Essentials of Christian Theology.

Essentials of Christian Theology. Edited by William C. Placher. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2003. x and 422 pages. Paper. $29.95.

In 2002 the American Academy of Religion honored William C. Placher with its Award for Excellence in Teaching. Placher's pedagogical skill and sensitivity shine in this book. He has brought together eighteen authors who consistently write subtle and insightful--and sometimes brilliant--theology in readily comprehensible prose. The contributors represent a broad diversity of traditions and approaches. There are five Episcopalians, five Presbyterians, two Baptists, two Disciples of Christ (one jointly ordained in the United Church of Christ), two Lutherans, two Roman Catholics, and one Methodist. Some authors would be classified as "evangelical" on the contemporary North American scene; most would not. Some contributors have a clear feminist orientation; some do not.

Placher has organized the book to provide three distinct voices on each topic. The topics are a version of the loci structure familiar in Western theology. Each topic receives one chapter. Placher begins each chapter with an introduction of five to ten pages, in which he highlights some main issues that have historically arisen concerning the topic. Two different theologians then provide essays on the topic. The essay pairs are complementary in several ways. Sometimes they address different issues within the overall topic. Sometimes they proceed with different styles. Sometimes they disagree with each other. With two exceptions, the essays range in length from twelve to eighteen pages. At the conclusion of each chapter Placher offers a list of questions that pick up elements from the two preceding essays as well as from his introduction. He concludes the chapter with a list for further reading.

Placher anticipates that many of this book's readers will be students in introductory courses in systematic theology. He accordingly begins the book with a short essay on the question "Why Bother with Theology?" At the end of this essay he provides an extensive listing of works for further reading, helpfully grouped under headings such as "Introductions to the History of Theology," "Classic Works of the Twentieth Century," "Feminist, Womanist, and Mujerista Theology," and "Evangelical Theology." This listing also includes a few Web sites. One final pedagogical aid is the extensive "Glossary of Names and Terms" at the conclusion of the book.

Placher and his team of authors have produced one of the best introductory texts in systematic theology that I have seen in years. At the same time the quality and breadth of work make this a valuable resource for pastors and other trained theologians.

John Hoffmeyer

Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia