The Genesis of Doctrine: A Study in the Foundation of Doctrinal Criticism - Softcover

Alister E. McGrath

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802843166 ISBN 13: 9780802843166

Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans-Lightning Source, 1997

Synopsis

What is doctrine? How can a doctrinal statement made in the past have any authority in the present? How should doctrinal statements be evaluated and criticized? These questions are of central importance to Christian theology and have important consequences for the church. / In the course of its extensive historical and theological analysis, this groundbreaking study presents a detailed investigation of the development of Christian doctrine and the nature of doctrine itself. / Based on the prestigious 1990 Bampton Lectures at Oxford University, The Genesis of Doctrine explores a range of fundamental issues relating to doctrine, including the social functions of Christian doctrine, the relation between doctrine and Scripture, the external referents of doctrine, and the impact of historicism and the sociology of knowledge on an understanding of doctrine.

About this title

About the Authors

Alister E. McGrath is professor of historical theology at Oxford University and director of the Oxford Centre for Evanglism and Apologetics, Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. The director of the John Templeton Oxford Seminars on Science and Christianity, he holds doctorates from Oxford in molecular biophysics and historical and systematic theology. He is the author of more than forty books, including The Twilight of Atheism: The Rise and Fall of Disbelief in the Modern World, and In the Beginning: The Story of the King James Bible and How It Changed a Nation, a Language, and a Culture.

Alister E. McGrath is principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, and research professor of systematic theology at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia.

From the Back Cover

Alister E. McGrath begins his book by critically engaging the views of George Lindbeck on doctrine before moving on to present a fresh understanding of the nature and function of Christian doctrine within the church. Particular attention is paid to the way in which doctrine acts as a demarcator between communities of faith, providing important insights into contemporary ecumenical debates.

Edition details

• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans-Lightning Source
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802843166
• ISBN 13: 9780802843166
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 280