The editors of this text have done graduate students and academics in theology a massive favour by bringing together this expansive collection of erudite essays on systematic theology. Despite the fact that there are nearly forty different contributors, the continuity of this text, from an organisational standpoint, is refreshingly uniform. The editors are to be commended for providing the contributors with such clear goals and providing the public with such a consistent text. As a single body of work these essays attempt to state the main questions of research and note the major texts and thinkers that have shaped and are currently shaping the discipline, noting the important points of division and disagreement. Finally, each contributor presents his or her own sophisticated constructive proposal which adds invaluable depth to the Handbook.

The book is divided into four parts: Doctrines (the largest of the four sections), Sources, Conversations and Prospects. The Doctrines section covers, in a somewhat predictable manner, the main topics involved in systematic theology, although the division of this material may seem puzzling to some readers. For example, there is a chapter on sin but not one on grace. There are separate chapters on election and providence and yet no chapter on Jesus Christ (although there are separate essays on the incarnation and the atonement). Also, pertinent for Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theologies, there is no separate discussion of the saints.

The section on Sources examines the topics of Revelation, Scripture, Tradition, Reason, Worship and Experience. These helpful essays allow the reader thoughtfully to reflect on the intricate web of sources upon which systematic theologies are constructed. To single out one of the many excellent essays, Ellen Charry's chapter on the often vague notion of ‘experience’ as a theological source is very helpful, especially as there is little agreement among theologians on how this particular theological source should be put to use.

The section on Conversations branches out and makes contact with various disciplines that are crucial to the construction of a good systematic theology, such as biblical studies, ethics, philosophy, hermeneutics, cultural theory and the arts. One might have hoped for a chapter here on the study of spirituality and spiritual texts and its relation to systematic theology throughout the patristic, modern and postmodern periods, since that is an emerging and important field of study.

Finally, the Prospects section deals with various directions in which systematic theology may travel in our current climate, interacting with theologies of retrieval, revisionist theologies, as well as liberation and feminist theologies. While the Prospects section provides important content, it seems that these theological approaches could have been more vividly represented if taken up within the sections on particular doctrines. Generally speaking, most of the work in the Doctrines section seems to be done from the perspective of a ‘theology of retrieval’, over and against one of the other options considered at the end of the book. Placing the liberationist, revisionist and feminist perspectives in the Prospects portion of the text somewhat isolates these perspectives from doctrine, obscuring for the reader the contributions these perspectives might make on a particular doctrine.

As a whole, the general tenor of the text conveys a Barthian approach to theology and modernity. Barth is a major dialogue partner in nearly every chapter. Despite his obvious influence throughout the text it would be a mistake to say that Barth's proposals are adopted uncritically, or that this is a Protestant handbook. One of the main delights of this text is the ecumenical impetus that underlies almost every chapter. While systematic theology is often practised in a particular confession, it is admirable how the contributors of this text make use of and interact with those of differing confessions, making this a truly catholic Handbook.

But contemporary theology is often more divided not by confession but by perspectives on the modern project. In this respect, the Handbook takes a more critical stance towards modernity and its noetic strictures and anthropological emphases and a greater optimism towards the inner resources of Christianity. John Webster's introductory essay sets the tone for the Handbook in describing systematic theology as more or less independent of other disciplines, stating that theology should take its organisational cues not from human analytical categories but ‘should emerge from attention to the subject matter's self-unfolding’ (p. 14).

It is surely a daunting task to assemble a handbook on a discipline as diverse as systematic theology. This book, however, offers a magnificent contribution to contemporary theological discussions, presenting a sophisticated and creative explication of what today's systematicians are doing within the church. In the end, scholars and graduate students could hardly do better than to orientate their own research agendas on a particular theological topic by beginning with the appropriate essay in this volume.