Gerald Bray, God has spoken: A History of Christian Theology. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2014.

I received a complimentary kindle copy of this book for review from Crossway Publishers. Gerald Bray is a theologian and researcher at The Beeson Divinity School of Samford University in Alabama. Bray’s book is a tour de force of church history, theological controversies, & philosophy. His knowledge of these subjects is impressive, and his erudition is demonstrated by his many appropriate quotations from Patristic, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Reformed sources. He has knack for reducing complex arguments to easily understable prose. On the criticism side of things, I find his approach too ecumenical (e.g. he gives more legitimacy to Orthodox & Roman Catholic doctrinal positions, viewing them as part of “the church”.) When he comments on Scripture, I sometimes found his opinions to be contrary to the Bible’s teaching (e.g. he believes that Christ could have sinned – He didn’t, but He could have. A careful study of Philippians 2:5-11 & other passages show that the Lord was & is impeccable, i.e. God manifest in the flesh cannot sin!)

In summation, read this book for a survey of the development of the doctrinal positions of the various parts of Christendom. The book is particularly strong on the Trinity, and also has an outstanding section on the Enlightenment and the development of academic theology of the 18th – 20th centuries. But, like good Bereans, get your doctrine straight from the Bible!