Church Doctrine: Reconciliation (Faith and Practice of the Christian Community)

The present volume is the fourth in a five-volume study of church doctrine. The multivolume set covers the major parts of church doctrine: Canon God Creation Reconciliation and Redemption. The first volume begins with an introduction to the entire project on why doctrine matters which stresses the ecumenical global and above all biblical horizons of church doctrine as a primary expression of Christian witness. The purpose of this fourth volume is to celebrate the gospel of Jesus Christ as the treasure of the church and the power of God for the reconciliation of the world. The gospel bears witness to the life death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and calls for faith in him as the free gift of forgiveness and new life. The gospel is constantly in motion tearing down every barrier of human bigotry and prejudice not only forming a new society but reforming the church itself. Church doctrine is not a luxury but a necessity for the living community of faith by which its witness in word and deed is tested against the one true measure of Christ the risen Lord. Over the past half-decade Paul McGlasson has quietly been turning out one of the most important dogmatic theologies of our time. His Church Doctrine vol. IV: Reconciliation is the culmination of the project so far. It is a beautiful book. The presentation of Chalcedonian Christology is masterful and the account of the atonement is exemplary both for its balance and for its spiritual penetration. Much as when I read Karl Barth I often find myself moved as well as instructed by McGlassons writing. This is ecclesial dogmatics of the highest order. --Joseph L. Mangina Professor of Theology Wycliffe College; Editor Pro Ecclesia: A Journal of Catholic and Evangelical Theology Paul C. McGlasson is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA). He received his MDiv from Yale Divinity School and his PhD from Yale University in Systematic Theology. He is the author of several books including God the Redeemer Canon and Proclamation and Invitation to Dogmatic Theology. McGlasson has served the church both as a parish minister and as a teacher of theology in college and seminary.