Category: Theology/Christian Living Page 11 of 33

Unfolding Redemption by Camden M. Bucey & Lange G. Tipton: I’ve Looked at Salvation from Both Sides Now

DETAILS:
Publisher: Reformed Forum
Publication Date: October, 2023
Format: Booklet
Length: 52 pg.
Read Date: November 5, 2023

Many well-meaning Christians view salvation in Christ exclusively through a personal and subjective lens. They perceive salvation as an intimate process of divine intervention, manifesting in transformative experiences, feelings, and changes in our lives. While salvation certainly includes a personal experience, the Bible teaches an objective and historical foundation for such salvation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Accordingly, before we can speak meaningfully about our individual salvation experience, we must first understand that salvation, at its heart, is an accomplished reality. It is rooted in real, historical events that took place long before our personal experience of salvation. This accomplishment of salvation, carried out by God through Jesus Christ in the unfolding of covenant history, sets the stage for the personal application of salvation in our lives.

Essentially, before salvation can be applied to us subjectively, it must be accomplished objectively. It is this accomplished work of God, historically embodied in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that is the basis for the salvation we experience. Jesus Christ himself is the wellspring from which flows all the benefits of our salvation: justification, adoption, sanctification, and eventual glorification. To understand truly the richness and depth of our personal salvation experience, we must first grapple with the historical accomplishment of salvation—the foundation upon which our subjective experiences are built.

What’s Unfolding Redemption About?

This booklet is essentially an unpacking of that opening quotation. Following the Introduction which will introduce the thesis of the book, introduce and define some terms, and so on, the opening chapter examines the historic, objective work “historically embodied in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” what the authors (and many others) would summarize as the historia salutis.

The second chapter looks at the subjective application of that work to us and our lives—the ordo salutis.

The Significance of Pentecost

Rather than beginning with Genesis, the Prophets, or even the Gospel accounts to look at the historia salutis, Bucey and Tipton start at Pentecost—from this vantage point they can look back at Genesis-Malachi as well as the Gospels for a look at that work of Christ and how it was foretold/foreshadowed and what he accomplished in His life, death, resurrection and ascension—leading to the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost as part of what they term “the Irreversible Progress of Redemption.”

Union with Christ

As we’re united with (or in) Christ, those elements of the work He accomplished can be applied to our hearts and souls, our minds, and our lives. They’re applied through justification, adoption, sanctification, forensic and redemptive benefits, and finally through glorification.

The individual aspects here are all touched on with a degree of depth, but they’re very brief (the booklet itself is 52 pages long, everything is brief). But you don’t feel short-changed, which is pretty impressive for 1-4 page discussions.

So, what did I think about Unfolding Redemption?

Understanding what has transpired in Christ breathes life into our understanding of our individual spiritual journeys. Recognizing our faith within the progressive and organic climax of redemptive history in the person, work, and kingdom of Jesus Christ helps us understand our place within his grand design and enhances our communion with Christ. In this context, our salvation becomes not just a personal experience but part of history of special revelation that finds its center and substance—its goal and telos—in the crucified and glorified Son of God—the church’s “hope of glory” (Col. 1:27).

I really appreciate the emphasis on the two ways of looking at redemption—accomplishment and application. What was done on our behalf and how it changes us. It’s too often overlooked and/or confused by the American Church today, and we need to get it straightened out.

Overall, I liked Unfolding Redemption—I wasn’t blown away by it (partially, because I’ve read everything they point readers to for more depth), but it’s asking a lot for a booklet of this length to blow anyone away.

I did think that this is a handy thing to hand out to people who are new to Reformed soteriology—or who are curious about it, and can think of a handful of people I wish I had copies for right now. The whole point of this booklet is to be a starting point—one that points in a direction for further inquiry/study. And it does a great job of doing that.

On those terms, I feel like I’m short-changing it on stars. On the other hand, these are about my reactions–which were I liked it. So, I’m sticking with that. Although, I halfway expect those I had in mind to hand it to will react far more positively. Basically, your results may vary, and probably will.

3 Stars

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The Atonement: An Introduction by Jeremy Treat: A Wider Vision than is Typical for this Doctrine

By HCNewton

On November 5, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Atonement: An Introduction

by Jeremy Treat

DETAILS:
Series: Short Studies in Systematic Theology
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: August 22, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 158 pg.
Read Date: September 24-October 1, 2023

Here is my approach to the atonement in a nutshell: The death of Christ is a multidimensional accomplishment within the story that begins in the garden and culminates in the kingdom. While the achievements of the cross (forgiveness, victory, adoption, and so on) are unending, the heart of the cross, out of which everything flows and finds its coherence, is Christ dying in our place for our sins. The atoning work of Christ not only reconciles sinners to God but also to one another, calling us into a life of taking up our crosses as we follow our King. In other words, we need a kingdom-framed, substitution-centered, multidimensional, integrated, communal, life-changing approach to the doctrine of atonement.

A Quick Confession

I really wasn’t that interested in this volume. I got it because I’m a completionist—the rest of the topics in this series so far (and those I’ve heard are coming) intrigued me. This seemed too narrow a topic, honestly, maybe one that would fit better under a larger topic like the Work of Christ—a companion piece to The Person of Christ: An Introduction.

It took me very little time to realize that I really appreciated Treat’s approach to and Treatment of the subject and that I was very glad I’d bought this. It’s easily one of my favorites in the series (something I’ll be repeating soon when I talk about The Holy Spirit: An Introduction, I have to admit).

Now that I’ve set the bar low for the rest of this, how about we move on to:

What’s The Atonement: An Introduction About?

Atonement theology, especially at the popular level, has been plagued by reductionism. Whether limiting Christ’s work to a purely spiritual salvation or only focusing on one of the dimensions of his work, many have truncated the breadth of Christ’s atoning death. A kingdom framework gives a comprehensive view of salvation, encompassing the renewal of heaven and earth while embracing the many dimensions of the atonement.

Treat definitely doesn’t take a reductionistic approach to his subject—but he doesn’t try to spread it too far, either. What he does do is take a panoramic look at the subject—trying to take in the scope of the doctrine, even if this introduction can’t get into the nitty-gritty details. I feel silly putting it this way, but the book really is a systematic/dogmatic introduction to the Doctrine of the Atonement—exploring what it is and why it matters.

Treat quickly points out that he has no desire to promote any of the various and popular theories regarding the Atonement so popular over the last century or so. He doesn’t care to deal with theories when it comes to this, he wants to focus on what we do know about the doctrine—and sure, as he admits, what he’s saying sounds a lot like the Penal Substitutionary Theory, but it also sounds like the Moral Influence Theory and Governmental Theories—because he’s trying to make sure his doctrine of the Atonement takes in and accounts for all the data.*

* I’d note that every Reformed expositor/defender of the Penal Substitutionary Theory that I’ve encountered over the last couple of decades would have the same understanding of Governmental and Moral Influence, So it’s not revolutionary—as much as Treat’s disdain for the ideal of “theories” may be unfamiliar.

He attempts to keep things focused on the eschaton, and the Atonement’s role in it, as well as a Kingdom-wide understanding—so that the reign of Christ is seen in view of his Atoning work. The last couple of chapters focus on the effects of the Atonement on the Church and believers.

An Added Bonus

Treat cites—at least in the epigraphs of each chapter, but generally more frequently—”majority world scholars.” “[S]ince the atonement is a global accomplishment, it will be best understood from a global perspective.”

That’s probably true of most of the topics in this series on Systematics—if not more of Christian dogma. But I appreciate Treat focusing on this and bringing in teachers/writers from all over the globe into his presentation in this book.

Trinitarian Focus

Early on in the book, Treat quotes Hans Urs von Balthasar, “The events of the cross can only be interpreted against the background of the Trinity.” This forms a substantial part of his position, and it’s something he covers well and thoroughly.

While the doctrine of atonement is centered on Christ, we cannot think of Jesus as an independent individual but as the Son of the Father who is empowered by the Spirit. Atonement is a work of the triune God through and through. On the cross, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were at work together for the salvation of sinners.

Failure to acknowledge or stress this is part of the reductionism that Treat tries to battle throughout the book. While I applaud this battle each time he engages in it—but his stress on the Trinitarian nature of the Atonement is perhaps my favorite part of the book. It’s so often overlooked or skimmed past—but Treat doesn’t allow the reader to do that—and we’re rewarded by that.

So, what did I think about The Atonement: An Introduction?

While early Christians were mocked for their belief in the cross, Christians today have often domesticated the cross to make it more palatable for a modern society. Whether placed on a calendar in a Christian bookstore, tattooed on an arm, or elevated above a city skyline, we have tamed the cross and turned it into a decorative pleasantry. But only when we see the horror of the cross will we be ready to understand the glory of the cross.

I already gave that away, didn’t I? This really impressed me, changed my mind about the use of a book like it, and helped me refocus my understanding of the doctrine’s place—it also helped me be able to reframe things around the various “theories” of the atonement.

It’s not the easiest read in this series—but it’s by no means difficult. Treat writes in a compellingly clear way, but not one that doesn’t require thought to interact with. I found his style engaging and careful—a great combination when you’re considering the essential doctrines of the Faith.

This isn’t a book that spends any time on things like the “extent” of the Atonement—it’s about the purpose, means, and end of Christ’s great work. Sure, that has implications for questions about the extent, but that’s not what Treat wants to focus on here.

I won’t say the book is perfect—but I can’t think of any substantial problems at this point, and didn’t make any notes expressing concerns. I’m sure I—and most readers—would find a point or three to quibble with or push back against. But those are going to be so minor as to make no real difference in the overall estimation of the book.

Careful, challenging, encouraging, and centered on the great storyline of the Bible, with a focus on the eschatological promises and glories—exactly what we need more of. The Atonement: An Introduction is definitely one I recommend.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Reformation Sunday Repost: The Freedom of a Christian by Martin Luther, Translated by Robert Kolb: A Pastoral Gem from the Reformer

By HCNewton

On October 29, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

It’s Reformation Sunday–a totally made-up holiday (but which one isn’t?) to commemorate the day in 1517 when Martin Luther inadvertently started a revolution/reformation/revival. So, hey, while I continue to fight off this cold, let me repost this about one of my favorite of Luther’s works:

The Freedom of a Christian: A New Translation

by Martin Luther, Translated by Robert Kolb Carl R. Trueman (Foreward)

DETAILS:
Series: Crossway Short Classics Series
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: February 21, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 86 pg.
Read Date: February 26, 2023

Some Thoughts on the Series as a Whole

The point of this series is to take classic short works—sermons, tracts, articles—package them attractively, edit a bit (modernize language, eliminate footnotes, tweak grammar, etc.), and make them widely available. Each is given a short introduction to help the reader get the context and a bit of information about the author.

They published seven books in this series last year, and I discussed them here. Two have come out this year (so far), but I’m hoping for more.

What’s The Freedom of a Christian About?

A Christian is a free lord of everything and subject to no one.

A Christian is a willing servant of everything and subject to everyone.

This is Luther (early in the Reformation) laying out his vision for good works for the believer–how they are to be performed, why they are to be performed, and their place in the life of the believer. I’m sure there’s more to say, but that’s basically it.

That quotation gives his two theses–the rest of the book is his working out the thinking behind them. It’s penetrating, it’s convicting, and it’s inspiring to watch him work. Whoops, I seem to have stumbled into the next section.

So, what did I think about The Freedom of a Christian?

From all of this comes the conclusion that a Christian lives not in himself but in Christ and in his neighbor, in Christ through faith, in the neighbor through love. Through faith he rises above himself in God, from God he descends under himself through love, and remains always in God and in divine love. It is as Christ said in John 1[:51]: “You will see heaven standing open and the angels ascending and descending over the Son of Man.” Behold, that is the proper, spiritual Christian freedom, which liberates the heart from all sins, laws, and commands. This freedom exceeds all other freedoms, as high as heaven is over the earth. May God grant us that we truly understand that and retain it.

I wasn’t sure about reading this–it’s one of those works I’ve read so much about. I’ve seen it cited, heard descriptions of it in lectures, and read about it, but I haven’t gotten around to reading it. A lot of the times I read something that I know about like this, it doesn’t work out (I’ve never been able to get past page 40 of Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death, for example). But this is exactly what it should’ve been.

Martin Luther being pastoral is just great. Luther coming alongside those believers so often neglected in the Church and saying, here’s what to do–free of burden, free of guilt, free to live and love as they ought, as they’ve been called to.

This little read is a gem. I’m glad I took the chance on it and so glad that Crossway’s series brought it to us.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

SICK DAY REPOST: The Essential Trinity by Brandon D. Crowe and Carl R. Trueman, eds.

By HCNewton

On October 22, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

A cold derailed my ability to think today, so here’s a blast from the past.

The Essential Trinity: New Testament Foundations and Practical Relevance

by Brandon D. Crowe and Carl R. Trueman, eds.

Paperback, 273 pg.
Inter-Varsity Press, 2016

Read: July 31 – August 14, 2016

As far as consistency of quality amongst edited volumes goes, Crowe and Trueman have assembled one of the stronger line-ups I’ve read in a while — men from a spectrum of persuasions of Evangelical-ish thought have given the Church fourteen articles (approximately 20 pages each) to deepen our thinking about the Trinity. The aim was for a volume that “eschews overly technical discussion and focuses attention on the importance of the doctrine for every Christian.”

In Part 1, the articles look at the “trinitarian contours of every corpus of the New Testament, along with a chapter reflecting on the Old Testament roots of trinitarian doctrine.” If there are weak chapters in the volume, they’re in this part — but they aren’t that weak, either. Crowe’s chapter on Matthew is excellent, but the chapters on the Mark, Luke-Acts and John aren’t far off that Mark. Brian S. Rosner’s chapter on “Paul and the Trinity” is worth the price of the book. The chapters on the rest of the epistles are very helpful (particularity Hebrews). Mark S. Gignilliat’s article, “The Trinity and the Old Testament: real presence or imposition?” is very helpful and insightful — and as an added bonus, it’s the most stylistically entertaining and engaging piece in the book.

Benjamin Gladd’s chapter exploring Daniel’s influence on Revelation’s view of the Trinity is the biggest mental workout you’ll get in the book. I appreciated the material covered and the argument Gladd makes, but I’m going to have to read it a few more times before I think I have a good handle on it.

Part 2 addresses the importance of the Trinity for everyday living — many would say the doctrine is impractical and only belongs in Statements of Faith and academia. The authors here show the fallacy of that. It begins with a brief, but excellent, description of the doctrine by Scott R. Swain. Carl Trueman has the next chapter, “The Trinity and prayer,” which is probably as valuable as Rosner’s — it’s actually about more than prayer, but the material specifically on prayer is great — hugely indebted to John Owen (but not uncritically so). Robert Letham’s chapter on “The Trinity and worship” also draws deeply from Owen; if he doesn’t move you to worship as you understand the work of the Trinity in it, you aren’t paying attention (I probably have more problems with some of what he says than anything else in the book). Michael Reeves, typically, made me chuckle in his chapter on preaching — but he did more than that, too.

Timely, convicting, thoughtful and inspiring, this examination of the Trinity in Scripture and Life should be a great benefit to any believer ho reads it. It may not be the easiest thing read all year (but really, it’s not that difficult), but it’ll be one of the most rewarding.

—–

4 Stars

REPOSTING JUST ‘CUZ: The Trinity: An Introduction by Scott R. Swain: A Brief but Deep Study

By HCNewton

On October 15, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

I’m about to re-read this book, so I figured it was a good idea to remember what I thought about it.

The Trinity: An Introduction

by Scott R. Swain
Series: Short Studies in Systematic Theology

Paperback, 133 pg.
Crossway, 2020

Read: January 17-31, 2020
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What we find in later Trinitarian creeds, confessions, and doctrinal summaries are not improvements upon a latent or undeveloped biblical Trinitarianism but, rather, the church’s attempt to fathom the depth of the riches of biblical Trinitarianism for the sake of various liturgical, pedagogical, and polemical ends. Some of the church’s creeds, confessions, and doctrinal summaries represent such faithful expressions of scriptural teaching and enjoy such wide-ranging ecclesiastical consensus that we dare not transgress the lines they have drawn. Rather, taking them on our own lips, we gladly join the church’s chorus of Trinitarian praise.

What’s The Trinity: An Introduction About?

It’s kind of there in the title, right? This is an introduction to the classical Christian doctrine of The Trinity. He’s not trying to re-invent the wheel, he’s definitely not trying to innovate, but to provide a concise (it’s a Short Study, after all) jumping-off point into deeper studies by providing a solid foundation.

He spends two chapters looking at the primary Biblical texts demonstrating the Doctrine. Chapter 3 is about the Simplicity of God—something too many overlook in a discussion of The Trinity. The following three chapters each focus on a Person of the Trinity. The final chapters are about the “external works” of the Trinity, the “appropriation” of specific works to particular persons, the beneficiaries of God’s work, and assorted topics.

All of that is a lot to ask of 133 short pages. Swain pulls it off by being concise, but he never seems to be leaving out details or avoiding the complicated ideas (although he obviously has to).

Touching on Controvery

This isn’t a polemical work—Swain is here to inform and educate, not combat. Still, he does talk about some Christological errors, including the contemporary dust-ups over EFS/ERAS—Eternal Functional Subordination/Eternal Relations of Authority and Submission.

Swain briefly (again, it’s a Short Study) addresses this error. He’s calm, he’s fair, yet he’s firm. It’s one of the best short treatments of the controversy I’ve seen, and in the context of the larger discussion of the Person of the Son as well as the larger discussions of each of the Persons, it’s incredibly helpful. It also fits where he put it and doesn’t seem like Swain used the opportunity as a digression just to beat a pet theological peeve.

Helpful Supplemental Material

Maybe it’s just me, but I rarely find the post-text material all that helpful. This book was one of the pleasant exceptions—there’s a brief glossary of some of the technical terms. Also, the “Further Reading” suggestions look great and my “To Buy” list grew a bit.

So, what did I think about The Trinity: An Introduction?

Because the persons of the Trinity are internal to God’s life, not external works of God, we can know the persons of the Trinity, as well as their ultimate plan for creation (Eph. 3:9), only if they stoop down and open up the depths of their inner life to us. Only the persons of the Trinity know the persons of the Trinity. Therefore, only the persons of the Trinity can make known the persons of the Trinity. The revelation of the Trinity is a matter of divine self-revelation, divine self-presentation, divine self-naming.

While this is a theological book, drawing on the teaching of the Church, Swain is careful to never lose sight of the source of this Doctrine, the Word of God. We know this, we understand this (as much as we do) because it is revealed to us. That’s vital to an understanding of the doctrine, and vital to the teaching of it. Swain doesn’t let his readers stray from the text.

This is one of those books where my notes keep saying “Chapter X is likely the highlight of the book,” “the section on X is likely the most valuable in the book.” It appears 60-70% of the book is a highlight—and I may not have written all of those parts down. Which is to say, there’s a lot of gold here, very little (if any) dross.

Helpful, insightful, and useful—it also achieves its end for leading on to further study for me. It’s accessible, but not easy, reading. At the same time, it’s a challenging, but not difficult, text.

Also, I like the looks of this series as a whole, I’ll most likely be grabbing more/all of them if they’re all about this quality.

5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

REPOSTING JUST ‘CUZ: The Excellencies of God: Exploring and Enjoying His Attributes by Terry Johnson: Not Quite as Good as Its Predecessor but Worth Your Time

By HCNewton

On October 8, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Excellencies of God:
Exploring and Enjoying
His Attributes

by Terry Johnson

DETAILS:
Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Publication Date: October 23, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 347 pg.
Read Date: October 23-November 20, 2022

The Excellencies of God‘s Jacket Copy

God’s attributes is the most practical of subjects, inspiring and shaping the entire Christian life. Contemplating who God is and what He has promised to do can bring great comfort to the most despairing soul. Moreover, it brings immense delight to all those who recognize their chief end as the glory and enjoyment of God. In The Excellencies of God, Terry L. Johnson explores several aspects of the divine character and shows how they play a crucial role in our Christian experience. May God’s mercy and grace, His patience and wisdom, His truth and faithfulness, His spirituality and blessedness prove to be a blessing to all who peruse these pages.

The Table of Contents

That’s kind of vague, so let’s look at the TOC.

Preface
Introduction: The Christian and the Attributes
The Mercy, Grace, and Patience of God
1. The Mercy of God
2. The Grace of God
3. The Patience of God
The Truth and Faithfulness of God
4. The God of Truth
5. Liberating Truth
6. Pursue and Proclaim the Truth
The Blessedness of God
7. The Blessed God
8. Our Blessedness in God
The Fatherhood of God
9. God Our Father
10. Pleasing Our Father
11. Our Father’s Children
12. Our Father’s Care
The Spirituality of God
13. The God Who Is Spirit
14. Serving an Invisible God
15. Spiritual Mindedness
16. Spiritual Worship
17. True Worship
The Wisdom of God
18. God Only Wise
19. Wisdom and Folly
20. Seeking and Submitting to God’s Wisdom

So, what did I think about The Excellencies of God?

I struggled to write a post about Johnson’s The Identity and Attributes of God two years ago, and I find myself in a similar position now with this follow-up. I went with the bare minimum above because it fits the book—Johnson lays things out very matter-of-factly, and you get exactly what the TOC lists. He takes each thought and explains it using citations from Scripture, the Fathers, Reformers, and some contemporary writers—with some illustrations of hymns.

I have the impression that Johnson gives 50-60% of the text, and the rest are quotations (mostly a sentence or less). I did not (would not) try to verify that—and I’m pretty sure I’m wrong, but that’s my impression as a whole. I wanted more of Johnson and less of everyone else. I think this is about the same as the previous volume, and I had a similar thought about it—but overall it was so good, I didn’t care. This book was a little less impressive so it stuck out to me more.

I don’t think I get the selection of the major topics and how they flowed one from the other—the chapters within each topic, on the other hand, flowed nicely.

Is this a decent read? Yeah, but it tends to the dull-side with the repeated quotations. But beyond that, it’s a pretty straightforward and thorough look at the topics. It’s helpful, it should push you to look more into some of the ideas that you find more provocative (and the footnotes will help with that). It’s sound and measured, majoring on the majors and not really spending time on minor issues.

It’s a good book that I can recommend without hesitation, I just wanted more from it.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Who Chose the Gospels?: Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy by C. E. Hill: Robert Langdon Might Have Been on the Wrong Track (shocking, I know)

By HCNewton

On October 1, 2023

In History, Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Who Chose the Gospels?:
Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy

by C. E. Hill

DETAILS:
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication Date: April 7, 2012
Format: Paperback
Length: 247 pg.
Read Date: September 10-24, 2023

All this presents a rather sticky problem. Recall that in Professor Ehrman’s political interpretation of church history it isn’t until the fourth century that the ‘orthodox’ party finally ‘sealed its victory over all of its opponents’, At that time ‘it rewrote the history of the engagement’, claiming that its views were passed down from Jesus’ apostles. And yet here is Irenaeus, nearly two centuries earlier, already ‘rewriting history’ long before the victory was sealed. At a time when, many prominent scholars insist, the issue was still very much in doubt, Irenaeus writes as if the church had been nurtured by these four Gospels from the time of the apostles.

The problem with Irenaeus is that he simply wrecks the popular paradigm. His views about the emerging New Testament canon, and about the four Gospels in particular, are simply too well-developed, too mature, to fit the scheme that many have invested themselves in today. As a second-century Christian author who argued that there are, and can only be, four legitimate Gospels—because they alone teach the truth about Jesus and because they alone had been handed down in the church from the time of the apostles—Irenaeus lies like a fallen Redwood in the path of those who would see the choice of the four Gospels as a late and politically motivated manoeuvre of the fourth century.

How do you solve a problem like Irenaeus?

What’s Who Chose the Gospels? About?

That last question in the quotation would work pretty well as an alternate title for the book—how do you solve a problem like Iraneaus? Or, more to the point, how do you ignore his (early date) recognition of only 4 gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—despite what we’re told about the state of gospel availability and canonization by so many today.

Hill examines some of the time frames, uses, content, and provenance of some of the so-called competitor gospels (i.e., those that never were considered canonical) to compare them to both the canonical gospels and those early figures of the Church we see discussing the gospels. But primarily, Hill is concerned with the use of and testimony regarding the canonical gospels—and the evidence regarding their use by the Church and when it started. The overwhelming bulk of the book is focused there.

So, we may now ask, how did the Christian church, apparent drowning in a sea of Gospels, finally end up with only four? The educated reader of today may already have come to the conch. sion that the story was attended with a good bit of bullying intrigue, and skullduggery. Many perhaps picture councils of bad-tempered bishops voting on which books to include in the Bible one minute, and voting to execute heretics the next. As now widely believed, in any case, that the four canonical Gospels emerged into prominence only fairly late from a long and drawnout battle within early Christianity, a battle finally won in the fourth century after the establishment of the church by Constantine the Great. While academics might not, as Teabing does Dan Brown’s novel, attribute the collation of the Bible to ‘pagan emperor Constantine’, many even in the academic community insist that the question of which Gospels the church ought to endorse was still up for grabs in the fourth century.

He also looks a little bit at contemporary theories (both academic and popular) about the development of the canon—insofar as it focuses on the Gospels. He finds it wanting, and somewhat self-contradictory—and talks about that, too. But even as he does so, it’s not the main focus of the book—which is, as said earlier, the four gospels and how the second (and possibly first) century church regarded them, and how that changed (and mostly didn’t change) in the two centuries following.

The Tone of the Book

You probably can’t read it in the image above, but that top blurb is from D.A. Carson and it says, “Not many books that are so informed are such a pleasure to read.” I really didn’t pay much attention to it—and just figured he meant something about how nice it is to have such an informative read or something like that. If for no other reason, it was from Oxford University Press, who are not known for fun reads. I was super duper wrong.

This was a blast to read. Seriously, I had a lot of fun.

Not—and I want to stress, not—because he’s making jokes, being silly, or outrageous or anything like that. There’s just something about Hill’s style. He’s charming (seemingly effortlessly), not in a way that calls attention to itself, but it’s there—a little mild sarcasm, some wordplay, some other bits of humor along the way—but it’s nothing I can point to, and say “there it is!” But time after time while reading this, I found myself grinning for no apparent reason.

That’s just his style—the subject is serious, and frankly, pretty dry. But Hill keeps it from being dry without tuning down the seriousness of both the positive case he’s trying to build and the criticisms he makes toward the other side(s).

So, what did I think about Who Chose the Gospels??

In short, we have no evidence that the church ever sat down collectively or as individual churches and composed criteria for judging which Gospels (or other literature) it thought best suited its needs. On the contrary, the key realization which best explains our inability to find an ultimate ‘chooser’, which best explains why the church didn’t take the easy way out with some kind of singular Gospel and why it never cobbled together a set of criteria to apply to all the Gospel candidates, is that the church essentially did not believe it had a choice in the matter! The question ‘why did you choose these Gospels?’ would not have made sense to many Christians in the second century, for the question assumes that the church, or someone in it, had the authority to make the choice. To many, it would be like the question, ‘why did you choose your parents?

A few other books/chapters that I’ve read on the subject talk about the conclusions Hill draws, and refer to some of the evidence, but Hill’s the first one I’ve read who’s actually “shown the work,” as my math teachers/professors would say. His answers match other scholars, but I can actually see how he got them. For that alone, I enjoyed reading this book and profited from it.

Add in his style? Oh, buddy—now we’re cooking with fire.

Hill is careful and thorough, acknowledging challenges to his position about the emergence of the fourfold Gospel to the place it holds today. But he’s consistent in showing how those challenges don’t have the weight and merit that so many in our culture assume they do. Not to keep picking on it—but the authors/editors of Church History in Plain Language should spend time with this book and others like it before they finish the Sixth Edition—it would really help out with its particularly weak chapter on the Canon.

I think the concluding chapter could’ve been beefed up a little bit. Maybe after a few more readings, I can figure out what it was missing—I just felt it was weak here and there. Or another reading or two will show me that I could’ve paid better attention this time (entirely likely).

Regardless, Who Wrote the Gospels? is a book well worth time and attention—and it’ll repay both.

5 Stars

American Idolatry: How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church by Andrew Whitehead

By HCNewton

On September 24, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Politics/Current Affairs, Theology/Christian Living

American Idolatry:
How Christian Nationalism Betrays
the Gospel and Threatens the Church

by Andrew Whitehead

DETAILS:
Publisher: Brazos Press
Publication Date: August 15, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 192 pgs.
Read Date: August 27-September3, 2023

Both parts of my identity* have led me to the same conclusion: Christian nationalism betrays the gospel and is a threat to the Christian church in the United States. It is from this perspective that I write this book. I want to make clear to my fellow white American Christians how much Christian nationalism threatens our faith—not only our individual expressions of it but also our organizations and institutions. It threatens our capacity to love our brothers and sisters in Christ who are minorities. It threatens our capacity to love and serve our brothers and sisters in Christ from countries around the world. It threatens our capacity to love and serve fellow bearers of God’s image at home and abroad who don’t share our faith at all. And it threatens how our organizations function, causing them to reproduce inequality and further harm the marginalized.

I am convinced that Christian nationalism makes us bad Christians.

* Those parts are a follower of Christ and a social scientist.

What’s American Idolatry About?

Essentially, this is an attempt to demonstrate the subtitle: “How Christian Nationalism Betrays the Gospel and Threatens the Church” (the above quotation does show he’s not talking about a threat to the throughout the world—or the future—but the contemporary church in the U.S., an important distinction).

It’s also a follow-up to the work he co-authored with Samuel Perry, Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States—this is a less-technical book (from what I can tell), to appeal to people who don’t enjoy digging through social science analysis and graphs. It also seems to be a “so what now?” response to that book—the earlier volume presented the data, and this is Whitehead’s suggested reaction to that data. I haven’t actually read the previous book, but from what Whitehead says in these pages and what I’ve read about the previous book, that’s my impression.

This doesn’t mean that Whitehead assumes a thorough knowledge of or familiarity with Christian Nationalism (he frequently appends “white” to that term for reasons he makes clear) going into this book, he spends two chapters outlining the basics of Christian Nationalism and how that impacts the Church. The next three chapters focus on what he calls “the three most powerful” idols of Christian Nationalism—power, fear, and violence—followed by three chapters describing alternatives to these idols, ways that are more faithful to the calling to which you have been called.*

* These are not exhaustive chapters, for more along these lines—see What Are Christians For? Life Together at the End of the World by Jake Meador. Some of the ideas in these books will align, but they will diverge, too. Yet, I would predict neither author would object to being read together.

A Disclaimer of Sorts

We have to look straight into the mirror and not try to hide or diminish the imperfections we see. Only then can we begin to imagine something new. Part of this work is recognizing that the God we worship has no particular interest in the greatness of the United States. The survival of any one nation over another is not paramount. The kingdom of God needs no global superpower in order to flourish….recognizing that human flourishing in the kingdom of God and in the United States (or any other nation) are not synonymous does not mean that Christians should not invest in the flourishing of a nation and its people. We can work toward peace, justice, and care for all who live and work within the boundaries of our home country. We can collaborate with God and those around us to create a more loving and liberating country for all our neighbors.

Whitehead returns to the idea frequently, but stresses it in the first two chapters—he is not calling for Christians to be anti-American, or even apathetic about our country. He’s not calling for them to remove themselves from the political process. His concern is how we see the country, how we view and treat our fellow citizens, and how we’re involved in the political process.

The choice is not Christian Nationalism or godless anarchy, or Communism, or Sharia law—and so on. His vision is for Christians to work alongside those of other faiths (or absence thereof) for the civil betterment of us all. While I think Whitehead’s politics tend toward the Left, he’s not calling for all Christians to embrace that—conservative and Republican Christians can agree with his arguments on the issues this book centers on.

The Idols of Christian Nationalism

There are many “idols” of CN, claims Whitehead, but the three he focuses on are the biggest problems in his view are power, fear, and violence. The heart of the book is devoted to this section (it’s not the longest, but it’s the most important), here he demonstrates how the devotion to and use of these characterize the movement and put it at odds with Christianity.

In these chapters, Whitehead begins by defining what he sees as the CN’s use of/dependence on the various idols. Then he’ll show how throughout our history—but particularly in recent decades/years how both political figures and religious leaders have tapped into and exploited these ideas for their own benefit and the detriment of other groups in the U.S. He’ll then look at Christ’s and/or early-Christian teachings on the same ideas, contrasting them with CN’s use (this is particularly effective on the ideas of power and violence).

The shortcomings (to put it mildly) of CN are on full display here. Frankly, I think the definition work done in chapter 2 is enough to turn someone off of this ideology, but chapters 3-6 really put the nail in the coffin.

So, what did I think about American Idolatry?

Over years of academic study and personal faith journey, I have become convinced that white Christian nationalism in the United States is fundamentally opposed to the ethics and teachings of Jesus. Through idolizing power, fear, and violence, white Christian nationalism betrays the gospel, in which Jesus’s sacrifice liberates us from our enslavement to sin as well as the destruction it causes through systems of oppression It betrays the gospel that realigned the power structures of society.

As a whole, I don’t see people who aren’t at least suspicious of CN responding well to this book—I think most of those who are suspicious will become more so after this—and those who are already pretty against it will have new reasons and will be strengthened in it. I’m not sure that those who have leanings or sympathies toward it are going to respond well. I could be wrong, and hope I am. That I don’t think it would reach the CN-leaning is the biggest flaw with the book (but if I’m wrong about the effectiveness, that flaw wouldn’t be that big).

Based on what little he indicated about his own theological positions, I don’t think Whitehead and I would agree on much. I think we’d probably agree on less when it comes to politics. But when it comes to the impact that CN is having on churches, our gospel witness, and the public perception of the Christian Church in the US? Well, we’re pretty much on the same page—which I think fits some of Whitehead’s points. He’s not really that concerned with the areas where he and I would disagree, in fact, he’d probably defend that ability. Where he is focused is the negatives that CN brings to political discourse and the work of the church.

On those points, I think he scored big in American Idolatry—showing the flaws, errant presuppositions, and wrong emphasis—and non-Christian attitudes of CN. I’m less sure that he was convincing in the last three chapters about healthy alternatives, but I do think what he offers there is better than CN, and he’s convincing to that point. Maybe not as far as he wants to be, however.

Crisp and clear writing, the text moves with the assurance of someone well-versed in the subject and clear-eyed about what they want to say about it. I recommend the book and thinking about the issues it raises.

3.5 Stars

REPOSTING JUST CUZ:What Are Christians For? Life Together at the End of the World by Jake Meador: A View for Living in Culture and Nature

By HCNewton

On September 17, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

What Are Christians For?:
Life Together at the End of the World

by Jake Meador

DETAILS:
Publisher: IVP
Publication Date: February 21, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 170 pg.
Read Date: March 27- April 3, 2022

God looks at this world and loves it, which is why we can and should do the same. This world is not something we should seek to escape through conquest or bend to our will through technique, power, or control. Rather, it is a gift given to us by God for our joy and his glory. Because God is love and his law is good, we can look at our neighbor and love him or her. Because God gave himself to us, we can give ourselves to others. We can confidently and joyfully enter into these debts of love that we build up over a lifetime of living in the world, and we can dispense them with extravagance, trusting that whatever wrongs we might experience today as a result of such living will be gathered up and made right in the glorious and perfect love of God.

The Back of the Book

What does a Christian political witness look like in our day?

Politics ought to be defined by fidelity to the common good of all the members of society. But our modern Western politics are defined by a determination to bend the natural world and human life to its own political and economic ends. This wholesale rejection of the natural order is behind the dominant revolutions in our history, and defines our experience in Western society today—our racialized hierarchy, modern industry, and the sexual revolution.

In What Are Christians For?, Jake Meador lays out a proposal for a Christian politics rooted in the givenness and goodness of the created world. He is uninterested in the cultural wars that have so often characterized American Christianity. Instead, he casts a vision for an ordered society that rejects the late modern revolution at every turn and is rooted in the natural law tradition and the great Protestant confessions. Here is a political approach that is antiracist, anticapitalist, and profoundly pro-life. A truly Christian political witness, Meador argues, must attend closely to the natural world and renounce the metallic fantasies that have poisoned common life in America life for too long.

Faithful Presence

In his discussion of the Christian response to those revolutions, Meador borrows a scheme from James Davison Hunter describing the four postures Christians have taken: defensive against, relevance to, purity from, and faithful presence.

He doesn’t spend a lot of space—but sufficient space—defining and then critiquing the first three, but gives more space to faithful presence. And actually, everything he argues for in the remainder of the book could fit in this category. I want to say I’d heard of Hunter’s categories before this, but I can’t remember where (in print or lecture). But first off, I really appreciated the schema in terms of describing how the American Church has responded. But even more, I appreciated Meador’s explanation of faithful presence and then his application of it.

Influences

Meador builds the arguments in this book on the work of Herman Bavinck—particularly his book, Christian Worldview. But he’s drawing on several other thinkers and writers from across the theological spectrum (a methodology borrowed from Bavinck). You can see the fingerprints of Lewis, Tolkien, Wendell Berry, John Paul II, Solzhenitsyn, Martin Bucer—and others. There’s a breadth of influences here that’s impressive and adds a lot to the arguments (and makes narrow-minded guys like me a little uncomfortable).

So, what did I think about What Are Christians For??

What did [Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn] propose as a way through the revolution? We must turn, our eyes upward to the heavens, he said, not as a place to conquer, as his compatriots in the space program believed, but as a reminder that our lives exist as a vapor in the wind, and then comes the judgment.

We do not conquer the heavens; we are judged by them. And if we fail to discover the sources of spiritual health, there is nothing else for us. Our spiritual lives will continue to be trampled on by the weight of our age. And if our spiritual lives are destroyed, no amount of wealth or power can atone for such a loss.

This seems like one of those books that I need to read a handful of times and then read some scholarly reviews—pro and con—before I can really say I have a handle on the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments. Thankfully, this isn’t that kind of blog.

How did it read? Very nicely. Meador’s writing is strong, it’s clear, and he’s able to express complex thoughts in a very digestible manner. Sure, I think I need to read it a few more times before I could say I mastered the thoughts—but that’s on me, not the text, this is just not the kind of thing I spend a lot of time thinking about. I appreciated Meador being critical of both the American Left and the American Right (you rarely see that in Christian literature), while putting forth a vision built on the best of the Christian traditions.

I don’t think Meador offers a perfect solution to the situation we find ourselves in, but there’s a lot of insight and wisdom to be found in these pages. And even if it’s not perfect, it’s a whole lot better than anything else I’ve found.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

What Did the Cross Achieve? by J.I. Packer: A Beginning of an Answer to a Vital Question

By HCNewton

On September 10, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

What Did the Cross Achieve?

by J.I. Packer, Mark Dever (Foreword)

DETAILS:
Series: Crossway Short Classics Series
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: August 29, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 109 pg.
Read Date: August 27, 2023

Some Thoughts on the Series as a Whole

They published seven books in this series last year, and I discussed them here. Three have come out this year (so far), but I’m hoping for more in this series soon.

What’s What Did the Cross Achieve About?

This essay was originally a lecture Packer delivered but it lives on far after that time. It’s essentially a defense of the Penal Substitutionary Theory of the Atonement—and a critique of some alternate theories. Which is not to say that Packer doesn’t have some words of correction for other proponents of substitutionary atonement, nor is he without appreciation for alternate theories.

Packer holds that when people like Socinius attacked the Reformation’s preaching and teaching on the atonement, the Reformed (in particular) responded to his rationalistic arguments on the same grounds—and spent centuries refining things along those lines, losing the declaratory, doxological, and kerygmatic power of the doctrine. For this “preliminary survey,” he states:

My plan is this: first, to clear up some questions of method, so that there will be no doubt as to what I am doing; second, to explore what it means to call Christ’s death substitutionary; third, to see what further meaning is added when Christ’s substitutionary suffering is called penal; fourth, to note in closing that the analysis offered is not out of harmony with learned exegetical opinion. These are, I believe, needful preliminaries to any serious theological estimate of this view.

So, what did I think about What Did the Cross Achieve?

Can we then justify ourselves in holding a view of the atonement into which penal substitution does not enter? Ought we not to reconsider whether penal substicution is not, after all, the heart of the matter? These* are among the questions that our preliminary survey in this lecture has raised. It is to be hoped that they will receive the attention they deserve.

* And other questions that I snipped due to lack of context.

This was a good reminder to me of just how good J.I. Packer was—it’s been a long time since I’ve read a much by him, and it’s easy to remember really liking his writing and learning a lot from him, but to forget most of the details. And then you read him and are reminded why I spent so much of the 90s immersed in his work.

His approach to the idea was great and easy to follow. This wasn’t for a popular audience, but the language isn’t that difficult to follow. I appreciated and benefited from his argumentation—and thought his analysis and argumentation were spot-on (and would still be pretty sufficient for what I’ve seen for people today who struggle with penal substitution).

Essentially, this was a great way to spend an hour or so, one of the best of this series, and one I’ll return to again and again. I’d suggest you do the same.

4 1/2 Stars