Select Works of Alister McGrath (10 vols.)

by Alister McGrath; Joanna Collicutt McGrath

Publishers:

SPCK; Fortress Press

, 1993–2011

Overview

Anglican belief and practice allows that God communicates through his Word as well as through the beauty of his works. The trick, of course, is to keep the two sources of communication in balance. Nowhere is this balance better struck than in the writings of the atheist-turned-Anglican-clergyman Alister McGrath. McGrath takes Scripture very seriously as an unshakeable source of truth for belief. At the same time, McGrath recognizes that God also communicates through art and literature. Throughout these 10 books, McGrath draws on these two different sources to teach us more about God and about how to live in light of what he has communicated. McGrath also offers a thoroughgoing defence of God’s existence, again drawing not only evidence from Scripture but from the beauty of creation.

The Select Works of Alister McGrath collection links to the other texts in your library. Every word is indexed, allowing you near-instant search results. Scripture references, linked to your preferred translation, appear on mouseover, and a click allows you to see them in context. If you come across a theological term you are unfamiliar with, you can use the lookup tool to jump right to right to another resource.

Key Features

• 10 volumes by one of the most prominent Evangelical Anglican theologians of our time
• Covers a variety of topics from apologetics to devotional
• Full-color reproductions of classic works of art
• Comprehensive indexes

The Renewal of Anglicanism

• Author: Alister McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 1993
• Pages: 176

This work sets out to inspire new hope for the future of Anglicanism. Indeed, it is the start of a renewal, showing readers the first steps in the thinking, talking, and action that, under God, will bring life to his people.

SPCK Handbook of Anglican Theologians

• Author: Alister McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 1998
• Pages: 304

This essential reference opens with an analysis of the evolution of Anglican theology in six major regions of the world. The second part of the book contains descriptions of nearly 100 Anglican theologians.

Creation

• Author: Alister McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Series: Truth and the Christian Imagination
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 96

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Employing seven classic paintings, Creation invites readers to envision the origin, dependence, and large purpose of the universe and their own lives. McGrath explores the seven traditional aspects of the doctrine of creation: encountering creation, tending creation, the spirituality of creation, the parables of creation, the Lord of creation, the place of humanity in creation, and the ruin and restoration of humanity. The first of six volumes in the Truth and the Christian Imagination series, this book will help students and lay people understand the relevance of traditional theological terminology, the continued viability of a broadly Christian approach, and the pertinence of doctrine in their daily lives.

Oxford University’s McGrath has distinguished himself not just as an historical theologian, but as a generous and witty writer who brings life to topics that would turn to dust in others’ hands.

—Publishers Weekly

Alister McGrath invariably combines enormous scholarship with an accessible and engaging style.

—Rowan Williams, Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, and former Archbishop of Canterbury

Incarnation

• Author: Alister McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Series: Truth and the Christian Imagination
• Publication Date: 2005
• Pages: 87

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Illuminated by a series of fine art paintings, Alister McGrath’s new volume seeks to engage both the mind and the imagination as he explores why the Church set its faith and hope on the extraordinary, brilliant, and bold idea that Jesus Christ is God incarnate. Poetry, prayer, and theological reflection are interwoven with commentary on the ideas conveyed through works such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s Ecce Ancilla Domini, Jacopo Bassano’s Miraculous Draught of Fishes, and Vincent Van Gogh’s Good Samaritan.

Redemption

• Author: Alister McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Series: Truth and the Christian Imagination
• Publication Date: 2006
• Pages: 87

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Illuminated by paintings including Sir Edward John Poynter’s The Prodigal’s Return, Amedeo Bocchi’s On the Lawn, Jacopo Bassano’s The Last Supper, Caravaggio’s The Taking of Christ, Antonio Ciseri’s Ecce Homo, Salvador Dali’s Christ of St. John of the Cross, and El Greco’s Piet, McGrath’s new volume vividly explores the divine compassion that led God to sacrifice his only Son to save a world oppressed and unable to help itself.

Resurrection

• Author: Alister McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Series: Truth and the Christian Imagination
• Publication Date: 2008
• Pages: 87

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Dramatically illuminated by a series of fine art paintings, Alister McGrath’s new volume seeks to engage both the mind and the imagination as he explores the great and extraordinary affirmation: ‘Christ is risen!’ Poetry, prayer, and theological reflection are interwoven with commentary on the ideas conveyed through works such as Maurice Denis’s Holy Women at the Tomb, He Qi’s On the Road to Emmaus, Guercino’s Incredulity of St. Thomas, and William Blake’s River of Life. The result not only increases our understanding of the vital connection between the resurrection of the Son of God and the transformation of human existence, but also helps us to trust in the security of Christ’s grasp on our lives, as he daily sustains us by his love and power.

The Christian Vision of God

• Author: Alister McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Series: Truth and the Christian Imagination
• Publication Date: 2009
• Pages: 96

Gloriously illuminated by a series of fine art paintings, The Christian Vision of God is an ideal introduction to what Christians believe about the Trinity. Alister McGrath seeks to engage both the mind and the imagination as he focuses on the astounding, life-transforming truth that God wants to be known by us. Astute and informed, McGrath also models an earnest religious quest for the divine meaning and human import of Christian convictions as reflected in their development and in the artistic and literary treasures of the broader culture. Poetry, prayer, and theological reflection are interwoven with commentary on the ideas conveyed through works such as Daniel Bonnell’s Pearl of Great Price, Klimt’s The Kiss, Rembrandt’s The Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Morazzone’s Pentecost, William Blake’s Moses and the Burning Bush, Botticelli’s Holy Trinity, and Rublev’s Icon with the Trinity.

The Dawkins Delusion?

• Authors: Alister McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 2007
• Pages: 144

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

World-renowned scientist Richard Dawkins writes in The God Delusion: “If this book works as I intend, religious readers who open it will be atheists when they put it down.” The volume has received wide coverage, fueled much passionate debate, and spread confusion and distrust.

Alister McGrath, along with his wife, Joanna, are ideal to evaluate Dawkins’s ideas. Once an atheist himself, Alister gained a doctorate in molecular biophysics before going on to become a leading Christian theologian. He wonders how two people, who have reflected at length on substantially the same world, could possibly have come to such different conclusions about God. The McGraths subject Dawkins’s critique of faith to rigorous scrutiny. His exhilarating, meticulously argued response deals with questions such as:

• Is faith intellectual nonsense?
• Are science and religion locked in a battle to the death?
• Can the roots of Christianity be explained away scientifically?
• Is Christianity simply a force for evil?

This book will be warmly received by those looking for a reliable assessment of The God Delusion and the many questions it raises—including, above all, the relevance of faith and the quest for meaning.

2008 Christian Bookseller’s Covention Book of the Year Award winner

McGrath identifies Dawkins’ flawed arguments with surgical precision. McGrath spotlights Dawkins’ embarrassing biblical ignorance and exposes his religion-as-virus-of-the-mind theory as sociological naïvete. This intelligent yet accessible book is a must-read for anyone interested in the subject or for those with friends sucked under by the new current of atheist literature.

—New Man, November/December 2007

Combining scholarship with a popular style, the McGraths examine Dawkins’ arguments and find them wanting. They show the inadequacy of his argument on the major points, contending that Dawkins’ critique of religion is based on hearsay and anecdotal evidence rather than on hard research, and that he employs rhetoric rather than rationality.

—Library Journal, August 2007

One could hardly think of a better apologist for theism than Alister McGrath. This atheist-turned-Christian, also of Oxford, is a professor of historical theology. But as a student of molecular biophysics, he possesses the dual credibility in science and religion that Dawkins lacks. Like watching one schoolboy do another’s work, McGrath’s true gift is pointing out what Dawkins is obliged to show in order to make his case.

—Christianity Today, November 2007

The God Delusion makes me embarrassed to be an atheist, and the McGraths show why.

—Michael Ruse, Lucyle T. Werkmeister professor of philosophy, Florida State University

Richard Dawkins’ utopian vision of a world without religion is here deftly punctured by the McGraths’ informed discourse. His fellow Oxonians clearly demonstrate the gaps, inconsistencies, and surprising lack of depth in Dawkins’ arguments.

—Owen Gingerich, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and author of God’s Universe

With rigorous logic and exquisite fairness, the McGraths have exposed Dawkins’ very superficial understanding of the history of religion and theology. Because he is so ‘out of his depth’ in these areas, Dawkins uses his fundamentalistic scientism and atheism to constantly misjudge the possibilities for dialogue between religion and science. Thank God for scholars like the McGraths who are committed to finding truth in both.

—Dr. Timothy Johnson, physician, journalist and author of Finding God in the Questions

Addressing the conclusions of The God Delusion point by point with the devastating insight of a molecular biologist turned theologian, Alister McGrath dismantles the argument that science should lead to atheism, and demonstrates instead that Dawkins has abandoned his much-cherished rationality to embrace an embittered manifesto of dogmatic atheist fundamentalism.

—Francis Collins, director of the Human Genome Project

Mere Theology

• Author: Alister McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 2010
• Pages: 176

Alister McGrath explores how the great tradition of Christian theological reflection can enrich our faith and deepen our engagement with the concerns and debates of the world around us. Part 1 of this exhilarating volume looks at the purpose, place, and relevance of Christian theology. Part 2 deals with the relation of the natural sciences and faith. Here the core arguments of recent atheist writers are critically examined, including their demand for a ‘New Enlightenment.’ In short, Mere Theology addresses matters of real importance for Christian life and thought. It will prove both encouraging and stimulating to all those concerned with developing a ‘discipleship of the mind.’

Why God Won’t Go Away

• Author: Alister McGrath
• Publisher: SPCK
• Publication Date: 2011
• Pages: 129

In a decade embroiled in fanaticism and fear, a renewed interest in the age-old debate over the question of God has reignited, giving rise to a new group of media-savvy contenders dubbed the “New Atheists.” As expressed in the works of best-selling authors like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, the New Atheists have found a foothold in today’s cynical society, and have ramped up their efforts to debunk the existence of God.

Renowned historian, theologian, and scholar Alister McGrath is on the frontlines of this conversation, publicly debating many of these prominent skeptics. In this thoughtful and accessible volume, McGrath gives a spirited rebuttal to the claims of the New Atheists, critiquing the New Atheism on its own merits and exploring the fundamental questions:

• Who are the New Atheists, and what do they believe?
• Is religion delusional and evil?
• Are human beings fundamentally good?
• How do reason and science prove or disprove faith?
• Is the best hope for humanity a ‘New Enlightenment’?

Why God Won’t Go Away explores how the movement’s ideas are defined and propagated, helping us understand the agendas and anxieties of this global movement and its appeal to society as a whole. Why God Won’t Go Away explores what is “new” about New Atheism, critiques the movement on its core themes of violence, reason, and science, and asks, “where does the New Atheism go from here?”

A robust defense of the God of the Bible . . . This is a book for serious thinkers who wish to make God real in a world that has forgotten its Creator and Maker.

—Joni Eareckson Tada

About Alister McGrath

Alister E. McGrath is a historian, biochemist, and Christian theologian born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. A longtime professor at Oxford University, he now holds the chair in theology, ministry, and education at the University of London. He is the author of several books on theology and history, including Christianity’s Dangerous Idea, In the Beginning, and The Twilight of Atheism. He lives in Oxford, England, and lectures regularly in the United States.