Includes bibliographical references (pages 101-103) and indexes.

I. The subject of theology: Jesus Christ -- The historical Jesus -- The present-day Christ -- The presence of His absence -- The expanding Christ -- Christ as subject -- The Spirit of God -- Summary -- II. The content of theology: Power in the blood -- Two metaphors for substitution -- The incarnation -- The Trinity -- The hardest part -- The atoned, atoning God -- III. The method of theology and the method of life: Libertas christiana -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Beza's Summa totius Christianismi -- Appendix B: Lucas Cranach's "The Old and New Testament."

This short systematic theology is a refreshing alternative to works on Christian doctrine that are too large or demanding for personal or group study. Paul Zahl offers a concentrated summary of the whole Christian faith in three concise, biblically correct chapters at once serious and popular, scholarly and contmporary. Arranged around twenty-five theses that cover the core Christian beliefs, the book dearly explains the person and nature of Jesus Christ, the meaning of the atonement, and the life that results from Christian freedom. Encompassing a great wealth of knowledge in a user-friendly, easy-to-follow format.