Know the Theologians (Includes Free Streaming Video)

Finalist for the 2025 Christianity Today Book Award in Popular Theology

Know the Theologians is an introduction to the most important thinkers throughout church history and a demonstration of their ongoing relevance for believers today.

The Bible describes the church as a kind of family. Those who believe in Christ are sisters and brothers in the faith, whether they live at the same time or are separated by centuries. For that reason, believers today need to know our family members who have come before and shaped our beliefs and practices now. In Know the Theologians, professors and authors Jennifer Powell McNutt and David W. McNutt introduce the most significant thinkers in the church's history.

McNutt and McNutt survey over a dozen primary figures, including Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant theologians, who represent the breadth and depth of the church's theology. The book explores how they fit into their own time period and also draws attention to the theological voices of women throughout the church's history. Every chapter includes short sidebars on figures contemporary to the main theologians, bringing in additional important voices.

This book has everything you need for a full personal or group study experience.

• As part of the KNOW series, Know the Theologians is designed for either personal study or classroom use, and it will also be an accessible resource for small groups and adult education in churches. Chapters end with reflection questions and recommended reading for further study.
• An individual access code to stream all video sessions online. (You don’t need to buy a DVD!)

Sessions and video run times:

0. Introduction (6:30)

1. Irenaeus of Lyons (17:00)

2. Athanasius of Alexandria (24:30)

3. The Cappadocian Four (16:00)

4. Augustine of Hippo (14:30)

5. John of Damascus (17:00)

6. Anselm of Canterbury (19:00)

7. Julian of Norwich (20:30)

8. Thomas Aquinas (19:00)

9. Martin Luther (22:00)

10. John Calvin (25:30)

11. Menno Simons (21:30)

12. Teresa of Avila (19:30)

13. The Wesley Brothers (21:00)

14. Friedrich Schleiermacher (12:00)

15. Karl Barth (14:00)

16. Gustavo Gutiérrez (30:30)

Streaming video access code included.?Access code subject to expiration after 4/2/2029. Code may be redeemed only by the recipient of this package. Code may not be transferred or sold separately from this package. Internet connection required. Void where prohibited, taxed, or restricted by law. Additional offer details inside.

Jennifer Powell McNutt (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is Franklin S. Dyrness Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at Wheaton College and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. She was awarded the Brewer Prize by the American Society of Church History for her first book, Calvin Meets Voltaire, and she is the coeditor of The People's Book: The Reformation and the Bible and the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of the Bible and the Reformation. She has contributed to numerous volumes on Reformed history and theology, and she is an ordained Presbyterian minister and co-president of McNuttshell Ministries, which seeks to bridge the church and the academy.

David W. McNutt (PhD, University of Cambridge) is senior acquisitions editors at Zondervan Academic and associate lecturer of core studies at Wheaton College, where he teaches courses in theology, theology and the arts, and philosophical aesthetics. He is also an ordained Presbyterian minister and co-president of McNuttshell Ministries, which seeks to bridge the church and the academy.

Justin S. Holcomb (PhD) is the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida and teaches theology and apologetics at Reformed Theological Seminary. He is the author, coauthor, or editor of more than twenty books on theology, abuse, and biblical studies, including Know the Creeds and Councils, Know the Heretics, and Rid of My Disgrace.