Life in the Spirit (Systematic Theology Series)

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Summary: Scholarly, useful, and Biblical information on the church...
Review: Oden's third and final volume continues where the 1st two left off. This volume is dedicated to the work of the Holy Spirit, Redemption, and the church.

Like the other volumes the information contained within is useful, but thick and highly detailed. Oden quotes from the Bible, as well as a host of Church fathers and reformers. His systematic theologies are unqiue in this way, others that I have looked over, such as Grudem's, tend to start Christianity in the 1500s.

This book has multiple useful charts, such as the three types of churches, and the types of judgment.

Oden's work is in-depth, and I don't feel as if one should read it like a novel from cover to cover straight through. Rather it serves as a great reference work to be used any time digging deeper is needed. When my girlfriend's bible study leader was saying some theologically iffy statements, we got out Oden and found the information we needed to show her what orthodoxy thought on the matter. Now that my girlfriend is leading bible study we find that Oden's charts and information are extremely helpful (though there is so much information in even one chart that it usually takes more than one Bible study meeting to wade through it!) Overall, excellent!

Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Study of Christian Doctrine
Review: Thomas Oden brings his usual passion and erudition to this work of theology, combining Biblical, Apostolic, Patristic, Medieval and Reformed thought into an excellent exploration of fundamental Christian doctrine. Oden is a "thinking person's conservative" who does not gloss over challenges to traditional Christian doctrines, but almost always concludes that the traditional doctrines are, in fact, correct and have stood the test of time and experience. I especially like Oden's ecumenical focus ... as one other reviewer remarked, this is a book that will be valuable to Catholics and Protestants, Calvinists and Wesleyans, High-Church and Low-Church. In sum, incredibly worthwhile!