The story of Christian thought is essential to understanding Christian faith today and the last two millennia of world history. This fresh and lively introduction explores the central ideas, persons, events, and movements that gave rise to Christian thought, from early beginnings to its present forms. By highlighting the important but often neglected role of women and the influence of non-Christian ideas and movements, this book provides a broader context for understanding the history of Christian ideas and their role in shaping our world. This second edition features a new chapter on liberal theology and reflects recent scholarship in the field.

1. The Pre-History of Christian Thought 2. Jesus of Nazareth 3. The Apostle Paul: His Thought and Context 4. The Break from Judaism 5. Persecution of Christians 6. Spirituality and Asceticism: Desert Fathers and Mothers 7. The Christian Apologists: Interacting with Gnosticism and Other 'Heresies' 8. The Early Church Councils: Christological Controversy and Definition 9. Trinitarian Debate 10. Formation of the New Testament Canon 11. Augustine: Philosopher, Theologian, and Church Father 12. Monasticism of the Early Middle Ages 13. Eastern Christianity Splits from the West 14. Anselm, Abelard, and Bernard 15. Islam and Judaism in the Middle Ages 16. Women and Theology in the Middle Ages 17. Thomas Aquinas 18. Preparation for Reform 19. Martin Luther 20. The Reformed Tradition 21. Protesting Against the Protestants: Anabaptism and the Radical Reformation 22. Reformation Continues: The English and the Catholics 23. The Challenge of Modernism 24. Pietism and Revivalism 25. Romanticism's Response to Enlightenment Theology 26. Neo-Orthodoxy: Karl Barth and Others 27. Liberal Theology 28. Major Theological Traditions and Developments in the 20th Century 28. Recent and Emerging Themes