At the dawn of the third millennium, what does it mean to be a Christian?

This ambitious and imaginative new reference work is the most authoritative, yet accessible, introduction in English to the living tradition of Christian thought-the 'spiritual, moral, and intellectual luggage' that Christians carry with them into the future. It focuses on the broad sweep of ideas rather than factual detail, surveying all traditions and centuries but concentrating more on the present than the past. The profound pluralism of Christianity determines the choice of subjects as well as the way they are handled, with contributors from all the main traditions writing with sympathy on their own particular topic, expressing diversities of emphasis and even significant disagreements, making the text highly readable, challenging, and at times controversial.

Over 600 alphabetically arranged articles cover

* the roots of Christian belief in the Old and New Testaments
* the major themes of belief and theology: creation, sin, resurrection, grace, justification, the eucharist
* key schools and concepts of philosophy
* spiritualities, lifestyles, and prayer
* politics, social justice, and ethics
* major Christian thinkers, and non-Christian influences
* extensive surveys of Christian thought by period, denominational tradition, and region
* controversial modern topics -globalization, medical ethics, sexuality

The range of subjects is matched by an unrivalled selection of 260 contributors, scholarly, innovative, and cross-cultural. These include
* MORNA HOOKER on Paul, CAROL HARRISON on Augustine, URSULA KING on Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, KAREN KILBY on Karl Rahner, EUAN CAMERON on Martin Luther, BRIAN GERRISH on Friedrich Schleiermacher, BRUCE MCCORMACK on Karl Barth, ROGER SHINN on Reinhold and H. Richard Niebuhr
* JOHN BARTON on the Authority and Interpretation of the Bible, DAVID FORD on Christology, AVERY DULLES on Faith, DAN HARDY on the Church, RICHARD BAUCKHAM on Eschatology, WILLIAM LANE CRAIG on Cosmology, DIOGENES ALLEN on Philosophy
* MARCELLA ALHAUS-REID on Liberation Theology, WILLIE JAMES JENNINGS on Black Theology, DAVID MCLELLAN on Marxism, DAVID BURRELL on Jewish-Christian Relations, JOHN BROOKE on Science
* LLOYD PATTERSON on Pre-Constantinian Thought, ANDREW LOUTH on Byzantine Theology, ROWAN WILLIAMS on Russian Christian Thought, HUGH PYPER on the Old Testament, ADRIAN HASTINGS on God