Calvinist theology has been debated and promoted for centuries. But is it a theology that should last? Roger Olson suggests that Calvinism, also commonly known as Reformed theology, holds an unwarranted place in our list of accepted theologies. In Against Calvinism, readers will find scholarly arguments explaining why Calvinist theology is incorrect and how it affects God’s reputation. Olson draws on a variety of sources, including Scripture, reason, tradition, and experience, to support his critique of Calvinism and the more historically rich, biblically faithful alternative theologies he proposes.Addressing what many evangelical Christians are concerned about today—so-called “new Calvinism,” a movement embraced by a generation labeled as “young, restless, Reformed” —Against Calvinism is the only book of its kind to offer objections from a non-Calvinist perspective to the current wave of Calvinism among Christian youth. As a companion to Michael Horton’s For Calvinism, readers will be able to compare contrasting perspectives and form their own opinions on the merits and weaknesses of Calvinism.

Liberal Christian theology is a big topic in today’s churches and seminaries. But what does liberal theology really mean and why is it so controversial? What does it actually believe about truth, Scripture, and Jesus Christ? And where does it lead?

The term “liberal theology” is often misinterpreted, confused with a set of loose ideologies within the Christian faith and sometimes rallied behind by genuine Christians who are simply concerned about modern social justice issues. It’s also been wrongly leveled against churches and even entire denominations that don’t adhere to the tradition of liberal theology.

Against Liberal Theology, is written in a direct and conversational tone that makes sense of this theological movement by:

• Defining liberal theology and explaining its beliefs about central Christian doctrines.
• Giving its history and progression–beginning with 18^th century German theologian Friedrich Schleiermacher and leading up to today.
• Making distinctions between liberal theology and simple moderate or progressive Christian thought, much of which is still biblically committed and doctrinally orthodox.
• Discussing the arguments of specific liberal theologians and what their words mean in regard to everyday Christian living and faith.

Sincere and to the point, professor and theologian Roger E. Olson is not interested in grinding axes. He openly admits to frustration with fundamentalist Christianity and explains why. But he warns that true liberal theology–more concerned with making Christianity palatable to the modern mind than it is committed to biblical integrity–isn’t the right alternative to the cultic tendencies of fundamentalism and has little in common with classical, biblical Christianity.

Against Liberal Theology is perfect for Christians on any side of a cultural debate–for those who consider themselves progressive or conservative or something in between.

It’s always unpopular to be against anything. But in order for Christianity to be anything, it has to stand against some things. If Christianity is compatible with anything and everything, it is nothing.

Many people equate evangelical Christianity with conservatism in religion, politics, theology and social attitudes. Some are scandalized by any separation between them. As one evangelical pastor’s wife declared to a church group “We are a conservative people!”In fact, however, evangelicals have not always been conservative; radical stances on doctrines, worship, social norms, politics and church leadership have often marked evangelicalism in the past. The 2007 movie Amazing Grace about William Wilberforce’s protracted battle against the slave trade featured a small group of British evangelicals committed to abolition. The same radicalism characterized much of American evangelicalism in the years before the Civil War.In recent years the American media have portrayed the evangelical movement as a conservative force in society sometimes equating it with fundamentalism and puritanism. The missing piece of the story is, however, that both fundamentalism and puritanism contained radical elements that opposed the status quo.This book sets forth evidence that the link between evangelicalism and conservatism has not always been as strong as it is today in the popular mind and it will provide suggestions for contemporary evangelicals who want to remain evangelical (and not become “post-evangelical”) without identifying with conservatism in every way.

“Jesus is the answer.”“God has a perfect plan for your life.”“All sins are equal.”Sayings like these may make catchy bumper stickers, but as deep, life-changing truths they fall short. They are the earmarks of “folk religion”—a badly distorted pop-Christianity that thrives on clichés and slogans and resists reflection and examination. Such pat spiritual answers often contain a nugget of truth, but that truth is easily misunderstood and misapplied in ways that do more harm than good.Roger Olson encourages us to reach for a higher and deeper faith. Examining ten prevalent Christian beliefs, he raises questions that encourage us to engage our minds with the Scriptures in order to carefully consider what it is we believe and why. You’ll be surprised at what you find. Questions to All Your Answers will help you use the God-given gift of your intellect to sift through glib sayings that sound right to what actually is right—to truth that really can set you and others free.

The Zondervan Biblical and Theological Lectures series provides a unique audio learning experience. Unlike a traditional audiobook’s direct narration of a book’s text,¬†The Essentials of Christian Thought: Audio Lectures¬†includes high-quality live recordings of college-level lectures that cover the important points from each subject as well as relevant material from other sources.

Christians disagree on doctrine, politics, church government, certain moral questions–just about everything under the sun, it can seem. Yet a unity remains, centered around a core outlook on God and the world that is common to all believers. Or at least, such an outlook should unite Christians of all theological and church backgrounds. However, alternate visions of reality often infect and corrupt Christians’ thinking.

In The Essentials of Christian Thought: Audio Lectures eminent theologian and church historian Roger Olson outlines the basic perspective on the world that all Christians, regardless of the place and time in which they were born, have historically held. This underlying metaphysic accords with all orthodox theologies, whether Calvinist or Arminian, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Protestant, but it separates Christianity from other religious and secular perspectives. It is, quite simply, the essential requirement of a Christian view of the world.

The Essentials of Christian Thought: Audio Lectures will prompt viewers to more consciously appropriate the core of their faith, guarding against ideas that subtly but necessarily invite compromise.

The Essentials of Christian Thought: Audio Lectures¬†is part of the Zondervan Biblical and Theological Lectures series, which is dedicated to bringing expert teaching from world’s best biblical scholars and theologians directly to interested learners.¬†The Essentials of Christian Thought: Audio Lectures¬†offers the chance to learn about the necessary principles of a Christian outlook on the world from one of today’s premier theologians.

In The Mosaic of Christian Belief Roger E. Olson thematically traces the contours of Christian belief down through the ages, revealing a pattern of both unity and diversity. He finds a consensus of teaching that is both unitive and able to incorporate a faithful diversity when not forced into the molds of false either-or alternatives. The mosaic that emerges from Olson’s work, now updated throughout and with a new chapter on the Holy Spirit, displays a mediating evangelical theology that is irenic in spirit and tone. Olson, writing with nonspecialists in mind, has masterfully sketched out the contours of the Great Tradition of the Christian faith with simplicity while avoiding oversimplification.