In clear, precise language, he lays out major ways in which the church has understood Jesus, beginning with the Scriptures and the great Christological controversies of the early church. Stroup judiciously evaluates major nineteenth- and twentieth-century reformulations, and describes challenges posed by contemporary religious pluralism. This book will be especially valuable to church people and those who are beginning theological studies. It is both a reliable reference work to the history of Christology, and a clear articulation of why Jesus matters for Christian faith and life today." John Burgess, John Henry Snowden Professor of Systematic Theology, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, and author of Why Scripture Matters