At the end of the twentieth century the forces of race, gender, ethnicity, culture, social status, lifestyle and sexual orientation threaten to disassemble any universal notion of "human nature" or "human condition". In light of this historical moment and its challenges, the Christian doctrine of humanity is ripe for clarification and restatement.

This theological task, argues Sherlock, demands a "double focus." Both the human image of God and the particular realities of human existence must be brought into sharper, more detailed focus. Only then will we begin to understand human nature in the light of divine revelation. Sherlock notably engages the communal dimension of humanity in its creational, social and cultural aspects before examining the human person as individual, as male and female, and as whole being.

The Doctrine of Humanity is a timely and engaging look at what it means to be human on the continuum between our creation in the divine image and our hope of re-creation in the image of Christ.