BOOK COVER -- HALF-TITLE -- TITLE -- COPYRIGHT -- CONTENTS -- INTRODUCTION -- CHAPTER 1 THE ESSENCE AND IDENTITY OF CHRISTIANITY -- EARLY VIEWS -- MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION VIEWS -- MODERN VIEWS -- THE QUESTION OF CHRISTIAN IDENTITY -- CHAPTER 2 CHRISTIAN HISTORY -- THE EARLY CHURCH -- THE RELATION OF THE EARLY CHURCH TO LATE JUDAISM -- THE RELATION OF THE EARLY CHURCH TO THE CAREER AND INTENTIONS OF JESUS -- THE GENTILE MISSION AND ST. PAUL -- THE CONTEMPORARY SOCIAL, RELIGIOUS, AND INTELLECTUAL WORLD -- THE INTERNAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH -- THE PROBLEM OF JURISDICTIONAL AUTHORITY -- THE PROBLEM OF SCRIPTURAL AUTHORITY -- THE PROBLEM OF THEOLOGICAL AUTHORITY -- EARLY HERETICAL MOVEMENTS -- RELATIONS BETWEEN CHRISTIANITY AND GRECO-ROMAN CULTURE -- CHURCH-STATE RELATIONS -- CHRISTIANITY AND CLASSICAL CULTURE -- THE APOLOGISTS -- THE EARLY LITURGY, THE CALENDAR, AND THE ARTS -- THE ALLIANCE BETWEEN CHURCH AND EMPIRE -- THEOLOGICAL CONTROVERSIES OF THE 4TH AND 5TH CENTURIES -- WESTERN CONTROVERSIES -- EASTERN CONTROVERSIES -- LITURGY AND THE ARTS AFTER CONSTANTINE -- NEW FORMS OF WORSHIP -- POLITICAL RELATIONS BETWEEN EAST AND WEST -- LITERATURE AND ART OF THE "DARK AGES" -- MISSIONS AND MONASTICISM -- THE PHOTI AN SCHISM -- THE GREAT EAST-WEST SCHISM -- FROM THE SCHISM TO THE PRESENT -- PAPACY AND EMPIRE -- MEDIEVAL THOUGHT -- REFORMATION -- CHRISTIANITY FROM THE 16TH TO THE 20TH CENTURY -- CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIANITY -- CHAPTER 3 CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE -- THE NATURE AND FUNCTIONS OF DOCTRINE -- SCRIPTURE AND TRADITION -- EVANGELISM -- CATECHESIS -- LITURGY -- ETHICS -- DEFENDING THE FAITH -- RESPECTING LANGUAGE AND KNOWLEDGE -- RESPECTING PLACES AND PEOPLES -- DOGMA, OR AUTHORITATIVE TEACHING -- CONSENSUS -- CREDS AND CONFESSIONS -- THE MATURATION OF UNDERSTANDING -- CHAPTER 4 GOD.

CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPT OF GOD -- GOD THE FATHER -- THE BELIEF IN THE ONENESS OF THE FATHER AND THE SON -- THE REVELATORY CHARACTER OF GOD -- GOD AS CREATOR, SUSTAINER, AND JUDGE -- THE VIEW THAT GOD IS NOT SOLITARY -- CONTEMPORARY VIEWS OF GOD -- SATAN AND THE ORIGIN OF EVIL -- GOD THE SON -- DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS OF THE PERSON OF JESUS -- THE CHRISTOLOGICAL CONTROVERSIES -- MESSIANIC VIEWS -- THE DOCTRINE OF THE VIRGIN MARY AND HOLY WISDOM -- GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT -- CONTRADICTORY ASPECTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT -- CONFLICT BETWEEN ORDER AND CHARISMATIC FREEDOM -- THE OPERATIONS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT -- THE HOLY TRINITY -- THE BASIS FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY -- INTRODUCTION OF NEOPLATONIC THEMES -- ATTEMPTS AT A DEFINITION -- CHAPTER 5 THE CHRISTIAN CONCEPTION OF HUMAN NATURE -- THE HUMAN AS A CREATURE -- THE HUMAN AS THE IMAGE OF GOD -- HUMAN REDEMPTION -- THE PROBLEM OF SUFFERING -- THE RESURRECTION OF THE BODY -- PROGRESSIVE HUMAN PERFECTION -- THE HUMAN BEING IN THE LIGHT OF CHRIST -- THE "REBORN" HUMAN -- HUMAN LIBERATION -- JOY IN HUMAN EXISTENCE -- THE CHARISMATIC BELIEVER -- CHRISTIAN PERFECTION -- FELOW HUMANS AS THE PRESENT CHRIST -- ESCHATOLOGY ("LAST THINGS") -- EXPECTATIONS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN EARLY CHRISTIANITY -- EXPECTATIONS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE MEDIEVAL AND REFORMATION PERIODS -- EXPECTATIONS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD IN THE POST-REFORMATION PERIOD -- THE ROLE OF IMMINENT EXPECTATION IN MISSIONS AND EMIGRATIONS -- ESCHATOLOGICAL EXPECTATIONS AND SECULARIZATION -- CONCEPTS OF LIFE AFTER DEATH -- CHAPTER 6 THE CHURCH -- NORMATIVE DEFENSES IN THE EARLY CHURCH -- EVOL UTION OF THE EPISCOPAL OFFICE -- AUTHORITY AND DISENT -- ORGANIZATION -- CHURCH POLITY -- LITURGY -- NEW LITURGICAL FORMS AND ANTILITURGICAL ATTITUDES -- CHURCH TRADITION -- THE SACRAMENTS -- VENERATION OF PLACES, OBJECTS, AND PEOPLE.

MONASTICISM -- THE SAINTLY LIFE -- ART AND ICONOGRAPHY -- THEOLOGY OF ICONS -- CHAPTER 7 CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY -- INFLUENCE OF GREK PHILOSOPHY -- NEOPLATONISM: ITS NATURE AND HISTORY -- PLOTINUS AND HIS PHILOSOPHY -- INFLUENCE OF NEOPLATONISM ON CHRISTIANITY -- EMERGENCE OF OFFICIAL DOCTRINE -- ARISTOTLE AND AQUINAS -- OTHER INFLUENCES -- FAITH AND REASON -- CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY AS NATURAL THEOLOGY -- ARGUMENTS FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD -- THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL -- CHAPTER 8 CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM -- HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM -- EARLY CHURCH -- EASTERN CHRISTIANITY -- WESTERN CATHOLIC CHRISTIANITY -- PROTESTANT CHRISTIANITY -- STAGES OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM -- THE DYING TO SELF -- THE UNION WITH GOD -- THE READJUSTMENT -- FORMS OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM -- CHRIST-MYSTICISM -- TRINITARIAN MYSTICISM -- NEGATIVE MYSTICISM: GOD AND THE GODHEAD -- SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM -- CHAPTER 9 CHRISTIANITY'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD -- CHURCH AND STATE -- THE CHURCH AND THE ROMAN EMPIRE -- THE CHURCH AND THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE -- THE CHURCH AND WESTERN STATES -- SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE -- CHURCH AND STATE IN EASTERN AND WESTERN THEOLOGY -- CHURCH AND SOCIETY -- THE PROBLEM OF SLAVERY AND PERSECUTION -- THEOLOGICAL AND HUMANITARIAN MOTIVATIONS -- CHURCH AND EDUCATION -- INTELLECTUALISM VERSUS ANTI-INTELLECTUALISM -- FORMS OF CHRISTIAN EDUCATION -- CHURCH AND SOCIAL WELFARE -- HEALING THE SICK -- CARE FOR THE SICK -- CARE FOR WIDOWS AND ORPHANS -- PROPERTY, POVERTY, AND THE POOR -- CHURCH AND FAMILY -- CHURCH AND MARRIAGE -- THE TENDENCY TOWARD ASCETICISM -- CHURCH AND INDIVIDUAL -- LOVE AS THE BASIS FOR CHRISTIAN ETHICS -- FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY -- CHAPTER 10 CATHOLIC CHURCHES -- ROMAN CATHOLICISM -- BELIEFS AND PRACTICES -- MAJOR DOGMAS AND DOCTRINES -- TRADITION AND SCRIPTURE -- SACRAMENTS -- ORDER OF THE MASS -- EASTERN RITE CHURCHES.

OLD CATHOLIC CHURCHES -- ORIGINS -- ORGANIZATION -- THEOLOGICAL POSITION -- ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS -- CHAPTER 11 EASTERN CHURCHES -- EASTERN ORTHODOXY -- DOCTRINE -- WORSHIP AND SACRAMENTS -- ORIENTAL ORTHODOXY -- ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH -- COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ALEXANDRIA -- SYRIAC ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE OF ANTIOCH AND ALL THE EAST -- ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHEDO CHURCH -- CHAPTER 12 PROTESTANT CHURCHES -- LUTHERANISM -- TEACHINGS -- WORSHIP AND ORGANIZATION -- REFORMED AND PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHES -- TEACHINGS -- WORSHIP AND ORGANIZATION -- CONGREGATIONALISM -- TEACHINGS -- PRACTICES -- POLITY -- CONGREGATIONALISM IN THE 21ST CENTURY -- ANGLICANISM -- TEACHINGS -- WORSHIP AND ORGANIZATION -- BAPTIST CHURCHES -- CONTENTS OF FAITH -- WORSHIP AND ORGANIZATION -- METHODIST CHURCHES -- TEACHINGS -- WORSHIP AND ORGANIZATION -- PENTECOSTALISM -- THE ORIGINS OF PENTECOSTALISM -- INTERNATIONAL GROWTH OF PENTECOSTALISM -- CHRISTIAN FUNDAMENTALISM -- ORIGINS -- DOCTRINAL AND INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT -- EVANGELICALISM -- DISCIPLES OF CHRIST -- CONTROVERSY AND SEPARATION -- TEACHINGS -- WORSHIP AND ORGANIZATION -- SOCIAL ISSUES -- SOCIETY OF FRIENDS (QUAKERS) -- TEACHINGS -- QUAKERISM AND WORLD CHRISTIANITY -- CHAPTER 13 MISSIONS AND ECUMENISM -- MISIONS -- BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS -- THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN MISSIONS -- ECUMENISM -- THE BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE -- THE HISTORY OF ECUMENISM -- CHAPTER 14 CHRISTIANITY AND WORLD RELIGIONS -- CONFLICTING CHRISTIAN ATTITUDES -- CONCLUSION: CONTEMPORARY VIEWS -- GLOSSARY -- BIBLIOGRAPHY -- HISTORY OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH -- CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE -- CHRISTIAN MISIONS -- ECUMENISM -- CHRISTIANITY AND WORLD RELIGIONS -- INDEX -- BACK COVER.