Thomas Oden's Justification Reader aspires to demonstrate a broad consensus on the doctrine of justification, spanning the entire history of the church and all branches of the Christian faith: East and West, Roman Catholic and Protestant, Reformational and Pentecostal. As a "reader," the book intends to provide a transparent catalogue of common church teaching with quotations from Lactantius to Luther, Chrysostom to Calvin, while giving confessional documents their due. These are lofty goals, and the ecumenical reach of this book may exceed its grasp. Yet a lay reader can pick up this volume and learn two very important things: both the basic outlines of the doctrine of justification, and the strong support this doctrine enjoys over twenty centuries of church history. For this, Oden deserves much credit.
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Brian J. Lee works for a federal agency in Washington, D.C.
Issue: "My Place in His World: Decision Making and the Will of God" Jan./Feb. 2004 Vol. 13 No. 1 Page number(s): 40-41
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