Book Review: The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition and Reform. By Roger E. Olson. Downers Grove: Intervarsity, 1999.

In his book, The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition and Reform, Roger Olson discusses the development of Christian theology over the course of church history. It is clear that Olson understands the development of Christian theology as a story that has been unfolding over the last two millennia. Olson structures his book into nine parts with approximately four chapters in each part. Throughout each of these nine sections, Olson deals with important issues that marked the development of Christian theology. The story of Christian theology, Olson argues, is centered on one overarching and basic issue. Olson writes, “one thread runs throughout the story of Christian theology and holds the many stories together as a single great narrative of the development of Christian thought. That thread is the common concern all Christian theologians have had with salvation—God’s redemptive activity in forgiving and transforming sinful human beings.”[1] As Olson discusses the major conflicts that have shaped theology over the course of church history—the Trinity, the nature of Christ, the relationship between philosophy and theology, and other issues—he explains how those involved in these various debates were concerned and driven by a concern for eternal salvation. The conflicts over the nature of Christ and the Trinity, for example, were not merely understood to be disagreements about peripheral issues, but were understood to be matters central to the Christian doctine of salvation. Hence, they were controversies in which it was understood that eternal destinies were at stake.

Olson seeks to clarify the nature of the development of theology. He strives to create a greater appreciation for the development of doctrine. Olson explaines that a large number of Christians understand theology as having been delivered as a complete body of doctrine. Examples of this can be observed with the doctrines of the Trinity and the Hypostatic Union. Doctines such as these are often taken for granted today.[2] But Christian theology, as it is known today, Olson says, is a result of the work of theologians who have toiled and labored over the course of church history. It is for this reason that he writes with the aim of bringing a deeper appreciation to his readers for the story of the development of theology.

Over the course of the book, Olson tells the story of Christian theology as he sees it. He very capably explains the historical, social, cultural, and religious settings which gave rise to the need for theologians to do theology within those various contexts. Olson’s ability to draw parallels and to recognize connections between the many philosophical systems and cultural ideas that have arisen throughout the centuries, and to explain how these things have contributed to the development of Christian theology, is really quite masterful.

In addition to recognizing the historical connections that have contributed to the development of Christian theology, Olson shows an impressive knowledge of primary sources.[3] A quick glance of the book’s bibliography bears witness to this fact.

While the book has many strengths, I think there is some room for improvement. Firstly, I think that Augsburger rightly notes that Olson’s characterization of John Calvin as a mere organizer of Zwingli’s theology is a bit irresponsible and completely unwarranted.[4] Olson writes on page 413, “to a large extent, all Calvin did was mediate Zwingli’s Reformed theology to the rest of the world." In general, Olson seems to be too quick to diminish the importance and role of those who fought for theological positions that are commonly associated with the reformed theology of today. In addition to his remarks concerning Calvin’s role under Zwingli, this can be seen in the fact that he gives Arminius an equal amount of treatment to that which he gives John Calvin. This is unquestionably disproportionate considering the vast importance of Calvin’s role over that of Arminius. Olson also describes Beza and others as being “obsessed” with the doctrine of predestination,[5] he characterizes five point Calvinism as “rigid,”[6] and he characterizes Arminius as a metaphysical realist for his understanding that it can be deduced from the Calvinist doctrine of predestination that God is the author of evil.[7]

In addition to this, Olson does not discuss Bultman, demythologization, or Tillich, all of which are of such significance as to be an essential part of the story of Christian theology.[8] And so while The Story of Christian Theology is a valuable book—a book which has the potential to be used in both undergraduate and seminary level survey courses—supplementary material is also needed. Carter notes that while Olson draws connections between the various Christian traditions that have come about over the course of church history, that Adrian Hastings surveys the development of Christian thought within the various geographical contexts in which it developed in his A World History of Christianity.[9] Hence, Carter thinks that the two texts complement one another well.

Personally, I found the reading of Olson’s book to be a good experience. And although I am uncomfortable with some of his characterizations of reformed theology, my own understanding of the key people, places, and issues surrounding the history of Christian thought is significantly deepened.

Personally, I would have appreciated it if the author would have done more theology himself. The book has raised some questions for me concerning God’s viewpoint on the various theological conflicts which have come about over the course of the history of the Christian church. But perhaps such a task is best left to another author.

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End Notes

[1] Roger E. Olson, The Story of Christian Theology, (Downers Grove: Intervarsity, 1999), 13.
[2] Ibid, 16.
[3] Milliard Erickson, review of The Story of Christian Theology, by Roger E. Olson, JETS 43:2 (2000), 346-47.
[4] Daniel Augsburger, review of The Story of Christian Theology, by Roger E. Olson, Church History 71:2 (2002), 447.
[5] Olson, 457.
[6] Ibid, 463.
[7] Ibid, 467.
[8] Ibid, 346.
[9] Kenneth H. Carter, Jr., review of The Story of Christian Theology, by Roger E. Olson, Perspectives in Religious Studies 29:1 (2002), 111-12.

The Shepherd Leader, by Timothy Witmer: $5.00 for 48 hours

WTS Bookstore is offering Timothy Witmer's book, The Shepherd Leader, for $5 for 48 hours. Phil Ryken of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philidelphia is using this book for their pastors and pastors in training. You can read about and order the book by clicking here.

Willing to Believe: The Controversy Over Free Will, by R. C. Sproul

Willing to Believe is a good introduction to the history and nature of the debate on the Protestant doctrine of man’s total depravity and God’s effectual grace. It is a survey of how theologians have explained and thought about the relationship between the sinfulness of man and his ability to come to Christ in faith. Sproul seeks to answer the question of whether God is the author only of justification or of both justification and faith. The book examines the theological understandings of Pelagius, Augustine, the Semi-Pelagians, Martin Luther, John Calvin, James Arminius, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, and Lewis Sperry Chafer concerning this issue.

Here is a brief summary of the theologians surveyed in the book:

1. Pelagius believed that man was inherently able to live according to God’s law.
2. Augustine said that man is incapable of living for God apart from God's grace. He prayed, asking God, "demand whatever you will, only supply what you demand."
3. The Semi-Pelagians believed that while man was still sinful, he was able to cooperate with God’s grace.
4. Martin Luther believed that man was in bondage to sin and could only be rescued from this bondage by God’s grace.
5. John Calvin sided with Luther and Augustine and believed that man was a voluntary slave that could not choose Christ in and of himself apart from God’s grace.
6. James Arminius believed that while man was sinful, he was free to believe. Arminius believed that God would not ask of man what man could not do.
7. Jonathan Edwards sided with Calvin and added that man always does what he most desires.
8. Charles Finney was essentially a Pelagian who believed a different gospel (that Christ’s death was not a work of atonement, but that Christ died in order to inspire us to live for God).
9. Lewis Sperry Chaffer believed that mankind was capable of belief and while it was God’s work the final act of conversion was an act of an individual’s will.

For anyone who does not understand this important debate, this would be the first book I recommended.

Kevin DeYoung's Book List

Kevin DeYoung has listed the books he's been reading for the last several months on his blog with some brief remarks about each book. At the outset he says he's not posting the list to make us think he reads a lot of books, but I came away from it thinking, "Wow! This guy reads a lot of books!"

That having been said, he is reading some good stuff. If you're looking to add to your own reading list, this might be a helpful resource. Click here to see it.

Book Review: At the Altar of Sexual Idolatry, by Steve Gallagher

This book is relatively good in the way it approaches the ethics of sexual addiction. Gallagher identifies the types of attitudes and behaviors that lead to sexual sin, as well as those which keep sexual addicts from experiencing freedom. Gallagher also does a good job of describing the problem of sexual sin. He explains the important internal and external factors that lead to sexual sin. He also describes some of the negative consequences experienced by sexual addicts.

The primary thing I’ve found lacking in the book is a connection to the gospel. Over the course of the book Gallagher indicates that the addict should confess his sin, be mentored by someone who can provide godly instruction, note the consequences that come to sexual addicts, learn to deny selfish desires, stop making excuses, stop blaming others, become desperate for change, cry out to the Lord, develop new habits, separate from the world, realize there is a spiritual battle going on, put on the armor of God, follow Christ’s example, repent, receive God’s discipline, spend time in prayer and God’s Word, avoid atmospheres that provoke lust, cultivate gratitude, repent from complaining, give, serve others, pray for others, fulfill the needs of others, and love their wives. Yet you’ll notice that these are all imperatives—law without gospel.

Now, to be fair, there are a few glimpses of the gospel. In the chapter on repentance, Gallagher indicates that the sexual addict must come to a place of realizing that he is unable to overcome sin apart from God. Yet Gallagher doesn’t tie this explicitly to what God has done in Christ’s redemptive work. Moreover, this is a relatively short section of the book. The cross actually isn’t even mentioned until the last chapter of the book. Gallagher mentions the atonement as payment for the penalty of sin (although his point here is simply that this doesn’t mean that God’s law is no longer relevant). He does then go on to explain that God’s grace saves not only from eternal condemnation, but also from bondage to sin. This gets close, but he doesn’t really explain specifically how God’s grace sets sinners free or how Christ’s life death and resurrection serve as the basis for that freedom from sin.

As we deal with sin, sexual or otherwise, we must keep the gospel central. The message of the gospel strips away my doomed self-righteous attempts to fulfill the law. The knowledge that God no longer counts my sin against me provides me with the freedom to openly acknowledge my sin before Him. The redemptive work of Christ revealed in the message of the gospel empowers me to put the sin in my life to death. But these resources are not made available to the Christian in Gallagher’s book due to the lack of connection to the life-changing gospel. Tragically, this seems to be an all too common trend in current evangelical literature and preaching.*

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*For a thorough explanation of this problem, see Christless Christianity, by Michael Horton.

Four Books I Want to Read from 2009

This week Kevin DeYoung has been blogging about books. He's given his own top reads from 2009 along with the top reads from Mark Dever and C. J. Mahaney. He's also provided a list of forthcoming books from several Christian publishers. Justin Taylor has linked to Kevin DeYoung's book blogs and has also listed Russell Moore's tops picks from 2009.

After looking at everyone's top picks, I've found at least four books that I'm very interested in reading. Here they are:

4. Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem, by Jay Richards

3. Counterfeit Gods: The Empty Promises of Money, Sex, and Power, and the Only Hope That Matters, by Timothy Keller

2. Why Johnny Can’t Preach: The Media Have Shaped the Messengersave Shaped the Messengers, by T. David Gordon

1. The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mindset that Changes Everything, by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne