David S. Dockery - The Great Tradition of Christian Thinking: A Students Guide

David Dockery and Timothy George are veterans of long and distinguished service in both church and academy. The wisdom they bring to their recommendation of the Christian intellectual tradition is biblical, seasoned, experienced, trustworthy, and encouraging. It is a book to enjoy both in itself and as a welcome guide to much, much more.

Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame

David Dockery and Timothy George are among the preeminent Christian intellectuals of the current age. This book demonstrates why. The volume courses with biblical conviction, evangelical vitality, and a breadth that interacts with the great cloud of witnesses from every place and era of the church of Jesus Christ. I commend this book heartily to students, professors, and church leaders.

Russell D. Moore, Dean, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

In a clear and concise presentation of the great thinkers of the church, the authors of this book launch a new series that promises to provide students with an important key to unlock the treasure store of the Christian tradition. They show us once again how exciting Christianity is and why it has captured the minds of successive generations. At a time when our faith is being challenged as never before, this introduction to its riches promises to equip the saints of the next generation to claim their inheritance and extend it further to the glory of God.

Gerald Bray, Distinguished Professor of Historical Theology, Knox Theological Seminary

This appeal to Christian educators to take the great tradition of Christian thinking much more seriously, to find our place within it, and to renew it today has arrived in the nick of time. For despite the common invocation of integration language at our Christian universities, our schools are all too often led by pragmatists beholden to the forces of the market more than the life of the Christian mind. David Dockery and Timothy George herein remind us of our heritage, our very reason for being. I pray that God will use their efforts in the lives of countless students, teachers, and Christian college leaders, inspiring passionate commitment to the values and the virtues that attracted us to Christian education in the first place.

Douglas A. Sweeney, Professor of Church History, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

David Dockery and Timothy George have written a compelling volume that makes a strong case for the pivotal role that the Christian intellectual tradition should fulfill in a serious liberal arts education. Although the volume was written as a students text, individuals who care about Christian higher education (administrators, faculty, and trustees) will benefit from reading and applying the principles articulated in this thoughtful work.

Kim S. Phipps, President, Messiah College

Dont be misled by the modesty of this books title. While the book surely is a winsome and accessible introduction to the subject for any inquiring student, it has much more than that to offer. Its authors are two of the most eminent figures in the field of Christian higher education, and their book reflects the immense range of their learning and experience, even though it wears its learning lightly. The result is a compact but powerful work that will be an invaluable tool for all of us who wrestle with the great task of integrating faith and learning and of showing others how the good, the true, and the beautiful find their ultimate source and meaning in God.

Wilfred M. McClay, SunTrust Chair of Excellence in Humanities, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

David Dockery and Timothy George, two experienced and wise Christian educators, have produced the first volume of what promises to be an important series of guidesaimed at studentsintended both to recover and instruct regarding the Christian intellectual tradition. This volume, and no doubt the series as well, meets a significant need, not only for students but also for ministers and academics who are charged with the responsibility of helping us all think and live faithfully as followers of Christ. In light of our deeply flawed world, every generation needs a fresh retellingin literature, theology, the arts, philosophy, or public policyof the central truths of all human and natural experience, as revealed by the one true and living God through his Son and as authoritatively and indispensably taught in Holy Scripture.

Robert B. Sloan, President, Houston Baptist University

ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE SERIES

Reclaiming the Christian Intellectual Tradition is an exciting project that will freshly introduce readers to the riches of historic Christian thought and practice. As the modern secular academy struggles to reclaim a semblance of purpose, this series demonstrates why a deeply rooted Christian worldview offers an intellectual coherence so badly needed in our fragmented culture. Assembling a formidable cohort of respected evangelical scholars, this volume promises to supply must-read orientations to the disciplines for the next generation of Christian students.

Thomas Kidd, Department of History, Baylor University

To say that this project is overdue is perhaps the understatement of the century. Im grateful that David Dockery and Timothy George, two exemplars of the Christian intellectual tradition, are blazing this trail for us. Many of us have been the happy beneficiaries of their scholarship over the past two decades; many will be the appreciative heirs of their work as this series develops.

Andrew Westmoreland, President, Samford University

This new series is exactly what Christian higher education needs to shore up its intellectual foundations for the challenges of the coming decades. Whether students are studying in professedly Christian institutions or in more traditionally secular settings, these volumes will provide a firm basis from which to withstand the dismissive attitude toward biblical thinking that seems so pervasive in the academy today. These titles will make their way onto the required reading lists at Christian colleges and universities as they seek to ensure a firm biblical perspective for students, regardless of discipline. Similarly, pastors on secular campuses will find this series to be an invaluable bibliography for guiding students who are struggling with coalescing their emerging intellectual curiosity with their developing faith.

Carl E. Zylstra, President, Dordt College

The Great Tradition of Christian Thinking: A Students Guide

Copyright 2012 by David S. Dockery and Timothy George

Published by Crossway
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law.

Cover design: Jon McGrath, Simplicated Studio

First printing 2012

Printed in the United States of America

Unless otherwise indicated, scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible ( The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked AT are the authors translation.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-2513-1

PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-2515-5

Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-2864-4

ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-3488-1