For over twenty years Millard Erickson’s Christian Theology has been used in universities and seminaries as a reliable and comprehensive introduction to systematic theology. This new edition includes numerous additions to the original, reflecting the changes occurring within the theological, intellectual, political, economic, and social realms. There is a new chapter on postmodernism, along with chapter objectives, chapter summaries, and study questions. Most major topics of theology are discussed, including important areas such as biblical criticism, the relationship between theology and philosophy, and contemporizing the Christian message. A noted benefit is Erickson’s willingness to engage with non-evangelical viewpoints giving the reader an inside look at what those outside the conservative evangelical circle believe. A frequent comment made about the original edition was that it was very user-friendly. The author has striven to retain the original edition’s user-friendly characteristic in this new edition.
The central theme of Christian Theology is the magnificence of God. The author refers to the greatness of God in terms of His power, knowledge, and other traditional “natural attributes,” as well as His excellence and splendor. Erickson reminds us, “Theology as well as life needs to be centered on the great living God, rather than on the human creature.” Perceiving the Christian faith as being challenged by both religious competitors and nonreligious ideologies, Dr. Erickson insists that careful theological reasoning and affirmation is even more important than when his first edition was published. With that in mind, it is the author’s hope and prayer that his book will be used by God to strengthen the church and extend the kingdom.
Erickson writes from a conservative, evangelical, Baptist perspective, and, although reformed, he is not ardently Calvinistic. Christian Theology does contain Greek and Hebrew transliterations, but these occurrences are not overwhelming. The book is designed for use in seminaries, but is accessible to the lay-reader as well. Scriptural quotations are generally from the New International Version. Christian Theology is clearly an indispensable tool for pastors, students and church leaders.
Praise for the Print Edition
This book is a very learned presentation of Christian doctrine on the basis of Scripture, but in continuing conversation with the tradition of the church as well as with modern philosophical and theological contributions. While affirming the divine inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible, its form of argument is not fundamentalist, but open and available to everyone interested in the issues of Christian doctrine. The author takes account of critical historical exegesis. His book constitutes an excellent example of the evangelical outlook on the Christian faith and a basis for dialog with other theological positions. 
—Wolfhart Pannenberg, Professor, Systematic Theology, University of Munich
During the past decade Millard Erickson's Christian Theology has established itself as the most widely used and most generally useful of modern Protestant surveys of Christian truth. Robustly evangelical, essentially conservative, thoroughly contemporary, firmly Baptist, gently Calvinistic, and cautiously post-tribulationist premillennial, its fair-minded breadth and meticulous analysis of options have won it consistent praise. Now updated, augmented, and provided with study aids, its usefulness as a text for students and a resource for pastors and lay leaders will be even greater. It is altogether a masterly piece of work.
—J. I. Packer, Professor Emeritus, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Erickson has produced a work that will benefit both pastors and laypeople looking for a contemporary, thorough and accessible summary of historic Christian teachings.
— The Presbyterian Layman, November/December 1998
Easily recognized as the most popular modern evangelical textbook for seminary-level systematic theology, Millard Erickson’s Christian Theology has now appeared in its second edition. The popularity of Erickson's textbook among evangelicals no doubt rests upon its Baptist approach, its moderate Calvinism, and its premillennial stance.
— Robert D. Bell, Biblical Viewpoint
There is more than enough to appreciate and agree with in the book to make it worthwhile to own. It is more for a seminary level than undergraduate, and more for the person who is interested in a variety of views instead of just one. But most anyone who reads the book will benefit from the scholarship and insights to be gained.
—Richard A. Fordyce, Stone-Campbell Journal
Additional Information
- Title: Christian Theology, Second Edition
- Author: Millard J. Erickson
- 1,312 pages
- Baker Academic, 1998
About the Author
Dr. Erickson is Distinguished Professor of Theology at Western Seminary, Portland, OR. He received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University and for many years taught theology at Bethel Seminary, where he also was the academic dean. A leading evangelical spokesman, he has written more than twenty books, including The Word Became Flesh and Postmodernizing the Faith.
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Sample Pages from the Print Edition