Book Review

Theology is crucial for the church to rightly understand and worship God. As regularly as I can, I encourage believers to study the deep truths of God’s Word and be willing to expend the mental and spiritual energy necessary to understand Bible doctrine. Topics such as God’s sovereignty, justification or the authority of Scripture do not belong to academia along but are pertinent to a Christian’s walk with Jesus Christ.
If knowing theology is important, teaching it is as well. And that’s where Gregg Allison’s book comes it. This book, like none other that I’ve come across, succinctly summarizes 50 Christian doctrines and helps the teacher understand how to clearly communicate these truths. For a summary of Bible doctrines, I often turn to J.I. Packer’s Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs. While Allison’s work certainly won’t nudge Packer’s out of my library, I do really enjoy the layout (something Baker Books does not always do well), the teaching outline and resource recommendations provided in Allison’s volume.
Each of the 50 chapters begin with a helpful summary of the doctrine followed by bullet points of the main themes and a list of scriptures supporting that topic. Each chapter is composed of three sections:

1. Understanding the doctrine. This includes an explanation of the area of theology under examination, scriptural support and defense as well as a list of errors which have commonly been associated with this topic. He doesn’t waste words in explaining the doctrine. He is clear and to the point.
2. Enacting the doctrine – ideas on how to apply it to one’s life.
3. Teaching the doctrine – tips for teaching the truth as well as a helpful outline for teachers.

Whether for personal spiritual growth or for teaching theology, I highly commend this volume!