Part one : The language of love. The Christian experience of God -- God has spoken to us -- The Christian worldview -- Speaking about God -- The practice of theology -- Theology and faith -- Part two : God's love in himself. The mystery of the Trinity -- The being of God -- The God of the Old Testament and the Father of Jesus Christ -- The divine Son of God -- The Holy Spirit -- Part three : God's love for his creation. What God has made -- The spiritual creatures -- The material creation -- The human race -- Human relationships -- Part four : The rejection of God's love. The rejection of God's love by angels -- The rejection of God's love by human beings -- The origin of religion and ethics -- The religions of the world -- Christianity and religious syncretism -- Deviations from Christianity -- Christianity and atheism -- Part five : God so loved the world. God's love for the material world -- God's covenant people -- The sending of the Son -- Part six : The consummation of God's love. The sending of the Holy Spirit -- The Christian life -- The fellowship of believers -- Belonging to the fellowship of believers -- From time to eternity.
Summary:
While there is no substitute for personal, faithful, and careful Bible reading and prayer, the Bible's vast size and diversity can make distilling its truth a daunting task. Thus most Christians benefit from supplemental resources to help learn and apply what Scripture teaches. Renowned theologian, Gerald Bray has produced just such a resource in his new systematic theology. Though packed with robust content, he writes about this volume: "the aim . . . is to reach those who would not normally find systematic theology appealing or even comprehensible." This volume is unique from others in that Bray traces the common theme of God's love through the Bible categorically -- from God's love for himself and his creation to the cross as the ultimate expression of God's love, among other categories. The centrality of God's love in Bray's theology reflects a deep conviction that the Bible shows us God for who he really is. This volume will be of interest to Christians seeking to grow in their faith. - Publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.