For the information of one reviewer who said that Erickson's book Lacked the intellectual rigor of a Barth or Rahner, I would reply that this is an intro-level text at seminary , not a doctoral text (I went to one seminary bookstore to look around and conversed with other PhD students to find this out). In fact, Erickson's willingness to interact with Barth on numerous occasions is praiseworthy. Although Erickson is said to be Calvinistic in his approach, there will be times that he annoys Calvinists (See Wayne Grudem for a slight difference in, for example, "Does Regeneration precede faith?"). To get the most out of this text, read another systematic theology at the same time to compare and contrast.

Final Analysis:
THis is a good work, especially for young evangelicals as myself. It is a work that will get one excited about systematic theology.


A Seminary Level Evangelical Systematic Theology   February 15, 2002
 43 out of 44 found this review helpful

"Christian Theology" by Millard Erickson is a comprehensive, seminary level, evangelical systematic theology. Erickson is obviously well studied in a vast array of theological issues from various schools of thought. Typically he will present common viewpoints on a subject and then make an argument for his own position. Most of Erickson's positions seem clearly Calvinistic, but he treats other views with fairness, appreciation, and respect. Though I come from a dissimilar denominational background and some of my personal views are very different than his, I never felt my beliefs were under an unfair scrutiny or malicious attack. The book was so engaging and interesting that I actually found it hard to put down. I highly recommend the book to anyone desiring to study Christian theology at a seminary level.


It's not called the green monster for nothing.   July 11, 2001
 21 out of 23 found this review helpful

When I had Dr. Erickson for Systematic Theology in seminary the cover of this book was green and it was affectionately referred to as "the green monster." It was big and intimidating. I bought the book and began my forced, daily readings of it. I found that this monster was gentle and fascinating. Dr. Erickson covers all the sides of the doctrines he discusses and yet does not fail to define where he falls on them. His writing style is such that he is able to make the deepest issues understandable for anyone willing to put a little time into the book. While, the book is not the book I would recommend for someone with no previous theological reading, it is one that I would say needs to be in the collection of anyone seriouesly interested in systematic theology.


Balanced and Comprehensive   September 19, 2004
 18 out of 20 found this review helpful

Millard Erickson is one of the most prolific evangelical theologians writing today. His CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY is (from what I've read) the most widely used systematic theology in Baptist seminaries. The doctrinal perspective of this work is premillenial, baptistic and moderately Calvinistic.

One of the advantages of this book is that Prof. Erickson doesn't bombard the reader with a list of theologians who have opined on various topics. He takes a topic, discusses three or four key thinkers and options, analyzes them, and gives his own opinion.

Prof. Erickson discusses most of the major topics of theology, including important background areas such as biblical criticism, the relationship between theology and philosophy, and contemporizing the Christian message. One area that Prof. Erickson skates over is that of women in the ministry. Last I checked, Prof. Erickson is a member of a pro-women's ordination group called Christians for Biblical Equality, but you wouldn't know it from reading this book. The discussion of women implies that he supports it, but he isn't as clear as one would expect. (See p. 565-66.)

For even more conservative protestant works in systematic theology, readers should consider the works of Robert Reymond and Wayne Grudem.



My favorite systematic theological set   February 6, 2001
 16 out of 19 found this review helpful

I have the 3-volume set of Erickson's work, and it is the one I utilize first when looking for background on a particular issue or doctrine. Erickson is evangelical, orthodox, and even fair. He shares different perspectives on an issue, though he will let you know what his conclusion is. In addition, he is very clear about his points and is not impossible to understand, unlike some books out there can confuse more than enlighten. Erickson deals with every issue you would expect a systematic theology book to discuss. You may not agree with everything he says, but then again, is there anyone you would agree completely with? I recommend this as a valuable tool.