The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine, Volume 5 : Christian Doctrine and Modern Culture (since 1700) (The Christian Tradit ... ory of the Development of Christian Doctrine)

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Summary: An extremely erudite and influential book
Review: I can do no better than to quote Richard John Neuhaus, editor-in-chief of First Things: "The century's most comprehensive account of Christian teaching from the second century on." It ranked No. 79 on National Review's list of the 100 most influential books of the 20th century, ahead of classics like The Essays of E.B. White, Tom Wolfe's Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, and Kenneth Clark's Civilisation.

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Summary: Tells part, but not all of the story.
Review: My review relates to volume 5 of The Christian Tradition in particularly, but to the other 4 volumes in general, all of which I have read. There is no doubt that Jaroslav Pelikan is a scholar of considerable erudition, and he has drawn on a variety of sources to tell the story of doctrinal development. There are many things to praise in this series; one gets to know the lesser lights of church history as well as the more prominent leaders. At almost every juncture, Pelikan appears as a dispassionate guide whose interest is to tell the story rather than force a view. In this regard he has done his work well. I would guess that most readers are probably like me, in that they are most familiar with the last 200 years or so of docrinal history, but less so with the early years or the middle ages. And here is where I found the account wanting. The history focuses almost entirely on the mainstream groups and thinkers, i.e. Roman Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox. In volume 4, he does mention the anabaptists, but only as they came in contact with the Lutherans and Reformed theologians. While the series is not church history per se, the anabaptists did make a doctrinal contribution to the life of the church which has continued to this day. See the book by Leonard Verduin called The Reformers and Their Step-Children for more of this. In volume 5, this ignoring of the non-mainstream continues. Like him or not, C. I. Scofield had a profound impact on evangelicalism in the 20th century, but he does not appear in Pelikan's history. Even among the mainstream there are individuals whose absence is puzzling. George N.H. Peters was a Lutheran minister in 19th century America who wrote a massive three volume work called the Theocratic Kingdom, outlining a premillennial eschatology. Peters was shunned by fellow Lutherans for his views, but the work has been studied by dispensationalist ever since. However, Pelikan never mentions Peters at all in his survey. In summary, (and this is not derogatory) this is the work of a liberal scholar who tends to give short shrift to the conservatitve elements in docrtinal history. I would not therefore tell conservative readers to take a pass on it, but rather to be aware of what the books deal with.

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Summary: Both the "What" and the "Why" of Christian Doctrine
Review: Pelikan's "The Christian Tradition" is a remarkable series that describes the manner in which Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox christians have interpreted the teaching of Jesus and the manner in which the doctrines of this "one, holy, catholic and apostolic" faith developed and diverged over twenty centuries. Thus, one learns not only what the various christian churches teach today but how and why these teachings differ. While scholarly, "The Christian Tradition" is clearly written and readable. Highly recommended.