Tag: Theology Page 5 of 20

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

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. 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

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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God to Us: Covenant Theology in Scripture by Stephen G. Myers: A Great Introduction to This Vital Idea

By HCNewton

On September 3, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

God to Us:
Covenant Theology in Scripture

by Stephen G. Myers

DETAILS:
Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Publication Date: November 27, 2021
Format: Hardcover
Length: 310
Read Date: June 11-August 22, 2023

Disclaimer

Some friends and I read this book at the same time, getting together to talk about it periodically. So it’s entirely possible, even likely, that some of what I say in this post is a thought borrowed from someone else. This will particularly be true if I say something insightful or interesting.

What’s God to Us About?

This is, pretty simply, an introduction to Covenant Theology. Myers defines covenant in his introduction (with special focus on the words used, and meanings suggested, in the Old Testament, New Testament, and Septuagint). From there, he gives a brief history of the development of Covenant Theology throughout Church History, which is probably worth a book unto itself—but this chapter serves well enough.

From there he looks at the three predominant covenants in Scripture/Theology—the Covenants of Works, the Counsel of Peace, and the Covenant of Grace. He spends two chapters on the Covenant of Grace—one on understanding the covenant and then one on the circumstances surrounding the announcement of the Covenant and what we can learn from that (and this is one of those chapters worth the purchase price of the book alone). He then looks at the developing covenants that make up the Covenant of Grace—the Adamic, Noahic, Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic, and New Covenant. Myers then looks at Covenant Theology in the New Testament and then in The Church. The Mosaic Covenant is another Covenant that gets two chapters (the rest all get one)—the second looks at the ways the New Testament writers think about and use the Mosaic Covenant.

Highlights of the Book

I like to focus on one or two chapters that really stand out to me when talking about books like this. Myers made this very difficult for me—I’m tempted to say Chapters 2-12 were highlights, but that seems to be cheating. It’s true, though—there’s something in each of those chapters that made me sit up and pay attention in a way I didn’t expect.

I guess I would have to say that the chapter on the Noahic Covenant was particularly effective—usually, I tend to think (and think I’ve seen authors treat it this way) about the Noahic Covenant being something covered just to check a box between Adam and Abraham—it’s where the word covenant is first used, so we need to look at it, but it’s not that big of a deal. Myers won’t let you think that way, showing how it’s a pivotal step in Redemptive History—and I’ll not make that mistake again.

Chapter Nine, “The Mosaic Covenant in the New Testament,” is so vital and so important that I have to mention it. Not only does Myers help the reader understand what the NT is doing, but he also helps the reader avoid some of the more popular and prevalent errors regarding this understanding today. The same could be said for Chapter Eleven, “The New Covenant.”

And if I’m not careful, I’ll list the other chapters, too—so I’m going to move along.

Things I Wasn’t Crazy About

I’m not going into details, but Myers uses Gen. 6:18 extensively in his arguments about God establishing covenants in Genesis before the word “covenant” was used. He’s not the first to do so—O. Palmer Robertson mentions someone (some people? I don’t remember and am not going to go look it up) doing the same in a footnote in his 1987 book, The Christ of the Covenants. It seems to be a perfectly valid argument—but I wonder if Myers relies on it too much. Yes, he uses a multi-pronged argument, and Gen. 6 is just one of them—but it seems to be called to do more than it maybe can.

Secondly, and I know I didn’t catch this, that’d be one of the others I read it with. Myers uses the early chapters of Hosea to substantiate his position on what the exiles of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms mean for the Davidic Covenant (and the Covenant of Grace as a whole). There’s much to be commended for his position—but a lot of what he says about the early chapters of Hosea seems to differ from what Hosea says later on. Now, if I studied this portion of this book a bit more, I might have an easier time defending Myers’s position—but at first and second glance, he seems to stumble a bit here.

Lastly, and this is a very minor problem, the thirteenth chapter, “Covenant Theology and the Church,” is a bit of a letdown. Your results may (and likely will) vary. But for me, after twelve chapters with insights that impressed me when they didn’t teach me and/or helped me to think about Covenant Theology in a new way, to come across a chapter about the sacraments, Church membership, and related ideas that was as basic and straightforward as this just left me wanting more. I didn’t see any problems in what Myers said, but it all seemed a bit too obvious. He’s been sailing along

So, what did I think about God to Us?

I loved this book. I’ve read more books on Covenant Theology than I can easily count, and if this isn’t the best, it’s so close to it as not to matter. Myers gives his readers a thorough introduction to Covenant Theology as it came to the Protestant Church from the Reformation—particularly the English Reformation and the explanation offered by the Westminster divines and their contemporaries. His introduction is readable, clear, and helpful to the layman willing to put in a little work—but he’s not just repeating what the previous generations gave us, he’s looking at contemporary theology and insights as well.

Is it perfect? Nope. Are there more problems with it than those I mentioned above? Almost certainly. But it’s just so good that the flaws are forgivable. I learned a lot—even if it was just a better way to state what I’d already believed and understood—but I got much more than that from the book. It’s such a helpful work.

More than that—as all good theology should, it led me to doxology. That our Lord would condescend to His people in covenant is mind-blowingly gracious in the first place—that He does so to rebels in order that he could win them to Himself? That should drive us to worship. And the more we understand the gracious and remarkable nature of these covenants, the more we should be driven to it. Myers brings his readers to this point repeatedly—sometimes just by explaining something clearly—sometimes by applying his explanation to the reader to help us understand how it should make us reflect in worship.

I’ve tried to keep this brief and to resist the urge to dive deeply into some of the areas of the book that I would want to if this was the place for deep dives into Theology. But this is about books, so I’m not going to. I cannot say enough good things about God to Us. It’s just great. I’ve given it as a gift already, I will do so in the future as well as recommend it to anyone who asks for a good intro to the topic. Also, I commend it to whoever reads this post.

5 Stars

The Character of Christ by Jonathan Landry Cruse: The Fruit of the Spirit in Our Lord

By HCNewton

On August 27, 2023

In Theology/Christian Living

The Character of Christ:
The Fruit of the Spirit in the Life of Our Saviour

by Jonathan Landry Cruse

DETAILS:
Publisher: Banner of Truth Trust
Publication Date: April 04, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 154 pg.
Read Date: August 6-13, 2023

The Goal/Design of the Book

The introduction is called “This Is Not A How-To Book.” This is vital, and this emphasis is likely why I bought this book* after hearing Cruse interviewed about it. Christian bookstores (wherever they may still exist) and websites are full of books on how to generate the Fruit of the Spirit in our lives, and are great ways to make yourself feel guilty when they don’t work.

Also, those books really miss the point anyway.

Cruse is clear about the need for believers to produce fruit—and he’s also clear about the way that happens. But that’s a secondary matter for this book—this book is about focusing on the Fruits of the Spirit and seeing how they were seen, manifested, and taught by our Lord.

This is a book about Christ, first and foremost. Following John Owen (and others) Cruse is convinced that as we see Him better, as we understand Him more, we will be transformed and those fruits will be seen.

* Given my appreciation for Cruse, that’s likely an overstatement–but I would’ve bought and read other books first.

What’s The Character of Christ About?

Okay, I just answered that—oops. After the Introduction, Cruse takes one chapter to look at each of the Fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The organization of each chapter varies—which is annoying for trying to sum it up briefly, but so nice when it comes to reading. It’d have been very easy for each of these chapters to have the same outline, just with different topics—and my eyes would’ve glazed over a lot.

Essentially, we get a good definition of each fruit along with examples of how we see that in the life of our Savior. Cruse will often show us what Christ Himself taught about the fruit, too. Each chapter ends with some sort of application—not in the “How To” sense. But here’s how you can display Christ, go to Jesus, and pray for this to be shown in your life as it applies to each fruit.

The book concludes with a reminder to look to Christ and how He has perfectly kept in step with the Spirit and borne the fruit. As we do so, as we are united to Him by the Spirit, we can be transformed as well.

So, what did I think about The Character of Christ?

This is too brief, not because Cruse was skimpy on details or needed to explain anything better. But each chapter could’ve been twice the length and not lost my interest, I could keep reading more and more about each of these ideas in this manner. Although I’m pretty sure if he did give us twice the length, I’d still be asking for more.

This was a great balance of doctrine and example/illustration. He’s careful not to let the reader focus too much on themselves as they ponder each idea but consistently points to the Author and Finisher of our Faith. It’s easy to read, wonderful to chew on, and truly helpful in the way that how-to books can’t be.

I strongly recommend this to your attention—not just for the content, but the manner in which Cruse presents 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.
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REPOSTING JUST CUZ: The Christian’s True Identity by Jonathan Landry Cruse: An Introduction to the Glory that is Being “In Him”

By HCNewton

On August 20, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Okay, I’m too tired to get something new ready. So instead of talking about Jonathan Landry Cruse’s newest book, let’s take a look at his previous one.

The Christian’s True Identity:
What It Means to
Be in Christ

by Jonathan Landry Cruse

Kindle Edition, 144 pg.
Reformation Heritage, 2019

Read: March 21, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

Many of us are raised believing that Jesus is simply the way to salvation. But no—He is salvation. He is the way, but He is also the life! He is both the giver and the gift. He is not a means to an end; He is the end. We are not to come to Christ looking for Him to give us something (like salvation, sanctification, a better life—or at least a better car), but instead we are to come to Christ looking for Him.

What’s The Christian’s True Identity About?

I’ve spent too much time trying to be clever or profound with this, it’s a short book, I can be brief here. The book’s point is pretty simple—despite all the noise and hubbub today about finding ourselves, choosing/shaping our identity. For the Christian, our identity comes from being rooted in Christ.

One of the—possibly the—greatest truths recovered by the Reformation was that union with Christ is at the core of all the blessings, all the amazing things that are true of the Christian, the Christian Life, and the Life of the World to Come. It’s all rooted and grounded in Him.

John calls it “abiding in” Christ. Paul repeatedly describes our blessings “in Him.” Cruse looks at ten passages from Paul’s epistles where he uses the phrase “in Him,” reviewing the passage, explaining how the passage reflects and teaches this truth about Christian identity, and applying it to the reader.

So, what did I think about The Christian’s True Identity?

Throughout this book we have considered how an identity in Christ far excels any identity the world might offer us. When we are in Christ we are chosen, forgiven, accepted as righteous, adopted into God’s family, placed in community, made new, and kept perfectly secure come what may. Our blessings in Jesus Christ are so expansive that it can truly be said that our union began in eternity with election and will forever continue in eternity with glorification.

That’s pretty much what’s covered in the book—done effectively, warmly, and clearly. Cruse has an easy-to-read, engaging style—he’ll draw you in and make you want to learn more. He skillfully uses writers from throughout Church History, contemporary scholarship, and current cultural examples to help bring these truths to life.

I think it could be deeper, I think it could be more detailed. But that’s not what the book aimed for—it’s an introduction or a refresher, that’s all. It’s supposed to drive the reader to further study, further reading. It accomplishes that goal while pointing to glorious, foundational truths. I commend it to you for that.

3.5 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.

Facing the Last Enemy by Guy Prentiss Waters: A Good Primer on Preparing for the The End

By HCNewton

On August 13, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Facing the Last Enemy

by Guy Prentiss Waters

DETAILS:
Publisher: Ligonier Ministries
Publication Date: June 29, 2023
Format: Hardcover
Length: 132 pg.
Read Date: July 30 - August 6, 2023

What’s Facing the Last Enemy About?

Chapter 1 beings,

We all have questions about death. “What is death? Why do we die? Why do we all die? Why is death so scary? Why did Christ die? Why do Christians have to die? How can I face the death of someone I love? How can I prepare for death? How can I help others prepare for death? What happens after death?”

Essentially, the book is his attempt to answer those questions—largely along Scriptural and theological lines, but he also addresses some more practical aspects of preparing for death.

But before he answers those questions, Waters addresses some obstacles that 21st Century people face when thinking and talking about death seriously. We live in a culture of distraction, he says, which is nothing new but “we have taken distraction to new heights” between sports, movies, streaming services, the Internet, etc., etc. Secondly, we live in a “a culture of distancing and denial. We have all sorts of ways to try to keep death at arm’s length.” As a general rule, people go through the final stages of dying and death itself in an institution or facility of some sort—not home, surrounded by family and friends.

Those are the cultural obstacles, but there are some ecclesiastical obstacles as well. He points to the Evangelical embracing of consumerism—we treat people attending churches as customers, so we want to give them what they want to hear (things other than death) so they keep coming back. Secondly, there’s the embracing of an entertainment mentality. Death and dying are not entertaining at all—so we don’t discuss those things. Lastly, is the trend to divide congregations by age and stage of life, resulting in “a whole generation of Christians is deprived of witnessing the truth of Scripture exemplified and lived out in the lives of older Christians.”

Given these obstacles, it’s all the more important that people take steps to think about, study, and discuss things like death and the preparation for it.

The book is broken down into three parts. Part 1 “Defining Death” covers things such as the definition of death, why death is part of the world, why Christ died—why those who’ve trusted in Him continue to die, and so on. Part 2, “Encountering Death,” focuses on how we face the death of others—friends, acquaintances, family, and so on. How do we prepare ourselves to deal with (and grieve over) their deaths, how can we help them (both practically and spiritually) as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death? Then he spends two chapters on preparing for our own deaths—again, both spiritually and pragmatically (wills, living wills, burial choices, etc.) Then in Part 3, “Beyond Death,” Waters focuses on personal eschatology—the Resurrection, the Intermediate State, Final Judgement, and Heaven and Hell.

So, what did I think about Facing the Last Enemy?

The best thing that I can say about the book is that this is a good introductory—just look at the list of topics covered—in 132 pages you can’t say a lot about any of them. He does give some suggestions for further reading in the endnotes, which is good. But I wanted more. This feels like a well-developed outline than a book exploring the topics. It’s very likely the notes (or transcripts) of classes he taught for Ligonier that they put into book form—and those chapters would probably work for the time of Ligonier lessons. But if you’re going to take the time to turn those things into a book, you should as least expand on them a little bit.

Aside from that, there’s a lot to commend—on the purely theological issues, Waters is expectedly careful and thoughtful (or at least as thoughtful as he can). When it comes to definitions and explaining concepts he’s in line with the Westminster Standards—and the Christian thought throughout Church History. When it comes to contemporary concerns and the practical things that will vary from culture to culture—he’s careful to give advice and suggestions. When things are a matter of wisdom, prudence, or liberty, Waters says, “here’s some good ideas” or “think about this,” going out of his way not to label other options as sinful or his as “right.”

I think a conclusion wrapping things up, recapping some themes, and tieing into Chapter 1’s Introductory material would’ve been helpful. But that’s a matter of taste, I think. And the number of times I’ve said something like that over the last couple of years suggests that I really need to get over the idea of a concluding chapter.

Did I want more? Yes, particularly from someone of the caliber of Waters. Did I appreciate what we were given? Yes. It’s a great introductory volume and will undoubtedly be helpful for many.

3 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.

Grandpappy’s Corner: The Biggest Story ABC by Kevin DeYoung, Don Clark (Illustrator): A Swing and a Miss

By HCNewton

On July 30, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living, YA/MG/Children's Books

Grandpappy's Corner Logo The Biggest Story ABC

The Biggest Story ABC

by Kevin DeYoung, Don Clark (Illustrator)

DETAILS:
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: August 31, 2017
Format: Board Book
Length: 26 pg.
Read Date: July 16, 2023

What’s The Biggest Story ABC About?

This is an ABC book with a twist—DeYoung uses the alphabet to tell (in an age-appropriate way) to tell the story of Creation and Redemption from

In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve.

One Day we will live forever in Zion, the new world God is preparing for those who love him.

Let’s Talk about the Art for a Minute

On the whole, the art was stunning. It’s not at all the typical board book art. It’s not cute or bubbly. I think it’s pretty eye-catching, and striking. I’m not sure exactly how the Board Book-Set would appreciate it, but maybe just because it doesn’t look like every other book they get, they’ll be interested?

Or maybe it’ll be the colors that get them. I’m not sure.

Thankfully, there are examples on Crossway’s site so I don’t have to try to describe this. Here are the K and L pages so you can get an idea:
Biggest story K - L

How is it to Read Aloud?

It’s fine—there are no rhymes, there’s no consistent rhythm or pattern or anything like that. This book isn’t about that kind of thing—it’s simple and straightforward text. Easy to read and easy to understand.

I Have a Problem

The Reformed Confessions and Catechisms are pretty clear—no pictures of members of the Godhead. But, this book contains some images of Jesus. I realize that DeYoung argues against this interpretation in his book on the Heidelberg Catechism (a pretty good, but not great book), so at least he’s consistent.

Given that many of the readers (or at least buyers) of this book are going to be from the Reformed or Presbyterian traditions. Why risk offending them?

So, what did I think about The Biggest Story ABC?

The way DeYoung told the story of redemptive history was great. He had to get inventive (a less charitable take might say that he really stretched things, but he managed) with the way he used a couple of letters to stick with the storyline, but it was really a fantastic job.

The text is great, and I’d eagerly recommend the book based on it. But a board book/picture book for kids is never just about the text. It’s also about the pictures and the way the book looks. And because of the Second Commandment violations, I just can’t recommend it.

Grandpappy Icon

I Will Build My Church: Selected Writings on Church Polity, Baptism, and the Sabbath by Thomas Witherow, Edited by Jonathan Gibson: Presbyterianism 101

By HCNewton

On July 23, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

I Will Build My Church:
Selected Writings on
Church Polity, Baptism, and
the Sabbath

by Thomas Witherow, Edited by Jonathan Gibson

DETAILS:
Publisher: Westminster Seminary Press
Publication Date: January 29, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 251 pg.
Read Date: July 2-16, 2023

What’s I Will Build My Church About?

Thomas Witherow was an Irish Presbyterian pastor in the mid-Nineteenth Century, who later became a professor. Over the course of his ministry–in part thanks to the revivals of the time–he saw more competition in Ireland to the Presbyterian Church from a variety of Protestant groups. He also saw that too many Presbyterian members or ministers couldn’t define or defend the distinctives–many seeing them as a tradition more than a conviction.

One of Witherow’s driving missions was to help the Presbyterians he taught amongst to see that their distinctives were serious and defensible. He also wanted to explain them to the other Protestants and possibly convince them to at least consider them.

This is a collection of three of his works along those lines–about ecclesiology, sacraments, and the Sabbath–slightly edited for modern standards. Long sentences turned in to multiple, spelling updates, and so on–and the Bible citations modified to be the ESV. That sort of thing.

A Prince of Irish Presbyterianism

Before we get into the works, the editor, Jonathan Gibson, provides an almost 80-page biography of Witherow–sketching his education, family life, pastoral work, writing, and professorial work.

I just picked this up to read Witherow, and hadn’t counted on learning anything about him and it was a great bonus for me to get more context for his work both in terms of his own life and the Church situation he found himself in.

The Apostolic Church

Odds are, if you know anything that Witherow wrote, it’s this short book (in this edition, it’s about seventy pages long). The subtitle to this is “Which is it? – An Inquiry at the Oracles of God as to Whether Any Existing Form of Church Government is of Divine Right.” Which is a pretty good summary of the work.

Witherow’s convinced that too many people (no matter their preferred ecclesiology) see it as a matter of convenience, taste, and traition. He cannot abide by that kind of thinking–convinced that if the Church cannot find Scriptural endorsement of a way of doing something, it ought to be abandonded.

Witherow starts this work by listing and explaining six principles he sees in the Apostolic Church then he looks at the three forms of church government–prelacy (whether in Roman Catholic or Anglican form), congregational, and presbyterian–to see which, if any, does the best job of embodying those principles.

Scriptural Baptism

This is a slightly shorter book on the subject of Baptism–tackling (in turn) the mode of baptism and the subjects of it.

He deals with the question of mode pretty quickly–first by Scriptural evidence and then moving to practical considerations.

Then he moves on to the issue of the subjects of baptism–from the outset, he’s careful not to let prominent Irish Baptists set the terms of the debate, instead he reframes the typical way these conversations went in his circles. Rather than starting with the positions of the baptists and then responding to them, he sets out a few points he wants baptists to answer–and then shows how (from his vantage point, anyway) they cannot.

The Sabbath

The book on the Lord’s Day/Sabbath is more pointed than the others. Witherow takes a pretty traditional path–defining moral and ceremonial law at the outset. Then he addresses Christ’s attitude toward and teaching about the Sabbath before getting into the abrogation of the ceremonial law and the practice of the New Testament church.

Then Witherow addresses a move to adjust the equivalent of the Blue Laws there to make Sunday a day for amusement (I’m a little vague on the details and it’d take to long to explain my guesses). Basically, where you could go pay for theaters and shopping and the like. Witherow follows his explanation for the Christian observance of the Lord’s Day with a warning about what will happen if the laws are changed–how it will negatively impact workers, businesses, and the economy–in addition to the church.

Say what you will about Blue Laws (and I have plenty to say in other contexts), Witherow was spot-on with his predictions.

So, what did I think about I Will Build My Church?

I spent a lot of time with The Apostolic Church almost twenty years ago–I used it and a paper by him to compare with some contemporary American ecclesiologies. I haven’t read it since for a variety of reasons (mostly overkill), but man, it was fun to come back to it.

I appreciate the footnotes Gibson added, but I’m not so sure that we needed the ESV update. I don’t know what it gained, outside of maybe making it more accessible for contemporary readers. But those who are going to need an ESV rather than the AV for translation are really going to be put off by Witherow’s insistence to call the baptists Anabaptists throughout the second book. He’s definitely not a 21st century writer🙂

I enjoyed all these books–and Gibson’s biography was a great bonus. The photographs of Witherow and his family were unexpected, too.

Sharp, concise writing, with a little bit of punch (but not quarrelsome). This is a great introduction/tutorial on Presbyterian Church distinctives. Highly recommended.

5 Stars

The Beginning and End of All Things: A Biblical Theology of Creation and New Creation by Edward W. Klink III: This Is Our Father’s World

By HCNewton

On July 16, 2023

In Theology/Christian Living

The Beginning and End of All Things:
A Biblical Theology of Creation and New Creation

by Edward W. Klink III

DETAILS:
Series: Essential Studies in Biblical Theology
Publisher: IVP Academic
Publication Date: May 30, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 172 pg.
Read Date: June 4-25, 2023

While there is some biblical wiggle room for us to disagree about how God created the world, we better not misunderstand who God is and who humanity was designed to be, or what God intended to do in the world, ultimately through the work and person Jesus Christ, or why God made the world in a way that explains my life and purpose in the world. In short, if we misread the beginning of the story, we potentially misread the rest of the story. And since this story is about the Creator and his creation, the stakes could not be higher.

The Beginning of All Things (Mostly of the Book)

Every time the term creation or even doctrine of creation was used, the Christians in my church were thinking of origins. It was as if the only category the term creation would elicit in their minds was the beginning of time when the world came into existence. The only question was about what happened in the beginning, and even then, the primary focus was clearly on the heavily debated “six days” The rest of the history of the world, the physical reality in which we live our lives, or even the purposes for which the world was created were not even part of the equation. It seemed to me to be like a man who, when asked about his marriage, was unable to think of anything else besides his wedding ceremony. His love and commitment to his wife, the purpose and design of marriage, and even the current state of his marriage and the family it produced were viewed as distinct or unrelated. My point is not to deny the importance of the first six days of creation but to make important every created day.

Klink starts out by stressing that a doctrine of creation is not about what the first two chapters of Genesis mean—it’s not about how God made the Earth. Or at least, it’s not just about that. It’s about why God made the Earth—what was His purpose in creating, what’s His goal for the creation, and so on. It’s about the goodness of the creation and how we are to enjoy and preserve it. It’s ultimately about the new creation, what is going to happen on that Last Day when creation is renewed, restored, and recreated.

With that in mind, Klink then looks at how these (and related) ideas and themes are expressed throughout the Biblical narrative, from the Fall through Christ’s ministry on Earth, and on through the time up to the End.

The End of All Things (and of the Book)

…Creation was good but not yet finished to perfection. Again, quoting Gunton: “As created, it is perfect, because it is God’s project. . . . But it is not pertest in the sense of completion. It has somewhere to go” To be clear, this is eschatology. Not in the sense of the last few years of human history (the end times) but the entirety of human history. Eschatology, therefore, is referring to God’s goal or purpose for creation, his ordained intention and the plot of the world. Thus, eschatology 1s the aim of trajectory of all things, the goal of all things. Our argument in this chapter—and the book as a whole has been that the biblical stary of creation and new creation, which includes redemption, is a biblical theology of the goal of all things. The use of etymology for defining eschatology (the study of the end times) should be banned by royal decree! Eschatology ts only tangentially defined by interpretive questions regarding a millennium, let alone a rapture. Simply stated, eschatology is referring to the intentions of God for the world, even the will of God. Eschatology, which extends from creation to new creation, is the goal of all things.

From the Introduction through the first nine chapters, Klink has kept one eye on the Eschaton (and kept the reader looking for it, too). Chapter 10, Creation’s Consummation, focuses on that. He shows how all those earlier themes bring us to this point, and Creation and Redemption will shape the coming New Creation. This chapter is worth at least half of the purchase price of the book. It’s a great way of tying the book together and reminding the reader what our focus should be during our pilgrimage on Earth.

He follows this with a concluding few pages of Pastoral Reflections. He talks about the importance of thinking—and having pastors getting their flocks to consider—about creation in a fuller sense than just the “beginnings.” He also tries to show ways that the doctrine of creation should be applied and worked out in the believer’s life, what it should look like lived out. It’s a brief few pages, but very powerful.

So, what did I think about The Beginning and End of All Things?

…the Christian life is not merely a spiritual life but a physical life—a life lived in creation and in relation to the Creator. If Christians are united to their Creator in Christ and through the Spirit, then they should be the most aware of their physical existence and createdness. A few examples might be helpful. First, Christians should have a robust theory and practice of the human body and reflect God’s concern for its purpose and care. Second, Christians should be both aware of and concerned for physical creation, especially the earth, which is a gift from God that he both created and will re-create.”’ Both of these topics, however, have been minimized or manipulated by too many Christians for too long. This is not only detrimental to the church’s witness but also to the fullness of its life. In a world filled with creatures who neither know or submit to their Creator, Christians should reflect in word and deed the beauty, awe, and affection of the mystery of creation that is reflective of the new life they have been given by their Creator and Redeemer. Psalm 104 (especially Ps 104:24, 30, 33) provides us with a lens for our appreciation of the physical world and, therefore, the honor and praise due to our Creator.

When Klink started by saying that a doctrine of creation needs to be about more than what happened in Genesis 1-2, he piqued my interest and got me on his side immediately. The Introduction and Chapter 1 were just fantastic.

The “meat” of the book—Chapter 2, Creation’s Curse, through Chapter 8, Creation’s Commission—is refreshing both in outlook and insight. Any quibbles I had with Klink did show up in these chapters but were only in some of the ways he described ideas or on minor points (ultimately due to differences in confessional outlooks).

But as I indicated above, the last chapter and the pastoral reflections were as good (probably better) as the beginning of the book. At least a third of the notes I took about the whole book were on these 24 pages.

On the whole, this book is warm and pastoral, reminding the believer that the world we live in was created very good, and while it groans for the new creation, it remains full of good gifts from our Father for us to use, enjoy, and glorify Him with. I heartily encourage you to pick this up and read it.

4 Stars

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The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood: How God’s Word Consistently Affirms Gender Equality by Philip Barton Payne: Almost thou persuadest me…

By HCNewton

On July 9, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood:
How God’s Word Consistently Affirms Gender Equality

by Philip Barton Payne

DETAILS:
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: April 04, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 183 pg.
Read Date: May 14-29, 2023

The Back of the Book Says

A biblical defense of egalitarianism

In The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood, New Testament scholar Philip B. Payne shows how Scripture affirms gender equality in the church and in the home. This issue is important because it affects the freedom of Christians to proclaim the gospel and advance God’s kingdom. Payne carefully examines each Bible passage alleged to teach gender hierarchy and demonstrates that the Bible does not endorse gender hierarchy but instead emphasizes:

The Holy Spirit gifting all believers for ministry

The oneness of the body of Christ (the church) and the priesthood of all believers

Humility, service, and mutual submission required of all believers

Payne concludes each chapter by defending his position by providing detailed answers to common objections.

The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood is for those struggling to reconcile the Bible’s seemingly contradictory teachings about man and woman. Readers will come away with greater confidence in the reliability of Scripture’s consistent, harmonious message of gender equality.

What’s This Look Like?

Essentially Payne looks at 11 Biblical passages that are frequently used to support complementarian/patriarchal positions in the church. He critiques those interpretations and offers his own. The critical portions of each chapter are smaller than the positive portions, I should stress. Payne’s focus is on explaining and defending his interpretations.

Some Problems

I’m not evaluating Payne’s arguments or positions—that’s not what this blog is about. But as a reader, there were a few flags raised that made it hard for me to take the work as seriously as I might otherwise.

So, I got a little uneasy when in one of the introductions, Payne referred to his “discoveries” in his studies of the Biblical texts. At this stage of Church History discoveries are pretty suspect.

What made me really suspicious of Payne’s work was the way he’d slip between Bible translations frequently—essentially you get the idea he cherry-picked translations to support his arguments for him, rather than sticking with one translation (or translating each passage himself) and then explaining his issues with a word choice or two—on the whole, I find that a lot more convincing.

Two of his most pivotal chapters utilize a lot of textual criticism prior to his interpretation of the text—Payne does a thorough job of explaining that criticism and then constructs his argument. I don’t know enough to evaluate his critical work there—I find both arguments plausible, but his positions rely so heavily on them that multiple chapters would crumble without them. I don’t know if his positions can stand without him being right on these points.

I’d love to read good scholarly reactions to his textual critical arguments, I wonder how much water they hold.

So, what did I think about The Bible vs. Biblical Womanhood?

I really liked a lot of the book—and found myself agreeing with most of his critiques of complementarianism/patriarchal positions. I was able to appreciate many—maybe most—of his positive arguments, I don’t think I was won over totally by any, but I didn’t expect that to happen off of one popular-level book (nor was I looking for it).

The book was well-written, engaging, and clear. Payne takes complicated (and almost convoluted) ideas and expresses them in a way that anyone can get their hands around. And even if you’re not convinced—but I can see him convincing those who are looking for it—you will understand the positions, and see a lot of things that look easy are a lot murkier, and require wisdom to work through.

I do think this is worth the time to read and think through, I’m glad I did. I would read other things by Payne in the future. I’d love to hear what other people think.

3 Stars
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A Geerhardus Vos Anthology edited by Danny E. Olinger: A Collection of Theological Gems

By HCNewton

On July 2, 2023

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

A Geerhardus Vos Anthology:
Biblical and Theological
Insights Alphabetically Arranged

edited by Danny E. Olinger

DETAILS:
Publisher: P & R Publishing
Publication Date: March 11, 2005
Format: Paperback
Length: 363
Read Date: January 1-June 25, 2023

What’s A Geerhardus Vos Anthology About?

Danny Olinger literally wrote the book on Geerhardus Vos,* but he’s been studying him for a lot longer than that. As a part of his own personal study, he’s taken notes—he’s written quotations that meant a lot to him, seemed important, and so on—basically (as he put it in the Preface) “the best” of what he was reading. He built upon this foundation to assemble this anthology.

* 2018’s Geerhardus Vos: Reformed Biblical Theologian, Confessional Presbyterian.

Arranged topically (and those topics are arranged alphabetically), this is a collection of excerpts of varying lengths (all pretty short) from his published and published writings—the crème de la crème of one of the best of the 20th Century.

There’s also a great introduction by Olinger outlining Vos’ importance and work.

So, what did I think about A Geerhardus Vos Anthology?

My guess is that this book isn’t meant to be a devotional read, it’s a resource—a reference book. A quick way to find some of Vos’ insights and then know what work to consult for more. That’s a better use for it, for sure. But I liked the way I read it.

So I took this as a letter at a time (although some letter’s entries were long enough that I split them in two). It made for a nice few minutes once a week to think about a variety of bite-sized nuggets of Biblical Theology.

Some were pithy, some took a little chewing to get through—all were insightful and useful (although some took some thinking to figure out how they were useful). Most of all, each one made me curious about the work they were excerpted from.

One aspect (I’m not sure if it’s a pro or a con) of this book being a collection of short (1 sentence to 4 paragraphs or so) thoughts is that some jumped out at me more than others, I’m pretty sure that I could restart it today and different things would grab my attention.

This is a great way to get an easy-to-read introduction to Vos. Grace and Glory might be better—but this is nothing to sneeze at.

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, the opinions expressed are my own.