Introduction to Christianity

Originally published in 1958, Introduction to Christianity considers the nature of Christianity as a life shared in an historical, continuing community. Divided into five parts, the book is a comprehensive interpretation of Christianity as a people created by God's activity in history, with a focus on the proclamation of the Gospel. It highlights and examines the relevance of Christian doctrine to reflections on the meaning of life, and considers the significance of this at a time in which attitudes towards religion are increasingly ambiguous. Introduction to Christianity is ideal for those with an interest in the history of Christianity, Christian theology, and religious philosophy.

Paul Hessert

Part One: Preliminary Considerations; Introduction; 1: Belief, faith, doctrine, and theology; 2: Knowledge, reason, and faith; 3: Religion, science, and philosophy; Part Two: Revelation, The Bible, and Faith; 4: Revelation; 5: The Bible; 6: The response of faith; Part Three: The Biblical Proclamation; 7: Jesus of Nazareth; 8: The significance of Jesus; 9: Jesus and the Gospel; 10: God's work in Israel; 11: Our response to the Gospel; Part Four: God and Man; 12: Implications of a call for decision; 13: The problem of freedom; 14: Image of God and original sin; 15: The need for redemption; 16: Christ and human redemption; 17: The reality of redemption; 18: Eternal life; Part Five: God and the World; 19: Creation; 20: The rationality of creation; 21: The problem of evil; 22: The doctrine of the trinity; Part Six: The Church and Christian Hope; 23: The possibilities of history; 24: The nature of the Church; 25: The life of the Church; 26: The task of the Church; 27: The church and the non-Christian; 28: The Christian hope; In Conclusion; Appendix; Indexes