This brief bibliography is offered to help orient and guide students in the areas of Christian theology and Church history.
General Church History
Henry Chadwick, The Early Church: The Story of Emergent Christianity, rev. ed. (New York: Penguin Books, 1993).
Owen Chadwick, The Penguin History of the Church: The Reformation (New York: Penguin Books, 1990).
Carlos M. N.
Eire, Reformations: The Early Modern
World, 1450-1650 (New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press, 2016).
Donald Fairbairn, The Global Church—The First Eight Centuries: From Pentecost through the Rise of Islam (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2021).
Justo L. González, The Story of Christianity, rev. ed. (New
York: HarperOne, 2014):
Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation
Vol. 2: The Reformation to the Present Day
R. W. Southern, The Penguin History of the Church: Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages (New York: Penguin Books, 1990).
Robert Louis Wilken, The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity (New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press, 2012). [Includes a selection of global persons in Christian history.]
General Historical Theology
Creeds
Donald Fairbairn and Ryan M. Reeves, The Story of Creeds and Confessions: Tracing the Development of the Christian Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2019).
J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Creeds, 3rd ed. (Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 1982).
Mark Noll, editor, Confessions and Catechisms of the Reformation (Vancouver: Regent College Pub., 2004).
John Leith, Creeds of the Churches: A Reader in Christian Doctrine from the Bible to the Present, 3rd ed. (Louisville, KY: Presbyterian Pub. Corp., 1982).
Jaroslav Pelikan, Credo: Historical and Theological Guide to Creeds and Confessions of Faith in the Christian Tradition (New Haven, CT: Yale Univ. Press, 2005).
Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, 3 vols., rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1984).
Historical Theology
JND Kelly, Early Christian Doctrines, 5th rev. ed. (New York: HarperOne, 1978).
Tony Lane, A Concise History of Christian Thought, rev. and expanded (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006).
Louis Berkhof, The History of Christian Doctrines (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1983).
Alistair McGrath, Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought, 2nd ed. (Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell, 2013).
Gregg Allison, Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2011).
Jaroslav Pelikan, The Christian Tradition: A History of the
Development of Doctrine, 5 vols. (Chicago: Univ. of Chicago Press):
Vol. 1: The Emergence of the Catholic Tradition
(100-600) (1995)
Vol. 2: The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600-1700)
(1977)
Vol. 3: The Growth of Medieval Theology (600-1300)
(1980)
Vol. 4: Reformation of Church and Dogma (1300-1700)
(1985)
Vol. 5: Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (Since 1700) (1991)
Justo Gonzalez, A History of Christian Thought, 3 vols.
(Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2014):
Vol. 1: From the Beginnings to the Council of Chalcedon (1987)
Vol. 2: From Augustine to the Eve of the Reformation
(1987)
Vol. 3: From the Protestant Reformation to the
Twentieth Century (1987)
Also: A History of Christian Thought in One Volume (2014)
Histories of Various Christian Traditions:
Anglican
J. R. H. Moorman and John Moorman, History of the Church in England, 3rd ed. (Harrisburg, PA: Morehouse Pub., 1980).
Pentecostalism
Allan Heaton Anderson, To the Ends of the Earth: Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity (Oxford: Oxford Univ. Press, 2013).
Vinson Synan, The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997).
Theology in Various Christian Traditions:
Basic Christian Orthodoxy from the Patristic Era
Donald Fairbairn, Life in the Trinity: An Introduction to Theology with the Help of the Church Fathers (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010).
Baptist
Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013).
Methodist
Thomas C. Oden, Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology (New York: HarperOne, 2009).
Presbyterian
Donald G. Bloesch, Christian Foundations (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic):
A Theology of Word and Spirit:
Authority and Method in Theology (2005)
Holy Scripture: Revelation,
Inspiration & Interpretation (2005)
God the Almighty: Power, Wisdom,
Holiness, Love
(2010)
Jesus Christ: Savior & Lord (2005)
The Holy Spirit: Works Gifts (2005)
The Last Things: Resurrection, Judgment, Glory (2010)
Richard J. Plantinga, Thompson R. Thompson, and Matthew D. Lundberg, An Introduction to Christian Theology, 2nd ed. (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2022).
Pentecostal
Jonathan Black, Apostolic Theology: A Trinitarian Evangelical Pentecostal Introduction to Christian Thought (Luton, UK: ACUK, 2016).
Frank D. Macchia, Introduction to Theology: Declaring the Wonders of God (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023).
Christopher A. Stephenson, Types of Pentecostal Theology: Method, System, Spirit (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1915).
Wolfgang Vondey, Pentecostal Theology: Living the Full Gospel (London: T. & T. Clark, 2017).
Histories of Mission in Regions of the World:
Mark Shaw and Wanjiru M. Gitau, The Kingdom of God in Africa: A History of African Christianity (Carlisle, UK: Langham Global Library, 2020).
Dictionary of African Christian Biography; online: https://dacb.org/.
‘Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center; online: https://ifphc.org/.
Studies in Christian Traditions and Regions
Rollin G. Grams, Stewards of Grace: A Reflective, Mission Bibliography of Eugene and Phyllis Grams in South Africa: 1951-1962 (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2015).
Mookgo Solomon Kgatle, The Peculiarity of Prophetic Pentecostalism in South Africa (Lausanne, Switzerland: Peter Lang, 2022).
Jesse A. Zink, Christianity and Catastrophe in South Sudan: Civil War, Migration, and the Rise of Dinka Anglicanism (Waco, TX: Baylor Univ. Press, 2018).
Baptists in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
Rollin G. Grams and Parush R. Parushev, et al. Towards an Understanding of European Baptist Identity: Listening to the Churches in Armenia, Bulgaria, Central Asia, Moldova, North Caucasus, Omsk and Poland (Prague, CZ: International Baptist Theological Seminary, 2006).
Nathan Feldmeth, S. Donald Fortson, Garth M. Rosell, and Kenneth J. Stewart, Reformed and Evangelical across Four Centuries: The Presbyterian Story in America (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2022).
S. Donald Fortson, The Presbyterian Creed: A Confessional Tradition in America 1729-1870 (Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster, 2015).
Contextual Theologies
Elias Kifon Bongmba, ed., The Routledge Handbook of African Theology (London: Routledge, 2020).
William Paul Bowers, ‘African Theology,’ Africa Journal of Evangelical Theology 21.2 (2002), pp. 109-125; online at: https://biblicalstudies.org.uk/pdf/ajet/21-2_109.pdf.
Old Testament Theology
W. J. Dumbrell, The Faith of Israel: A Theological Survey of the Old Testament. 2nd ed. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2002).
Stephen J. Gentry, Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical Theological Understanding of the Covenant (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012).
Paul R. House, Old Testament Theology (Downers Grove, Il: Inter Varsity Press, 1998).
Hubbard, R. L., Jr., R. K. Johnston,
and R. P. Meye, eds., Studies in Old
Testament Theology (Dallas: Word, 1992).
H.D. Preuss, Old Testament Theology (Lexington, KY: Westminster, 1995-6).
Robin Routledge, Old Testament Theology: A Thematic Approach. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2009.
Gerhard Von Rad, Old Testament Theology, trans. D. M. G. Stalker (New York: Harper
and Row):
Vol. 1: The Theology of Israel's Historical
Traditions (1962).
Vol. 2: The Theology of Israel's Prophetic Traditions. (1965).
Bruce Waltke, An Old Testament Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011.
New Testament
Theology
James D. G. Dunn, New
Testament Theology: An Introduction (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2009). [In Pauline theology, takes a New Perspective
approach.]
Donald Guthrie, New Testament Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 1981). [Evangelical.]
I. H. Marshall, New Testament Theology: Many Witnesses, One Gospel (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2004). [Evangelical.]
Brian Rosner, T. Desmond Alexander, and Graeme Goldswothy, eds., New Dictionary of Biblical Theology: Exploring Unity and Diversity in Scripture (Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2000).
Thomas Schreiner, New Testament Theology: Magnifying God in Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008). [Evangelical. Southern Baptist.]
Frank S. Thielman, Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005). [Evangelical.]
Pauline Theology
James D. G. Dunn, The Theology of Paul the Apostle (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2006).
Gordon D. Fee, Jesus the Lord According to Paul the Apostle: A Concise Introduction (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018). [Evangelical, Pentecostal.]
Douglas J. Moo, A Theology of Paul and His Letters: The Gift of the New Realm in Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2021). [Evangelical.]
Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An Outline of His Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1997). [A scholarly study of Paul’s theology organised systematically and from a Reformed perspective.]
Evangelical Christianity
Richard F. Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life: An Evangelical Theology of Renewal, expanded ed. (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2020).
Leslie Newbiggin, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1989).
James I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 1973).
John R. W. Stott, Basic Christianity, rev. ed. (Grand
Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1981).
Comments