Evangelical Dictionary of Theology

Rating:
Summary: A Monumental Work!
Review: Here is a book that should be found in the library of every evangelical theologian, theology student, and pastor today. Without question, this is one of the most thorough and complete one-volume dictionaries of theology presently available--all of this from an evangelical perspective!! The international cast of contributors (predominantly from North America, Australia, and the UK), under the editorial supervision of Dr. Elwell of Wheaton College, have assembled a remarkable wealth of information. The theologically-inquisitive will find within this volume a fairly substantial summary of almost any theological issue that one might wish to investigate (and several that one might never even think to investigate). Multitudinous articles, appearing in alphabetical order, provide summaries of events, movements, issues and concepts, personalities, terminology, etc. that have in some way contributed to the shape of Christian theology. Even the "insignificant" things are included. In addition, the brief bibliographies that appear at the end of each article provide the reader with some idea of where to turn for further inquiry. One of the greatest strengths of this volume is that, while decidedly evangelical in perspective, its content is not narrowly dogmatic in orientation. Its contributors reflect a diversity of theological persuasions and convictions. However, in this day in which "globalization" has become a very real and important influence on the scope of evangelical theology, one criticism of this text is that it is largely Western in its orientation. There are few contributors from non-Western nations. While this is not a surprising feature in a book published in 1984, a time when the theological voices of evangelicals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America had yet to be heard as valid and equal, a revision of this text would certainly be strengthened if it were to be more balanced in its cultural orientation. Perhaps this dictionary's greatest attribute is the roster of renowned contemporary scholars who are numbered among its contributors. There are few places where men such as Donald Bloesch, Colin Brown, Geoffrey Bromiley, F.F. Bruce, D. A. Carson, Millard Erickson, Carl F.H. Henry, George Ladd, Mark Noll, J.I. Packer, Charles Ryrie, and Peter Toon gather together to provide theological instruction. Between the hard-back covers of this dictionary is found one such place. The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology--A Uniuqie Experience, A Monumental Work!

Rating:
Summary: A Monumental Work!
Review: Here is a book that should be found in the library of every evangelical theologian, theology student, and pastor today. Without question, this is one of the most thorough and complete one-volume dictionaries of theology presently available--all of this from an evangelical perspective!! The international cast of contributors (predominantly from North America, Australia, and the UK), under the editorial supervision of Dr. Elwell of Wheaton College, have assembled a remarkable wealth of information. The theologically-inquisitive will find within this volume a fairly substantial summary of almost any theological issue that one might wish to investigate (and several that one might never even think to investigate). Multitudinous articles, appearing in alphabetical order, provide summaries of events, movements, issues and concepts, personalities, terminology, etc. that have in some way contributed to the shape of Christian theology. Even the "insignificant" things are included. In addition, the brief bibliographies that appear at the end of each article provide the reader with some idea of where to turn for further inquiry. One of the greatest strengths of this volume is that, while decidedly evangelical in perspective, its content is not narrowly dogmatic in orientation. Its contributors reflect a diversity of theological persuasions and convictions. However, in this day in which "globalization" has become a very real and important influence on the scope of evangelical theology, one criticism of this text is that it is largely Western in its orientation. There are few contributors from non-Western nations. While this is not a surprising feature in a book published in 1984, a time when the theological voices of evangelicals in Africa, Asia, and Latin America had yet to be heard as valid and equal, a revision of this text would certainly be strengthened if it were to be more balanced in its cultural orientation. Perhaps this dictionary's greatest attribute is the roster of renowned contemporary scholars who are numbered among its contributors. There are few places where men such as Donald Bloesch, Colin Brown, Geoffrey Bromiley, F.F. Bruce, D. A. Carson, Millard Erickson, Carl F.H. Henry, George Ladd, Mark Noll, J.I. Packer, Charles Ryrie, and Peter Toon gather together to provide theological instruction. Between the hard-back covers of this dictionary is found one such place. The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology--A Uniuqie Experience, A Monumental Work!

Rating:
Summary: A Standard Primer for Theology
Review: I found this to be a useful, standard, objective primer for theological studies. The contributors, all brilliant scholars, were very fair to the opposing view, adequatley describing thier position and only rarely critiquing it.

I found this to be a fresh evangelical approach to the Neo-Orthodoxy that I am exposed to daily. I recommend the second edition which has been updated to include modern scholars as Packer and Lloyd-Jones.

Final Analysis
The qualities of this work are its objectivity, freshness (without being preachy), and its broad expanse of topics. The downside would be its tendency for being wordy and laborious on some issues. Do not let this prevent you from buying it, just be forewarned. All in all, a handy tool.

Rating:
Summary: A Standard Primer for Theology
Review: I found this to be a useful, standard, objective primer for theological studies. The contributors, all brilliant scholars, were very fair to the opposing view, adequatley describing thier position and only rarely critiquing it.

I found this to be a fresh evangelical approach to the Neo-Orthodoxy that I am exposed to daily. I recommend the second edition which has been updated to include modern scholars as Packer and Lloyd-Jones.

Final Analysis
The qualities of this work are its objectivity, freshness (without being preachy), and its broad expanse of topics. The downside would be its tendency for being wordy and laborious on some issues. Do not let this prevent you from buying it, just be forewarned. All in all, a handy tool.

Rating:
Summary: Very useful reference work
Review: I have found this title quite handy to have on the shelf. The articles are generally limited in content (no surprises there - it is a dictionary) but the broad coverage of many terms that are just bandied about in Christian circles (how many people know what transubstantiation mean?) has proved very helpful. While not the last word on many issues, it is a great starting point - particularly for the lay person with limited theological resources.

Rating:
Summary: From Abaddon to Zwingli
Review: I love having these kind of books on my shelf as they prove to be a valuable resource in so many ways. This book contains short articles covering a variety of issues and people, all related to Christian theology. I would not say that this would be the final authority for any individual topic, but it's a good place to start when you are doing research. The bibliographies listed in each of the articles give additional guidance for further research. Walter Elwell does a super job in his editing of these "Baker Reference Library" books. You ought to have this as well as the apologetics and biblical theology books on your shelf to pull down whenever you want to know more.

Rating:
Summary: From Abaddon to Zwingli
Review: I love having these kind of books on my shelf as they prove to be a valuable resource in so many ways. This book contains short articles covering a variety of issues and people, all related to Christian theology. I would not say that this would be the final authority for any individual topic, but it's a good place to start when you are doing research. The bibliographies listed in each of the articles give additional guidance for further research. Walter Elwell does a super job in his editing of these "Baker Reference Library" books. You ought to have this as well as the apologetics and biblical theology books on your shelf to pull down whenever you want to know more.

Rating:
Summary: A great work, but sometimes biased.
Review: No doubt this is a great volume and is an essential reference work for evangelical theology. The dictionary provides a good overview of the evangelical position on many contemporary issues in theology.

I am periodically disappointed, though, at the biased perspective of some of the articles. For example, the one on "election" simply assumes a Calvinist position (though many "evangelicals" are Arminians, and many Arminians even contribute to the dictionary). In this regard, Van Harvey's classic "A Handbook of Theological Terms" is superior in its unbiased treatment of terms.

Rating:
Summary: A great work, but sometimes biased.
Review: No doubt this is a great volume and is an essential reference work for evangelical theology. The dictionary provides a good overview of the evangelical position on many contemporary issues in theology.

I am periodically disappointed, though, at the biased perspective of some of the articles. For example, the one on "election" simply assumes a Calvinist position (though many "evangelicals" are Arminians, and many Arminians even contribute to the dictionary). In this regard, Van Harvey's classic "A Handbook of Theological Terms" is superior in its unbiased treatment of terms.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Be Without This Reference Work
Review: This is by far one of the best theological dictionaries that I have used in my 10 years of research. The contributors of this volume are worth the price of this work two times over. The articles on each topic are detailed and very easy to comprehend. There are bibliographical references at the end of each entry which guide the reader to further research material. Some of the contributors include Gleason Archer, Craig Blaising, F.F. Bruce, D.A. Carson, Gordon Clark, Winfried Corduan, Bruce Demarest, Millard Erickson, Charles Feinberg, John Feinberg, John Frame, Norman Geisler, John Gerstner, Wayne Grudem, Donald Guthrie, R.K. Harrison, Douglas Kelly, William LaSor, George Ladd, Robert Lightner, and the list goes on and on. The book, of course, is exactly what it says it is; a dictionary. Therefore the entries are listed in alphabetical order and the topics range from Abaddon to Zwingli (and everything imaginable in between). This is an indispensable reference work that every student of the Bible or theology should have in their library. Naturally, it is a standard reference text in theological libraries and seminaries. I highly recommend this work!