| Preface | 11 |
| Part 1 | The Doing of Theology | |
| 1. | What Is Theology? | 15 |
| The Nature of Theology | 16 |
| The Method of Theology | 19 |
| 2. | Contemporizing the Christian Message | 23 |
| The Contemporary Context of Theology | 24 |
| Approaches to Contemporizing the Christian Message | 25 |
| The Permanent Element in Christianity | 26 |
| The Nature of Contemporization | 27 |
| The Criteria of Permanence in Doctrine | 28 |
| 3. | Postmodernity and Theology | 31 |
| Defining Postmodernism | 32 |
| Doing Theology in the Postmodern Age | 35 |
| Part 2 | God's Revelation | |
| 4. | God's Universal Revelation | 41 |
| The Nature of Revelation | 42 |
| The Modes of General Revelation | 42 |
| The Reality and Efficacy of General Revelation | 43 |
| General Revelation and Human Responsibility | 48 |
| Implications of General Revelation | 49 |
| 5. | God's Particular Revelation | 51 |
| The Definition and Necessity of Special Revelation | 52 |
| The Style of Special Revelation | 53 |
| The Modes of Special Revelation | 55 |
| Special Revelation: Propositional or Personal? | 57 |
| Scripture as Revelation | 58 |
| 6. | The Preservation of the Revelation: Inspiration | 60 |
| Definition of Inspiration | 61 |
| The Fact of Inspiration | 62 |
| Theories of Inspiration | 63 |
| The Extent of Inspiration | 64 |
| The Intensiveness of Inspiration | 65 |
| A Model of Inspiration | 65 |
| 7. | The Dependability of God's Word: Inerrancy | 68 |
| Various Conceptions of Inerrancy | 69 |
| The Importance of Inerrancy | 70 |
| Inerrancy and Phenomena | 71 |
| Defining Inerrancy | 72 |
| Ancillary Issues | 74 |
| 8. | The Power of God's Word: Authority | 76 |
| Religious Authority | 77 |
| The Internal Working of the Holy Spirit | 77 |
| Objective and Subjective Components of Authority | 79 |
| The Bible and Reason | 80 |
| Historical and Normative Authoritativeness | 81 |
| Part 3 | The Nature of God | |
| 9. | The Doctrine of God | 85 |
| The Immanence and Transcendence of God | 87 |
| The Nature of Attributes | 89 |
| Classifications of Attributes | 90 |
| 10. | The Greatness of God | 91 |
| Spirituality | 92 |
| Life | 93 |
| Personality | 93 |
| Infinity | 94 |
| Constancy | 96 |
| 11. | The Goodness of God | 98 |
| Moral Qualities | 99 |
| God's Love and Justice--A Point of Tension? | 104 |
| 12. | God's Three-in-Oneness: The Trinity | 106 |
| The Biblical Teaching | 107 |
| Historical Constructions | 111 |
| Essential Elements of a Doctrine of the Trinity | 113 |
| The Search for Analogies | 114 |
| Part 4 | The Work of God | |
| 13. | God's Plan | 119 |
| Key Definitions | 120 |
| The Biblical Teaching | 120 |
| The Nature of the Divine Plan | 122 |
| Logical Priority: God's Plan or Human Action? | 123 |
| A Moderately Calvinistic Model | 124 |
| Various Understandings of History | 128 |
| 14. | God's Originating Work: Creation | 129 |
| Reasons for Studying the Doctrine of Creation | 130 |
| Elements of the Biblical Teaching on Creation | 131 |
| The Theological Meaning of the Doctrine | 133 |
| The Creation Doctrine and Its Relation to Science | 134 |
| Implications of the Doctrine of Creation | 136 |
| 15. | God's Continuing Work: Providence | 137 |
| Providence as Preservation | 138 |
| Providence as Government | 140 |
| Providence and Prayer | 144 |
| Providence and Miracles | 144 |
| 16. | Evil and God's World: A Special Problem | 147 |
| The Nature of the Problem | 148 |
| Types of Solutions | 149 |
| Themes for Dealing with the Problem of Evil | 149 |
| 17. | God's Special Agents: Angels | 154 |
| Good Angels | 155 |
| Evil Angels | 158 |
| The Role of the Doctrine of Angels | 160 |
| Part 5 | Humanity | |
| 18. | Introduction to the Doctrine of Humanity | 163 |
| Images of Humankind | 164 |
| The Christian View of Humanity | 165 |
| The Biblical Account of Human Creation | 166 |
| The Theological Meaning of Human Creation | 168 |
| 19. | The Image of God in the Human | 170 |
| The Relevant Scripture Passages | 171 |
| Views of the Image | 172 |
| Evaluation of the Views | 174 |
| Conclusions Regarding the Nature of the Image | 175 |
| Implications of the Doctrine | 176 |
| 20. | The Constitutional Nature of the Human | 179 |
| Basic Views of the Human Constitution | 180 |
| Biblical Considerations | 182 |
| An Alternative Model: Conditional Unity | 183 |
| Implications of Conditional Unity | 184 |
| Part 6 | Sin | |
| 21. | The Nature and Source of Sin | 187 |
| The Difficulty of Discussing Sin | 188 |
| Biblical Perspectives on the Nature of Sin | 188 |
| The Source of Sin | 189 |
| 22. | The Results of Sin | 193 |
| Results Affecting the Relationship with God | 194 |
| Effects on the Sinner | 200 |
| Effects on the Relationship to Other Humans | 201 |
| 23. | The Magnitude of Sin | 202 |
| The Extent of Sin | 203 |
| The Intensiveness of Sin | 204 |
| Theories of Original Sin | 206 |
| Original Sin: A Biblical and Contemporary Model | 208 |
| Part 7 | The Person of Christ | |
| 24. | The Deity of Christ | 215 |
| The Biblical Teaching | 216 |
| Historical Departures from Belief in the Full Deity of Christ | 220 |
| Functional Christology | 221 |
| Implications of the Deity of Christ | 221 |
| 25. | The Humanity of Christ | 223 |
| The Importance of the Humanity of Christ | 224 |
| The Biblical Evidence | 225 |
| Early Heresies Regarding the Humanity of Jesus | 227 |
| The Virgin Birth | 228 |
| The Sinlessness of Jesus | 230 |
| Implications of the Humanity of Jesus | 231 |
| 26. | The Unity of the Person of Christ | 233 |
| The Importance and Difficulty of the Issue | 234 |
| The Biblical Material | 234 |
| Early Misunderstandings | 235 |
| Other Attempts to Solve the Problem | 236 |
| Basic Tenets of the Doctrine of Two Natures in One Person | 237 |
| Part 8 | The Work of Christ | |
| 27. | Introduction to the Work of Christ | 243 |
| The Stages of Christ's Work | 245 |
| The Functions of Christ | 248 |
| The Manifold Theories of the Atonement | 251 |
| 28. | The Central Theme of Atonement | 255 |
| Background Factors | 257 |
| The New Testament Teaching | 259 |
| The Basic Meaning of Atonement | 261 |
| Objections to the Penal-Substitution Theory | 263 |
| The Implications of Substitutionary Atonement | 264 |
| Part 9 | The Holy Spirit | |
| 29. | The Person of the Holy Spirit | 269 |
| The Importance of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit | 270 |
| Difficulties in Understanding the Holy Spirit | 271 |
| The Nature of the Holy Spirit | 271 |
| Implications of the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit | 274 |
| 30. | The Work of the Holy Spirit | 275 |
| The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament | 276 |
| The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Life of Jesus | 278 |
| The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Life of the Christian | 278 |
| The Miraculous Gifts Today | 281 |
| Implications of the Work of the Spirit | 285 |
| Part 10 | Salvation | |
| 31. | Conceptions of Salvation | 289 |
| Details on Which Conceptions of Salvation Differ | 290 |
| Current Conceptions of Salvation | 292 |
| 32. | The Antecedent to Salvation: Predestination | 297 |
| Differing Views of Predestination | 298 |
| A Suggested Solution | 302 |
| Implications of Predestination | 303 |
| 33. | The Beginning of Salvation: Subjective Aspects | 305 |
| Effectual Calling | 306 |
| Conversion | 307 |
| Regeneration | 311 |
| Implications of Effectual Calling, Conversion, and Regeneration | 313 |
| 34. | The Beginning of Salvation: Objective Aspects | 314 |
| Union with Christ | 315 |
| Justification | 318 |
| Adoption | 321 |
| 35. | The Continuation and Completion of Salvation | 324 |
| Sanctification | 325 |
| Perseverance | 328 |
| Glorification | 333 |
| Part 11 | The Church | |
| 36. | The Nature of the Church | 339 |
| The Basic Meaning of the Term "Church" | 340 |
| The Unity of the Church | 340 |
| Biblical Images of the Church | 341 |
| Implications | 345 |
| 37. | The Role and Government of the Church | 346 |
| The Functions of the Church | 347 |
| The Heart of the Ministry of the Church: The Gospel | 350 |
| Forms of Church Government | 352 |
| A System of Church Government for Today | 354 |
| 38. | The Ordinances of the Church: Baptism and the Lord's Supper | 356 |
| Baptism: The Initiatory Rite of the Church | 358 |
| The Lord's Supper: The Continuing Rite of the Church | 363 |
| Part 11 | The Last Things | |
| 39. | Introductory Matters and Individual Eschatology | 371 |
| Introduction to Eschatology | 373 |
| Death | 375 |
| The Intermediate State | 378 |
| Implications of the Doctrines of Death and the Intermediate State | 382 |
| 40. | The Second Coming and Its Consequents | 383 |
| The Second Coming | 384 |
| Resurrection | 388 |
| The Final Judgment | 390 |
| Implications of the Second Coming and Its Consequents | 392 |
| 41. | Millennial and Tribulational Views | 393 |
| Millennial Views | 394 |
| Tribulational Views | 400 |
| 42. | Final States | 406 |
| Final State of the Righteous | 407 |
| Final State of the Wicked | 411 |
| Implications of the Doctrine of the Final States | 414 |
| Conclusion | 415 |
| Scripture Index | 417 |
| Name and Subject Index | 427 |
