Encyclopedia of Christian Education

Kurian (Baker Handbook of Denominations and Ministries;Visual Timelines of Christian History) and Lamport (Michigan St. Univ., curriculum and instruction; other graduate schools, practical theology/educational ministry) have produced not an encyclopedia of education, but one of Christian formation. Users will not find educational topics such as licensure, accreditation, racial or ethnic diversity, or many areas of the curriculum. Even such issues as voucher programs show a distinct bias, with a paragraph on the views of proponents and a single sentence on the opinions of opponents. Of greater concern is that Christianity is largely treated as monolithic, with little acknowledgement of the wide variation in traditions. In an encyclopedia of this type, entries for timely subjects—homosexuality, the ordination of women, or married priesthood—would be expected. Most of the entries resemble brief essays on biblical teaching than explorations of its depth, breadth, history, and implications. The arrangement of the 1,200 entries is alphabetical, but an appendix provides 19 introductory essays and a list of relevant entries for each. Other appendixes include "World Statistics on Christian Populations" (with no indication of the source), "World Listing of Christian Universities by Continent," "Entries Listed by Author," an "Index of Names," and an "Index of Entries," which gives page number ranges but no volume numbers or cross-references. A list of the credentials of the 400 contributors is also provided.