · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times it is brilliant and poignant in expression and at others mired in the silliness of modern dogmas which have retreated from the moorings of the Christian Faith. A worthwhile read after one has already been saturated in the Scriptures and historic Protestant Confessions.

[Mike Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the best introductions I have read to trinitarian theology. It s a book I will return to over and over.