This book discusses classical contributions to two major articles of faith: the doctrine of God and the doctrine of creation. The author presents a thorough analysis, drawing from the works of prominent theologians of the period from 1577 to 1713, including Chemnitz, Selnecker, Mentzer, Gerhard, Quenstedt, and Hollaz. Because of his focus on doctrine and methodology, Preus is able to give a fair picture of classical Lutheran theology as a whole.

The first section of the book on the doctrine of God explores the knowledge of God, His existence and essence, His attributes, and the triune nature of God.

In the second section, Preus examines the doctrine of creation, discussing practical applications of the orthodox view of divine providence and the eschatological overtones.

The final section is an outline of orthodox theologians' attitudes toward emerging scientific cosmologies and describes implications of the modern scientific picture for Lutheran theology.