I'm a parish pastor, and spending over a hundred dollars for one reference book better be worth it. It is. Volume One contains 465 articles (alphabetically from A-D). Topics of current interest include "Abortion" and "Abortion Counseling" and "Black Churches." Information on most of the world's countries and the latest statistics are at my fingertips. Although the encyclopedia is based upon a massive German publication, this edition is written in American English. In my opinion, many of the articles would be useful for high school students and Sunday School teachers. I'm going to put Vol. 2 on my next Christmas "wish" list.

. . .useful for the scholar, the cleric, and the informed layman.

This book is far less comprehensive than, say, the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, but has the advantage of being much less expensive, and much less daunting for the beginning student. The volume covers the major events and figures throughout the history of the Christian Church in an alphabetized dictionary format. The information presented is clear and concise without being minimalistic and the book is not particularly "weighted" toward a specific Christian tradition (thus minimizing polemic).

This book would be a fine addition to a parish library.

This recently published compendium of historical theology was prepared to fill a gap of no English based work on the history and development of Christian theology.

An outstanding group of international contributors makes up this volume of some 314 historical individuals or movements. These choices and the writing on each one is limited, as this effort does not define itself as total in its coverage, but does provide scholarly, informative broad coverage.

Features include a compiled index which goes beyond the 314, and each entry provides a "Further Reading" section as well.

Testing the meeting of its goals and objectives with this reviewer's own theological confession (Lutheranism), I find its entrees to be well done, sweeping with proper emphases and tensions illuminated. Inclusion of the works on Luther, Melanchthon and Chemnitz are illustrative of the sought after scope of this fine effort.

I look forward to using this has a handy resource to find one's historical bearings and then proceed further with its recommendations for further probe.