Now Available: Historical Theology for the Church

Historical Theology for the Church
Jason G. Duesing & Nathan A. Finn, editors
B&H Academic, 2021

Now available from the great team at B&H Academic is a new volume called Historical Theology for the Church.

I have had the joy of working again with Nathan A. Finn as co-editor and, together, we are joined by a stellar lineup of contributing authors.

This project is the culmination of six years of project perseverance and special thanks are due to Thomas White and Cedarville University for hosting the early planning meetings for this project as well as providing helpful editorial advice and encouragement throughout. Historical Theology for the Church arrives in print, in part, due to this valued support.

What is Historical Theology for the Church (HTFC)?

HTFC is intended to be used primarily as a general textbook suitable for Historical Theology, Systematic Theology, and Church History classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Pastors with a college or seminary education will also be helped and may decide to use the textbook as a resource for teaching historical theology to their congregations.

HTFC treats the entire 2000 year history of Christianity with a focus on doctrinal development through major figures, events, and written works. By steering this work “for the church” this textbook intends to show the development of doctrine in history through congregations as well as provide a resource for contemporary congregations.

What are the chapter topics and who are the contributing authors for HTFC?

As this work is for the church in our context, the authors selected for this work all affirm the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), which guides well the churches we seek to serve. Additionally, the authors selected have the appropriate academic credentials to teach this content. We hope the combined works demonstrate excellence in service to our churches.

The original slate of authors included a few more voices, representing diverse ethnic minority perspectives, but for various personal or professional reasons, other matters prevented some from continued participation. We trust that God has directed the voices needed for this project to remain faithful to his Word and serve the churches with excellence.

The content linked to each chapter title provides introductory summaries of each chapter.

Introduction – Jason G. Duesing

Unit 1: Theology in the Patristic Era, AD 100-500
Chapter One – Jesus Christ, Steven A. McKinion
Chapter Two – The Trinity, R. Lucas Stamps
Chapter Three – Scripture and Tradition, Stephen O. Presley
Chapter Four – Salvation, Coleman M. Ford

Unit 2: Theology in the Medieval Era, AD 500-1500
Chapter Five – The Church, Zachary M. Bowden
Chapter Six – Salvation, W. Madison Grace II
Chapter Seven – Scripture and Tradition, William M. Marsh

Unit 3: Theology in the Reformation Era, AD 1500-1700
Chapter Eight – Scripture, Matthew Barrett
Chapter Nine – Salvation, Stephen Brett Eccher
Chapter Ten – The Church, Jason G. Duesing

Unit 4: Theology in the Modern Era, AD 1700-2000
Chapter Eleven – Scripture and Authority, Nathan A. Finn
Chapter Twelve – Creation and Humanity, John Mark Yeats
Chapter Thirteen – The Trinity and Jesus Christ, Matthew J. Hall
Chapter Fourteen – The Holy Spirit and Salvation, Owen Strachan
Chapter Fifteen – The Church, Jeremy M. Kimble
Chapter Sixteen – Last Things, Malcolm B. Yarnell III

Conclusion – Nathan A. Finn