On 2008-09-15 A Music Lover, San Antonio, TX USA wrote: John Leith was a mainline Presbyterian minister and professor of theology from the 1940s through the 1990s. His career was marked by steadfast commitments to both a ´critical orthodoxy´ and a sense of social justice (he was an early and vocal supporter of civil rights and women´s ordination) that were considered liberal at the beginning of his career, but by the 1990s appeared conservative to many within PCUSA academic circles.
This book is not quite a systematic theology but it is a thoughtful and well crafted formulation of Leith´s ´critically orthodox´ view of Christian doctrine. This view is irenic, open to critical and secular thought, but retains the creedal basics of traditional Christianity. This is a valuable perspective nowadays, when many Christian thinkers on both the right and the left insist that such a view of Christianity is incompatible with traditional belief in the deity of Christ and a high view of the authority of scripture.
However, Leith´s views aren´t remarkable simply because they reflect this unfortunately rare perspective. Leith also wrote well and thought deeply and honestly. His views are informed by wide reading and solid scholarship. This is a convincing and a worthwhile statement of the Christian faith by a pastor and scholar who represented the best of mainline thought.
I first read this book as a relatively new Christian who was puzzled about which denomination niche suited me. Leith´s intellectual stature and spiritual depth convinced me that the mainline Christianity in which I was brought up remained worthwhile, even though his views would be rejected by many leaders in todays mainline denominations.
. And summed up by saying A Valuable Perspective from a Mainline Maverick. Currently Basic Christian Doctrine has an overall rating of 8 over 10.
Basic Christian Doctrine can also be found in the following searches:
WJK claimed John Leith provides a brief but comprehensive statement of Christian faith for contemporary Christians. He considers the theologians of the ancient church and affirsm the faith of the ancient creeds.
Item that are similar to Basic Christian Doctrine can be found at: