The comprehensive and engaging introduction to contemporary Christianity, revised and updatedThe second edition of Understanding Christian Doctrine presents a completely updated and revised edition that builds on the most popular features of the first edition to offer a lively overview to the central beliefs of Christianity. Ian S Markham, a noted authority of Christianity, discusses the great thinkers of the Christian tradition and puts them in conversation with contemporary progressive theologies in a book that goes from Augustine, Aquinas, and Luther to Liberationist, Feminist, and Queer theologies. Designed to be a basic primer, the text is written in a manner that assumes the reader has no prior knowledge of theology or Christian doctrine.The book is designed to present the basic options in all the key areas of Christianity as well as information on how to make complex theological decisions. The author tackles all the key questions from creation to eschatology. Furthermore, Markham makes his own distinctive contribution: he argues that theodicy (traditionally seen as a major difficulty with belief) is actually a theme that links many aspects of Christian doctrine. The revised second edition includes a wealth of new information, including:* A lively and comprehensive introduction to Christianity that assumes no prior knowledge of the faith* An overview to the great thinkers of Christian tradition that puts them in conversation with progressive liberationist theologies* Suggestions that help even the most skeptical to learn to understand and possibly embrace theological assertions* Breakout boxes that explain the significance of the text's various philosophical ideas and positionsThe text is ideal for anyone interested in learning about the foundations of Christianity as well as new ideas about the faith. Christianity is presented in a manner that embraces the richness of the tradition and affirms the central claims of the historical creeds, while engaging with liberationist challenges to the tradition.

Preface to the Second Edition ixAcknowledgments xiIntroduction 11 Finding a Way In 52 The Theistic Claim 233 The Nature of God 494 The Trinity 735 The Problem of Evil and Suffering 896 Creation and the Significance of Humanity 1037 God Incarnate 1198 Dying to Sin, Living to Redemption 1359 The Holy Spirit and the Church 14910 Sacraments and the Life of Virtue 16711 Religious Diversity: What is God Up To? 17912 Hope Beyond the Grave 19513 The End of the Age 20514 Participating in the Conversation 217Index 223