Alister E. McGrath - Christianity: An Introduction

1. Chapter 01
2. Chapter 02
3. Chapter 03
4. Chapter 04
5. Chapter 06
6. Chapter 07

1. Emil Brunner: A Reappraisal (2014)
2. The World of C.S. Lewis (2013)
3. Christian History: An Introduction (2013)
4. Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought, Second Edition (2012)
5. Reformation Thought: An Introduction, Fourth Edition (2012)
6. Theology: The Basic Readings, Second Edition (edited, 2012)
7. Theology: The Basics, Third Edition (2012)
8. Luther's Theology of the Cross: Martin Luther's Theological Breakthrough, Second Edition (2011)
9. Darwinism and the Divine: Evolutionary Thought and Natural Theology (2011)
10. The Christian Theology Reader, Fourth Edition (edited, 2011)
11. Christian Theology: An Introduction, Fifth Edition (2011)
12. Science and Religion: A New Introduction, Second Edition (2009)
13. The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology (2008)
14. The Order of Things: Explorations in Scientific Theology (2006)
15. Christianity: An Introduction, Second Edition (2006)
16. Dawkins' God: Genes, Memes, and the Meaning of Life (2004)
17. The Intellectual Origins of the European Reformation, Second Edition (2003)
18. Christian Literature: An Anthology (edited, 2003)
19. A Brief History of Heaven (2003)
20. The Blackwell Companion to Protestantism (edited with Darren C. Marks, 2003)
21. The Future of Christianity (2002)
22. Reformation Thought: An Introduction, Third Edition (2000)
23. Christian Spirituality: An Introduction (1999)
24. Historical Theology: An Introduction (1998)
25. The Foundations of Dialogue in Science and Religion (1998)
26. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Modern Christian Thought (edited, 1995)
27. A Life of John Calvin (1990)

Third Edition

Alister E. McGrath

This edition first published 2015
2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

McGrath, Alister E., 1953
Christianity : an introduction / Alister E. McGrath. Third Edition.
pagescm
Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-118-46565-3 (pbk.)1.Christianity.I.Title.
BR121.3.M33 2015
230dc23

2014030311

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Cover image: Interior of the church La Sagrada Familia, Barcelona. Photo Jose Fuste Raga/Corbis

The study of Christianity is one of the most fascinating, stimulating, and intellectually and spiritually rewarding undertakings available to anyone. This book aims to lay the foundations for such a study, opening doors to discovering more about the worlds leading religion. It can only hope to whet its readers appetites and lead them to explore Christianity in much greater detail.

Anyone trying to sense the modern world or the process by which it came into existence needs to understand something about the Christian faith. Christianity is by far the largest religion in the world, with somewhere between 2,500 and 1,750 million followers, depending on the criteria employed. To understand the modern world, it is important to understand why Christianity continues to be such an important presence in, for example, the United States and is a growing presence in China.

This book sets out to provide an entry-level introduction to Christianity, understood both as a system of beliefs and as a social reality. It is an introduction in the proper sense of the term, in that it has been written on the basis of the assumption that its readers know little or nothing about the history of Christianity, its practices and beliefs. Every effort has been made to keep the language and style of this book as simple as possible.

Alister McGrath

Oxford University