1st Edition
Ordinary Christology Who Do You Say I Am? Answers From The Pews
Ordinary Christology is defined as the account of who Jesus was/is and what he did/does that is given by Christian believers who have received no formal theological education. In this fascinating study Ann Christie analyses, and offers a theological appraisal, of the main christologies and soteriologies operating in a sample of ordinary churchgoers. Christie highlights the formal characteristics of ordinary Christology and raises questions about how we should respond to the beliefs about Jesus held by ordinary churchgoers. Empirical findings have important pastoral, theological, and missiological implications, and raise important questions about the importance (or otherwise) of 'right' belief for being Christian. This book presents a model for how the study of ordinary theology can be conducted, with the in-depth theological analysis and critique which it both requires and deserves.
Biography
Ann Christie is Senior Lecturer in Theology and Ministry, York St John University, UK.
This is a valuable study of a key motif within the ordinary theology of churchgoers. Through the medium of Ann Christie’s patient research we are privileged to hear a variety of authentic voices from the pews, as people seek to articulate what they make of Jesus and in what sense he saves them. This original and perceptive book combines empirical study with theological reflection in a way that raises issues of considerable significance both for ministers and academic theologians. Jeff Astley, Honorary Professorial Fellow in Practical Theology and Christian Education, Durham University, UK '... this book will prove invaluable to practical theologians interested in the faith of the ordinary believer, and it will contribute considerably to the growing field of ordinary theology.' Religious Studies Review
