Summary Of The Story Of Christian Theology

The first part of Olson's The Story of Christian Theology introduces the reader to conflicting Christian Visions in the Second Century. First, Olson defines theology as "the church's reflection on the salvation brought by Christ and on the gospel of that salvation proclaimed and explained by the first- century apostles." (25). However, the story of Christian theology has continually been interwoven with the understanding of the Doctrine of Salvation (Soteriology). While Jesus was on earth, and even during the lifespan of his disciples there was no need for theology as one could ask them directly for the clear understanding of the doctrine of salvation. However with the death of Jesus' last disciple- John, Christian theology reached a turning point.
Olson points out in the introduction of The Story of Christian Theology that "no doctrine of Christianity ever developed out of thin air. Every belief-whether considered 'orthodox' (theologically correct), or 'heretical' (theologically incorrect)- arose because of a challenge". (15). The apostolic fathers, and apologists of the second century were the first to respond to some of the heretical claims that arose in their context. As a result of their responses, several historic doctrines developed. The beginning of many of these are covered in Olson's first four chapters, including the development of Jesus as the Logos, the doctrine of the trinity and the theory of recapitulation.

One significant doctrine discussed in Part I is the doctrine of Jesus as the Logos. Christian theology was