The Christian Faith: A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way

Michael Horton's "The Christian Faith" is a welcome gift to the 21st century. It's a massive (1000 page) one-volume systematic theology that's written with life, passion and the needs of the 21st century in mind. While as an Anglican, I don't necessarily agree with all that Horton writes, I highly recommend his book to a wide variety of readers: seminarians and seminaries, pastors, teachers, and educated laymen. Horton's work is an incredible achievement in that he has taken the worn out discipline of systematic theology and injected it with new life. How has he done this? First, Horton clearly writes from a position as one who understands the 21st century and the monumental changes we are seeing that are often categorized as the transition from modernity to postmodernity. Horton also draws from a wide range of sources: he not only delves into the historical background to various theological issues but also makes reference to a variety of church traditions, and not just his own Reformed tradition. He also manages to integrate his systematic theology into a living whole by the way he ties everything together through key concepts such as the covenant, Drama, Dogma, Doxology, and Discipleship. This means that Horton's work is useful not just as one more systematic theology but also as a primer in narrative theology, an inspiration to worship, and a resource for all who seek to be more faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. Horton's work has been said by some to be one of the most important systematic theologies since Berkhof's. In fact, Horton's is better than Berkhof's, which is a work that betrays a much more modern mindset that categorizes things without necessarily showing how they all relate. Horton's work is a book that should be in the hands of a great many Christians! The book begins with a wonderful Introduction that pictures systematic theology as a " theology for pilgrims on the way." He also relates the 4 "D" words he will use in the rest of the work to hold things together: Drama, Doctrine, Doxology, and Discipleship. It all begins with the greatest story ever told, which means that Horton is aware of the importance of narrative theology, and not just an old-school propositional theology. The Drama of the gospel inevitably leads to Doctrine, and Doctrine leads to Doxology or praise. Ultimately, theology must lead to Discipleship as well. Horton wants his work to reflect and embody the goal of doctrine, which must not only be understood and articulated but also "preached, experienced, and lived as a `community of theater' in the world today." Horton writes from a specifically Reformed perspective, but he is careful not to begin and end his thought with only Reformed categories of thought. Instead, he interacts with exegetical, philosophical, practical, and theological questions from a historically informed position. I'm also glad to see that he has not only acknowledged Eastern Orthodox theology but has clearly benefited from its wisdom and perspective. Part 1, which consists of the first 5 chapters of "The Christian Faith," deals with "Knowing God: The Presuppositions of Theology." Although these chapters don't begin Horton's systematic theology, they lay a crucial foundation for it. This section may be difficult and not as relevant for all readers, but in these chapters Horton profitably deals with important foundations for theology, which has become more necessary in an age of postmodernism. It's always interesting to see how a writer handles some of the more difficult aspects of his material, so I was keen to see how Horton dealt with predestination, the Trinity, and the Church, as just three examples of important material. In Chapter 8, Horton tackles the doctrine of the Trinity, which has undergone a resurgence of interest in recent decades. In this chapter, he gives the important and necessary historical background that enables the reader to understand the various views of the Trinity that have been held. This historical background also enables Horton to offer a theology of the Trinity that integrates the best insights of Augustinian, Orthodox, and other views while avoiding some of the potential errors that come from an overemphasis these historical positions are often open to. While Horton's discussion of predestination in Chapter 9 is useful, he fails to adequately explain how God's predestination relates to the need for human agency in doxology and discipleship (he does deal with this, but inadequately). Likewise, I found his presentation on the Church to be one of the places where Horton's own Reformed perspective triumphs over an attempt at incorporating other views. The book would have been stronger if, in this section, he had dealt more with the views of the early church, as well as the views of other traditions, as he does elsewhere. In spite of some weaknesses, Horton's work is a superior and delightful achievement. Through his use of the covenant, he's able to integrate the various components of systematic theology into a pleasing whole that should become a standard work for decades to come. Horton breaks down his book in the following way, which manages to reflect the traditional categories of systematic theology while at the same time revitalizing this field. Part 1 - Knowing God: The Presupposition of Theology 1. Dissonant Dramas: Paradigms for Knowing God and the World 2. The Character of Theology 3. The Source of Theology: Scripture 4. Scripture as Covenant Canon 5. The Bible and the Church: From Scripture to System Part 2 - God Who Lives 6. God: The Incommunicable Attributes 7. God: The Communicable Attributes 8. The Holy Trinity Part 3 - God Who Creates 9. The Decree: Trinity and Predestination 10. Creation: God's Time for us 11. Providence 12. Being Human 13. The Fall of Humanity Part 4 - God Who Rescues 14. The Person of Christ 15. The State of Humiliation 16. The State of Exaltation Part 5 - God Who Reigns in Grace 17. Called to be Saints: Christ's Presence in the Spirit 18. Union with Christ 19. Forensic Aspects of Union with Christ: Justification and Adoption 20. The Way Forward to Grace: Sanctification and Perseverance 21. The Hope of Glory 22. The Kingdom of Grace and the New Covenant Church 23. Word and Sacrament: The Means of Grace 24. Baptism and the Lord's Supper 25. The Attributes of the Church: Unity, Catholicity, and Holiness 26. Apostolicity Part 6 - God Who Reigns in Glory 27. A Dwelling Place 28. The Return of Christ and the Last Judgment 29. The Last Battle and Life Everlasting

This work by Michael Horton may be the finest systematic theology since Berkhof's classic which I believe was written in the 1930's. Clear, insightful and what I would call a page turner. It is so full of theological jewels I often found myself excited to turn the page or anxiously wanting to get back to reading it after a short break. Written in a style that is easily reachable even for the common layman, Horton weaves historic, biblical and systematic theology in a way that highlights not only the truth of Scripture but why and how the Christian world-view is necessarily antithetical to pagan and atheistic world-views. Horton has written his text in a manner much different than many systematics. He writes in a style almost like telling a story. His writing style definitely holds the readers attention and is not the dry technical style found in many systematic theologies. Dr. Horton, writes from a consistently reformed and covenantal perspective. That said, the author understands covenant not as a system forced upon the Bible but one that naturally raises from text itself. The Bible is inherently covenantal in that it is God's own record of His own covenant making and keeping redemptive drama from eternity to eternity. Therefore, covenant becomes the motif for properly understanding God's redemptive purpose and the biblical doctrines that reveal it. God's covenants have a goal. Therefore, eschatology is not merely a stand-alone doctrine but the lens through which we read all scripture. Covenant and eschatology become central to our understanding of ontology, epistemology and all of history. The author interacts with past and current philosophies and theologies as he writes, unpacking the doctrines of the Bible in their historical-redemptive setting. There are three very helpful tools at the end of the hard copy for the new or not highly trained theology reader. The first is a glossary of terms. The author has given short definitions to key theological terms, Latin phrases and historical events, theological systems and theological movements. This will prove to be very helpful for someone just beginning their dive into serious theological reading. The second tool is Dr. Horton's annotated bibliography of recommended reading. This list is broken down by doctrine and each work is listed as beginner, intermediate, and advanced. With this reading list, the student is directed into a lifetime of great theological reading. Finally, the author has supplied not just a scripture index but on for the reformational creeds and catechisms sited in this work. This could prove to very helpful for the teacher seeking to cross-reference this systematic theology and the creeds and confessions. It is a rare systematic theology that can prove to be helpful to both the pastor-teacher and the layman. I can't wait to get this into the hands of our congregation. Dr. Horton's, "The Christian Faith" is written not just to promote sound theology, but consistent thinking and living pilgrims growing in faith in Christ. A must have for anyone seriously interested good theology. Makes a great gift for your pastor, Bible school student or anyone interested in mastering the great truths of the Bible

Well, I made it through this superb thousand page volume. Not having a formal background in theology, I found it at times difficult, as Horton brings in complex philosophy and history that takes awhile to sink in. The best way to read the book is to take it one chapter section at a time early in the morning and then reflect on the content during the day. It helps to take a close look at the discussion questions at each chapter's end. Also, I've decided to give the book a another reading, a second plowing of this rich field. Horton has two great strengths, a detailed grasp of Scripture and a deep scholarly understanding of the history and philosophy of Christianity. He is exceedingly well read and at the same time has a balanced and humble understanding of his subject. As with reading Bonhoeffer, one with Horton senses a true Christian disciple who has moved far beyond the liberal religion of Scliermacher and von Harnack into a reasoned orthodoxy that restores the Covenant of Redemption through the incarnate and resurrected Christ, Essentially, Horton, returns ad fontes to the Reformation thinkers including Luther, Calvin, Turretin, and Barth, while, also, bringing in classic Christian thought including Augustine, Aquinas, and the Greek Orthodox theologian, Zizoulas. He has the ability to appreciate the best of all these thinkers, while not being timid about carefully criticizing them. Above all, he makes crystal clear the essential and still valid concerns of Reformation thought. For me personally, Horton restored my Reformation faith, having been rather influenced by John Paul II, Benedict XVI, Richard John Neuhaus and Avery Cardinal Dulles, though I still hope and pray that somehow Reformation, Catholic, and Greek Orthodox theologians will get together and restore the unity of Christ's church.

Michael Horton’s The Christian Faith addresses a wide range of topics, while incorporating overarching themes “for pilgrims on the way.” I read this book for a theology class I am in and a combination of the book itself and the conversations we had on it have deeply influenced my life. In this thousand-page book, Horton defined and clarified concepts that either I had never heard of or I had been familiar with, but had not known the names of. This book really fulfilled within me a hunger for deeper theology from a Reformed perspective. Horton really puts us as well as theology into a covenantal context throughout the entire book. No book is perfect and The Christian Faith is no exception, so I will first address what Horton does well in his book and then some of the things he doesn’t do well. Horton does an excellent job at defining complex terms from ancient languages to support the ideas behind big theological concepts that have been prevalent in the church for ages. Horton addresses different views on individual doctrines well. It is clear that Horton has really done his research and studied up a lot on differing views on lots of different concepts. My favorite concepts that Horton addresses in this book are God’s speech act, sanctification, and the paradigms for knowing God. The overarching themes of covenantal relationship and “already/not yet” tie the book together really well. These two themes have had the most impact on my theology out of this entire book. The length of this book could probably be cut down to about six hundred pages, rather than one thousand. There is a lot of repetition and just over-emphasis on a lot of individual concepts both throughout the entire book and in individual chapters. This book has a lot of history in it that is not particularly necessary to get across the main ideas and concepts that really make this book effective. This book goes into specifics of doctrines, incorporates broad themes, analyzes church history, and evaluates opposing claims very well, but perhaps the context in which I read this book prevented me from getting the most from the book. Maybe a sort of abridged version would be better for a high school theology class. Besides that, though, I recommend this book for anyone willing to invest in diving deeper into their theology.

As a lay person, I have been struggling with finding a good, solid, theology book for my friends. None of the other books even come close to what I have been looking for. Dr. Horton defines terms in a way that I can understand. He lays out the facts and lets you decide. The other interesting feature of this book is that he has designed it in a way that, as you read and study, it causes you to effect change in your attitudes even as you reflect on the grandeur of God's redemption of the world. I am only a quarter way into the book, so I am sure that I will have plenty of addition comments later. One does not need to be of the reformed tradition to appreciate this writing. And relative to the Kindle pricing, I agree it is high, but I knew that before I got it. I have the print edition at home, but the kindle edition allows me to take the book with me on my iPhone so when I am waiting for clients or have free time somewhere, I have this great book to study! That makes it worth it for me. More later, Paul Immanuel

Since this volume came out in 2011 I have used it as my guide and lesson planner for international teaching in countries on four continents. There are a lot of very good theology books out there (Berkhof and Grudem to name a couple of solid ones). Yet, this books is so well laid out, explained, and gives a well-thought teaching schematic to every chapter that it makes theology not a western-concdept, but one that can easily be taught to people who think differently, have different milestones in their training, and who are seeking solid roots for biblical teaching to their people. Each time I use it I wind up leaving it with the group! I will learn to carry extras with me, but it is a very thick volume. It ranks tops in my international teaching plans to date. A new version that is more readable by pastors and elders with less training has been condensed from this book (see the book, Pilgrim Theology also by M. Horton) and is also useful for families who want to teach their family members solid theology and biblical concepts. I have both copies and use them often.

Having been a 5 point Calvinist (Is there any other kind?) for several years I started investigating Reformed Theology. I started going to seminars (The Academy) at Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim on and off for the last couple of years. This church is headed by Dr. Kim Riddlebarger (a collegue of Michael Horton's and co-host of "The White Horse Inn"). As I started going to a Wednesday night function and Sunday mornings I started learning more about Reformed Theology. This Systematic Theology is a great resource for Christians to understand their faith from a Reformed perspective. Another book of Dr. Horton's I have found helpful would be "God of Promise" which is subtitled "An Introduction to Reformed Theology". Be warned though: Coming from a normal evangelical background, reading these books will be a paradigm shift for you. You will look at the Triune God and how he deals with his people throughout history in a new and profound way. For Christians who are already Reformed this could be considered a worhy heir to Berkof's Systematic Theology written for today's believer. I'm not a professional theologian (nor do I play one on TV!), rather a "pilgrim in the pew" learning about my Lord, as I strive to be faithful (by the Holy Spirit) as I continue my journey to that city whose architect and builder is God.

Superb! This is a great book. It is not a list of verses for proof-texting; rather it is a walk through and reads more like a book. I would not say that this book would be the easiest to read for someone with no theological background or for a beginning/introductory. Yet, the book is not inaccessible or overly academic or scholastic. This is a great systematic theology in the Reformed Tradition and I have recently been enjoying reading through the eschatological part of this book. The layout of this book is different than Grudem's in that it does not offer as easy an approach for using it as a quick reference. This is more of a book to read through whole sections and chew on them for awhile. I like Grudem, but I think some of the theology in Horton's book is better; just my opinion. All in all this book is fairly easy to read for a non-scholar like myself, and it is enjoyable from my perspective.