The Doctrine of God (Contours of Christian Theology)
Overview
What is theology? What is the nature of God? How should we think about the relationships among the persons of the Trinity? In a carefully reasoned style Gerald Bray distills the essence of these questions and introduces readers to a theological understanding of the personal, trinitarian existence of God. Engaging classical and contemporary theology along the way, Bray also leads us into conversation with the Eastern Orthodox tradition, where he finds valuable insights sadly neglected by evangelical theology. Here is a substantial introduction to the nature and subject of God, and a compelling call for evangelicals to renew their commitment to the solid foundation of a truly trinitarian theology.
Top Highlights
“Only Christians have consistently maintained that God can and must be known in a way which can bear comparison with any other type of philosophy or science.” (Page 17)
“The point which we need to bear in mind is that the acts of God are always subordinate to his character, and are explained by it.” (Page 26)
“Theology now is quite simply what it has always been: the study of God which presupposes, as a condition of its existence, that such an activity is both possible and meaningful.” (Page 24)
“the second aspect of the doctrine of God, which is his personal, trinitarian subsistence.” (Page 9)
“Many of the same people may also believe in God, but if that belief makes no difference to their lives, a Christian would argue that it is essentially false. To believe in God, a Christian would say, is to know God, and if we know God, then it is inevitable that he will change our lives and become the most central part of our life-experience. For Christians it is impossible to be indifferent to the supreme being; the God we worship is a person whom we encounter and who changes human lives.” (Page 14)
- Title: The Doctrine of God
- Author: Gerald Bray
- Series: Contours of Christian Theology
- Publisher: IVP
- Print Publication Date: 1993
- Logos Release Date: 2017
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: God; Trinity
- ISBNs: 9780830815319, 0830815317
- Resource ID: LLS:DOCTRINEGODBRAY
- Resource Type: Systematic Theology
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T23:21:22Z
Dr. Gerald Bray is Research Professor of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, AL, and Distinguished Professor of Theology at Knox Theological Seminary, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
He was born and raised in Montreal, Canada, where he did his undergraduate work at McGill University. He completed his doctoral studies at the Sorbonne in Paris and went on to study theology in Cambridge. In 1978 he was ordained in the Church of England and served a parish in London for two years before going on to teach at Oak Hill College in London. He has been at Beeson since 1993.
Dr. Bray is the editor of the Anglican journal Churchman and has published a number of books, including the award-winning Biblical Interpretation: Past and Present (InterVarsity Press, 1996), Yours Is the Kingdom: A Systematic Theology of the Lord's Prayer(InterVarsity Press, 2007), God Is Love (Crossway, 2012), and his most recent work, God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology (Crossway, 2014).
Dr. Bray speaks several languages fluently. He has lived in Germany, Greece, and Russia, and he has taught in several European countries and Australia. He can often be found in one of the archives of the Church of England, researching parts of its history, on which he has also published a number of important works. He is also an avid swimmer and cyclist.