What do Christians believe and why do they believe it? What are the historical roots of modern Christian doctrines, and what logical connections link them together? This concise introduction to Christian thought provides thorough yet succinct answers to these and other important questions, incorporating expanded discussions of the sacraments, the Church and the ministry, recent ecumenical movements and trends, and women's ordination. Avoiding a strict chronological approach, the author traces the development of each great issue that formed Christian theology. Questions of doctrine such as the Trinity and the Incarnation are dealt with in full. Also addressed are the important issues in natural theology such as the existence of God, miracles, freedom of the will, and the problem of evil. The text shows which issues in Christian thought constitute the "common denominators" of Christian belief, and traces the roots of Christian doctrine to their sources, explaining why certain doctrines are logically essential to Christianity and were thus adopted. By analyzing the significant issues in Christian thinking from their early formulations to contemporary re-examination, A Short History of Christian Thought demonstrates that classical Christian doctrines are reasonable articulations of basic convictions and that Christian thought is relevant to the full range of human experience