'Doctrine' is one of the heavier words in the Christian vocabulary and to understand doctrine raises a number of critical questions. What is the relationship between doctrine and the biblical witness? In what sense or senses can doctrine articulate truth claims? What are the ecclesial functions of doctrine? As discourse, what role does doctrine play in Christian discipleship? Is doctrine merely a social construct? And if it is, does this weaken its truth-claiming functions? If it does make truth claims, what is to be made of the diversity of doctrine across time and place?
Geoff Thompson addresses all of these questions in an engaging narrative which starts by exploring the origins of doctrine in the various catechetical, polemical and apologetic pressures the church encountered as it sought to articulate and teach the faith confessed in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. To provide an overview of some of the classic and variously influential doctrinal projects, he employs brief case studies that illustrate the overlapping influences of contexts (ecclesial and cultural) and tradition on doctrinal discourse. The case studies explore what ten selected classical and contemporary theologians say they are doing when teaching, expounding or inquiring into doctrine.
