Divided into three main sections: God and Creation, Christ and Salvation, and Spirit and Church, the "SCM Studyguide to Christian Doctrine" covers such topics as the nature of God-talk, the divine attributes, the doctrine of the Trinity, creation, providence, and eschatology in the first part. Part Two covers such topics as the doctrine of Incarnation, traditional models of salvation, arguments for and against penal substitution, liberation and feminist models of salvation, the question of other religions. And the third part covers the doctrine of the Spirit, the church, charismatic theology, worship, sacraments, and the bible.
Each chapter contains an overview, a list of learning outcomes, and a set of suggested preparatory activities and reading. The chapters also all include careful explanations of various crucial conceptual issues; examples of biblical exegesis, designed to show how exegesis and doctrinal discussion mutually inform and qualify one another; and suggested activities to help the student grasp particular points.
Part 1 Life in God
1 Making sense
2 Knowing and loving
3 Speaking of God
4 The threefold way
5 GodÂ’s human life
6 The enlivening spirit
Part 2 Life in the World
7 The good creation
8 Providence and freedom
9 Facing the end
10 Suffering and love
11 Sin and salvation
12 Election and rejection
13 One and Catholic
14 Apostolic and holy
15 Biblical settlements
16 Trinitarian reading
Index of names and subjects
Index of Bible references