---
product_id: 4622964
title: "Essentials of Christian Theology"
brand: "william placher"
price: "€ 57.50"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 9
url: https://www.desertcart.de/products/4622964-essentials-of-christian-theology
store_origin: DE
region: Germany
---

# Essentials of Christian Theology

**Brand:** william placher
**Price:** € 57.50
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Essentials of Christian Theology by william placher
- **How much does it cost?** € 57.50 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.de](https://www.desertcart.de/products/4622964-essentials-of-christian-theology)

## Best For

- william placher enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted william placher brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Essentials of Christian Theology

## Images

![Essentials of Christian Theology - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41-NArC5s5L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Authoritative Voices in a Well Presented Patchwork
  

*by B***D on Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2010*

Essentials of Christian Theology Edited by William Placher, 2003.I will not bother reciting an outline of the book's contents, as Mr. ErFurt Messick has already done an admirable job for us. I will add to the five star reviews the opinion that this is a superior source for learning about Christian Theology. I also agree with Mr. Messick that several of the contributors to this book, especially Stanley Grenz (recently departed), Robert Jenson, Sallie McFague, Ted Peters, and Noel Leo Erskine are major names in American writing on Theology. My apologies to the others if I am less familiar with their work.I was especially pleased to see the chapter entitled 'What About Them?' which took a far lively look at the nature of relations between Christian faiths and the other faiths of the world. That a book limited to nine theological topics should include that one is a very nice recommendation for the book. My only problem with the subject in general within Christianity is that it strikes me as being like a conference between Alexander the Great, Caesar Augustus, Hannibal, Gengis Khan, and Cyrus the Great came to a conference in Athens, hosted by Alexander, who seated everyone at a rectangular table with him at the head (maybe King David at the other head), opened the windows so that the sun shined in everyone's eyes but his, and gave himself a highest chair. It seems that, from a scholarly point of view, it is better a topic for Philosophy of Religion than for Theology. After ruminating on that thought for a bit, I still think the Philosophy faculty is better equipped to handle it, but I agree with Placher that it is an issue in which Christians need to place themselves with a reasonable amount of honesty.This one issue is a case study in how I feel about the treatment of Theology in general, in higher education. Another trouble spot is in the area of what one may call 'contextual' theologies, where black African-American women (womanists) have a different theology than South American (liberationist) resistance clerics. I am all in favor of contextual hermeneutics, but those things which go on on either side of hermeneutics, exegesis and theology, seem to be aiming at a single consensus understanding of Christianity and its sources.So there are two topics which fall outside the lines of the way Martin Luther or John Calvin may have imagined theology. And that brings up another point. I find it odd that general introductions to Christian theology are very light on Catholic theology (Carl Rahner does get mentioned now and again) and silent on Eastern Orthodox Christianity (although books on Theosis and Kenosis do seem to be more common lately).Bottom line is that by bringing in 18 different voices on 9 different subjects, Christian Theology is presented in a somewhat more 'crazy quilt' fashion than usual. Placher goes to great lengths to integrate the material. Each pair of essays on each subject has a Placher introduction, but there is little cohesion between the related subjects of Trinity, Christology, and Atonement. I also sometimes find the essays just too short to do their subjects justice. Most of the time, they seem like journal survey articles giving a summary of opinions on the topic.This is more like a 'reader' on theology topics than a coherent text, and for a reader, I prefer the original voices such as Augustine, Basil, Abelard, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Schleiermacher, and Barth. A 'good' book, but not great.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Essentials of Christian Theology
  

*by C***E on Reviewed in the United States on February 9, 2011*

Essentials of Christian Theology was a well written and very well organized book. It provided a good sampling of historical and contemporary theological questions, perspectives and interesting writing styles. Placher kept his views in the mix as well. Systematic Theology is not an easy subject but the diversity of perspectives and tones was helpful. The book provided a good introduction to the subject capable of holding the interest of newbies to the field. I liked the structural arrangement very much which allowed for focus on some primary theological questions and the presentation of the material in a fairly uncomplicated but not overly simplistic manner.The type was easy to see and the layout of the book was also easy on the eye with  enough white space to give the mind and the eye adequate rest.  The Glossary and Index were indispensible! This book is an important contribution to help students achieve scholastic appreciation of a subject historically made over bearing and unecessarily dense.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Nice Dialogue
  

*by J***P on Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2013*

This book has a useful dialogical format where two different thinkers with opposing views write essays on difficult topics in Christian theology.  Placher summarizes the views fairly in the introduction to a topic, but then lets the authors speak for themselves on these very interesting modern challenges to Christianity.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.de/products/4622964-essentials-of-christian-theology](https://www.desertcart.de/products/4622964-essentials-of-christian-theology)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Germany*
*Store origin: DE*
*Last updated: 2026-01-23*