Reading Christian Theology in the Protestant Tradition offers a distinctive approach to the value of classic works through the lens of Protestantism. While it is anachronistic to speak of Christian theology prior to the Reformation as "Protestant", it is wholly appropriate to recognize how certain common Protestant concerns can be discerned in the earliest traditions of Christianity. The resonances between the ages became both informative and inspiring for Protestants who looked back to pre-reformation sources for confirmation, challenge, and insight. Thus this book begins with the first Christian theologians, covering nearly 2000 years of theological writing from the Didache, Justin Martyr, and Origen to James Cone, José Míguez Bonino, and Sallie McFague. Five major periods of church history are represented in 12 key works, each carefully explained and interpreted by an expert in the field.

PrefaceAcknowledgementsList of ContributorsIntroduction Part 1. The Patristic Period (100-500), Amy Brown Hughes, Gordon University, USA and George Kalantzis, Wheaton University, USAPart 2. Medieval Period (500-1500), Gerald Bray, Beeson Divinity School, USAPart 3. The Reformation Period (1500-1600), Kirsi I. Stjerna, Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, USAPart 4. 17th and 18th Centuries (1600-1800), David P. Barshinger, Crossway Publisher, USA, Douglas A. Sweeney, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, USA and W. Stephen Gunter, Duke Divinity School, USA.Part 5. 19th and 20th Centuries (1800-2000), Wesley Vander Lugt, Warehouse 242, USABibliographyIndex