Key Work by Renowned Theologian
359648
A very brief, clear and immensely powerful discussion of this explosive subject.  One can spend a lifetime studying the role of women in Christian history and pondering Christ's relationship to the women in the gospels.--- Dairmaid MacCulloch has quite a lot to say about it in his enormous and brilliant work, The Reformation.  And there are countless other scholarly works dealing with the subject  ---  But a concise treatment such as this by a great theologian  has immense authority.  Hans Kung leaves no doubt that the life of Christ, His teachings, and His saving grace belong in full measure not only to men, but to women.  The book is fully documented, and highly accessible. [...]
3427420
This is a excellent classic in Christian Theology. It is excellent because Pink gives a thoroughly biblical basis for sanctification. One can come away with plenty of scriptural source material for further study. This book is great for the intermediate student of the word of God.
4173936
I've had Anthony Hoekema's (1913-1988, professor of systematic theology at Calvin Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, MI) theological works on my shelf for several years, acquiring them as I encountered more and more positive references to his work in other books. I am glad now to be able to recommend them myself. In all three books (Created in God's Image, Saved by Grace, and The Bible and the Future), Hoekema capably summarizes the Continental Reformed tradition, engaging theologians like Kuyper, Bavinck, and Berkouwer, and consistently using Confessional language throughout. When he engages controversial issues, he does so charitably while offering some of his own theological contributions to on-going discussions.

Created in God's Image is Hoekema's treatment of theological anthropology. His discussions of the image of God, sin (its origin, spread, nature, and restraint), and the restoration of the image of God in salvation are all thorough and balanced, while making some helpful contributions to thorough debates. His discussions of the pre-fall covenant, the cultural mandate, the origin of sin, federalism, and free will are all especially helpful.
886376
This book contains various perspectives from leading theologians on issues related to that which continues and discontinues from the Old Testament into the New Testament.

Half of the contributors in this book would consider themselves "Covenant Theologians" - including contributions from O. Palmer Robertson, Willem VanGemeren, Knox Chamblin, Bruce K. Waltke, Fred H. Klooster,  Martin H. Woudstra, and Sam Storms. The other half would lean dispensational or in the discontinuity camp - including essays from John S. Feinberg, Paul D. Feinberg, Robert L. Saucy, Walter C. Kaiser, Allen P. Ross, and Douglas J. Moo.

The book is a tribute to S. Lewis Johnson- long time Bible teacher at Dallas Theological Seminary and Teaching pastor at Believer's Chapel in Dallas, Texas (he went to be with the Lord on January 28, 2004). The beginning of the book and ending of the book contain some well written tributes from Sam Storms and John Sproule to Johnson and expound upon his outstanding attributes as a scholar, exegete of God's Word, pastor, mentor, friend, and southern gentlemen - he was born in Birmingham, Alabama.

After a wonderful historical essay on the debate of continuity and discontinuity by Rodney Peterson the format of the book addresses issues related to six key areas: 1) Theological Systems and the Testaments; 2) Hermeneutics and the Testaments; 3) Salvation and the Testaments; 4) The Law and the Testaments; 5) The People of God and the Testaments; and 6) Kingdom Promises and the Testaments. Each of these six topics contains an essay from a continuity perspective followed by an essay from a discontinuity perspective.

Here are some of the issues addressed in the book:

Are Christians to see ethical dilemmas such as capital punishment and abortion enforced today?

Are Israel and the Church one or distinct today?

How do believers relate to the Old Testament law in practice today?

One of the points that became increasingly clear to me as I read this book was that the more one moves in the discontinuity direction, the more dispensational he is likely to become, and the more one moves in the direction of continuity, the more covenantal he will become.

This book is simply outstanding. It's not an easy read - but well worth the effort. In my experience most people from both sides of the continuity/discontinuity continuum have a lot to learn from one another and this book helps people in either camp come closer to the center in balancing how to effectively understand and interpret the two Testaments of the Scriptures. I highly recommend this book to help you become a more effective interpreter of the Scriptures and lover of Jesus Christ at the center of it all.
4074581
There is no question that Barth is a major thinker who helps us all with our faith journeys.  For people like myself who hold quite liberal theologies, it seems particularly important to understand both his viewpoint and how he achieves it.  As I understand it, Barth argues that following the flood, God made an absolute covenant with all of humanity--not merely with Israel--that without question or limitation God is with us and wants us to be with God.  While he will never fail, we do so regularly; and it is Christ's mission to draw us into this relationship.  Barth's knowledge of the Bible is prodigious, and  a careful and critical understanding of text is the heart of his method.  The Bible is God's word and that is where we must turn to understand god with us/we with God.  This does not mean literal interpretation, but eschews hermeneutics that accept postmodern interpretation.

Since The Doctrine of Reconciliation is Volume IV:1 of Church Dogmatics, a 6 million word, multi-volume work laying out Barth's thinking, it may not come as a surprise that he can be wordy, redundant, and very difficult to read.  He in German, and the structure of his thinking is likely to be difficult for anglophone readers.  It is filled with very long, very complex sentences that have all the charm of Kant or Schleiermacher.  I often had to reread many sentences, since the first effort left me confused.

For a layperson, my theological education is quite good; and I read the book in a reading group of people at my church who want to read primary source material.  We all struggled with the literary style.  We had the good fortune to have a leader who is working on his dissertation on Barth.  He insists that as one gets accustomed to Barth's style, reading him becomes progressively easier.  However, I confess that most of us relied on our leader's explanation and abandoned the text itself.

Barth is important, and his thinking is magnificent.  Despite the problems of doing so, it may be best for most of us to rely on secondary text to explore his contributions.
2028102
David Bosch's masterpiece will undoubtedly remain the seminal text for missional theology over the first part of the 21st century. It is comprehensive, well-planned, well-written, and internally consistent.

It should be noted that this is a theoretical text and a heavily theological one, although some of the practical outworkings of it are evident. If you haven't read much theology before this, I would recommend reading a basic theology reader or textbook to become acclimated. You will have to read at a fairly high level to understand this book, and at a very high level to grasp the nuances and subtleties (certainly I am not at that level yet). If you are struggling with dense introductory theology books or don't know what to read, I will recommend a favorite of mine to you - Karl Barth's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Evangelical-Theology-An-Introduction/dp/0802818196/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Evangelical Theology: An Introduction</a>. Bosch has obviously read and has applied Barth's theology.

If one is engaging in almost any historical, biblical, or contemporary/practical study of mission, this text is the starting point. It is immensely rich and fairly dense, full of scholarly research and support, and even diverse in the sources from which Bosch draws. This text keeps on giving; it is a reference book for missional theology and history, and an example of how to carry out scholarship in the field.

Part 1 is a ~160 page exposition of "New Testament Models of Mission," focusing on the Gospel of Matthew, Luke-Acts, and Pauline epistles. I would suggest that work on the other two Gospels, the catholic epistles, and Revelation might be warranted, even though the task of the author would have been impossible and the book cumbersome were that the case. There is also little exploration of mission in the Old Testament or Jewish Bible (depending on your faith tradition). For a concise text which explores Old Testament mission, consult Richard Bauckham's&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Bible-and-Mission-Christian-Witness-in-a-Postmodern-World/dp/0801027713/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World</a>. Bauckham's text is certainly neither comprehensive nor infallible, but it does construct a simple unified understanding of the topic as it relates to a postmodern context.

Part 2 is a section of ~160 pages on "Historical Paradigms of Mission." The historical information is dense, organized, and extremely useful. Bosch has drawn from relevant church history to construct a history of mission within the framework of theological paradigms (see Hans Kung). The epoch and paradigm shift model gives us a basis for placing our period of Christian history and missional involvement within the whole of Church history. Bosch hardly leaves a stone unturned. An example of Bosch's keen insight and thorough investigation is his weaving of medieval monasticism into the tapestry of this text. I will grant that he does not concern himself much with ancient monasticism, and the reader will understand the reasons for this after reading the text. Regardless, this is a missional theology book, not a monastic history text. The missionary nature of medieval monastic activity is perhaps the most interesting and valuable claim that Bosch makes in this book, especially when many western Christians doubt the missionary impact of monks.

Bosch's historical investigations bring us to the contemporary ecumenical or "postmodern paradigm," the investigation of which comprises the final ~170 pages. Bosch explores thoroughly almost all conceivable aspects of mission in contemporary times. He equips the reader with the tools to construct a working missional theology without mandating agreement on a single universal model. He also recognizes that our Christian hope is not complete in our action, but in Jesus Christ and the future hope in his completion of the salvation of the world.
2724694
The book contains 50 of John Wesley's sermons, all reflecting a door into the mind and theology of John Wesley. The book is edited by one of the late great minds of Wesleyanism, Albert Outler.  I found the book to be very rewarding, allowing me to experience and have a deeper appreciation for John Wesley's theology, which to a large degree has been debated because of Wesley's different stands on certain issue's through out his life.

The sermons that Outler & Heitzenrater have selected for this book, allow the reader to know the heart of John Wesley, which Wesley expressed through out his life, and it allows the reader to have a grasp on John Wesley's theology as it grew through out his life time.  The way that Outler and Heitzenrater do this, is by compiling the sermons of John Wesley in a chronological order allowing the reader to flow through one sermon to the next, and see John Wesley's theology unfold from a young man to a old man, kind of like unfolding a neatly rapped package with ribbon and bow.  Finally near the end, in one of John Wesley's sermons entitled "On the Wedding Garment," we see Wesley restating his beliefs that he has held firm to since a young man, and this sermon is written a year before his death.  I gave this book five stars, because of how the book of sermons was compiled and laid out, causing any Wesley reader or fan to desire the next sermon in order to see the evolution of Wesley's theology and his firm beliefs.
2733638
In John F. Fink's two volume set on the Doctors of the Church, he successfully achieves his purpose by making all thirty-three doctors lives and writings known--crafted neatly in informative summaries--to the general public in understandable terms.  This is a work which may be used both for personal study and devotion--another mark pointing to the sheer value and resourcefulness of this work.  This set should be read by intro to Christian History/Theology students, and should be required reading for younger students in parochial school as well.
1270639
Life changing book for Bible-focused people -- from a widely respected evangelical theologian.
1127795
Among the many books on icons, this is one of the oldest still in print. Why has it become a classic? Because it was written by one of the greatest twentieth century theologians, Vladimir Lossky, and by one of the greatest  20th century iconographers,Leonide Ouspensky who spent the whole of his  artistic life in France painting icons and frescoes. Their approach is  unique not only because of their deep experience of the Orthodox faith, but  also because of the way they decided to describe the colour prints  reproduced in this volume. What we have here is a superb commentary in the  form of selection of poetry from the feasts during which these icons are  placed in the middle of the church. Much of this Byzantine hymnography has  no parallel in the West. It is what is heard in the eastern Christian  church throughout the liturgical year which this volume beautifully  illustrates both in word and image. The authors' feeling for the uplifting  prayer of which icons play such a vital part is genuine and rarely found in  any other book about the iconographic tradition.  All Christians and many  non-Christians will appreciate  their  respectful presentation of the  revelation of God to man as it is presented in this book.
2463973
It's been a little over two years since I read this, so the details are hazy, but it's a forceful and thorough critique of arguably the most famous contemporary theologian. Many of the grand claims that Hauerwas makes about the church are found by Healy to be, well, wrong. I particularly remember enjoying how Healy drew on ethnographic studies of church congregations to refute Hauerwas's famous church-world distinction. Two other highlights I remember: the thorough critique of how Hauerwas overemphasizes the role of the church and whether or not pacifism is truly the central practice that Hauerwas has made it out to be. Healy's treatment of Hauerwas is also quite charitable. Although I can't recall every detail, this is a much-needed antidote to the uncritical worship of Hauerwas's theology prevalent today, and had a deep impact on my own theological views. Even if you don't agree with every detail, it's a master exercise in systematic theology.
1832613
Dr Durham Smith's fine study "Search for Understanding" is the most challenging theological book I have read this year.  After a very distinguished medical career, Dr Smith has shared with many in his parish of St John's Camberwell and beyond an extremely profound set of reflections on the mystery of faith in God and God's self disclosure in Jesus of Nazareth.  He looks at the traditional Christian verities and subjects them to profound scrutiny.  He focuses on the primacy of love especially in areas coming under close scrutiny these days such as the interfaith debate, partner relationships outside marriage and homosexuality.  Love, compassion and justice are his touchstones.  Very conservative readers might need to adjust their seatbelts.  This review is by The Revd Dr Brian Porter, Adjunct Lecturer in Theology, Trinity College, University of Melbourne.
2089468
Wonderful! A book of theological truths based on the Apostles Creed. Theology is more important than what the average Church goer may think. Rather than plowing through thick volumes of theological textbooks on systematic theology, or buy individual books on various theological topics, we have in our hands a book that expounds on the essence of the history, the core theological issues, and the crucial doctrines every Christian ought to know. The Apostles Creed is an excellent choice because it is still the most unifying creed for all (if not most) Christian communities. The Roman Catholics, the Eastern Orthodox, Protestants, Evangelicals, Non-Denominationals, Bible, Independents, and many others are pretty united when it comes to this ancient creed. Even fringe groups will very likely profess the same creed with certain disclaimers. Whether one agrees with the creed fully or not, the scope of coverage is wide enough to give the Church a pretty decent theological syllabus. Author and New Testament Professor Michael Bird has done exactly that and has written this book for the masses.

He begins by making a case for the Apostles Creed as an important syllabus for beginners. Not only is it biblical, it gives us a basic summary of what the Early Church held, what traditions are, and how they inform our theological education. Creeds are part of the way God has used to teach us. From the Old and New Testaments, we get the life of Jesus, the Apostolic teachings, the Rule of Faith, and the Creeds. Creeds are used in worship; in promoting unity and fellowship with other believers; in reminding us about our faith. They also form a key part of our devotional lives. The rest of the book deals with a particular part of the creed.

  Faith
  God the Father
  God the Son
  Jesus as Messiah and Lord
  The Virgin Birth
  The Atonement
  The Resurrection
  The Reign of Jesus
  The Holy Spirit
  The Church
  The Kingdom of God and more.

Each of the chapters begin with a brief introduction, followed by an explanation of what it is, what it means, and which part of the Bible supports the doctrine. From each doctrine, Bird expands it with other important theological vocabulary to enhance our learning. There is always an application component for each doctrine expounded. The short list of recommended readings makes it convenient for planning and research for interested readers. This book is targeted at the layperson. It can be used as a preaching calendar as well. Creeds and catechisms are some of the most important resources the Church has inherited over the years. In fact, every creed came about because of the threats of heresy. Such theological threats have sparked countless debates and council meetings that culminated in a statement of belief to anchor the Church on sound doctrine, something that continually needs to be done in a world that is getting more sophisticated. Learn from our forefathers who have painstakingly put together the creeds not only for their generation but for many more, including ours and our children and their descendants.

I warmly recommend this book for your reading and learning.

Bird is an Australian Professor of Theology at Ridley College in Melbourne. He publishes widely in areas of Systematic Theology and has written a comprehensive theological textbook entitled, "Evangelical Theology."

Rating: 4.5 stars of 5.

conrade
This book is provided to me courtesy of Zondervan Academic and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
4654823
Calvinism: A Road to Nowhere is an extraordinary book which reflects a brilliant theological mind and a meticulously careful analysis of God's Word.  It offers a persuasive presentation of God's diligent efforts to draw all men to Himself--and man's responsibility to respond in faith to these efforts.  Page after page I found myself saying "what a powerful analysis" or "what an amazing statement about the nature of God" or "what a beautifully-crafted argument."  Though the book's primaty focus is a critique of the Soteriology of Calvinism, it also (perhaps unknowingly to the author) provides a superlative treatise on the additional topics of Theology, Christology, Pneumatology, Anthropology, Hamartiology, and even Israelology.  This wider scope of analysis, in my view, is one of the geniuses of the book--and is another reason why every seminary student, pastor, minister, elder, Bible teacher, and hungry-hearted believer should read it.
1593802
Pastor William Land has developed a book that is written in plain language tackling one of the toughest theological concepts in the history of the Church: the Trinity. This is an accessible book that leads readers through a paragraph by paragraph breakdown of the Athanasian Creed. In looking at each paragraph carefully, he then connects key thoughts to pertinent Scripture references, allowing the reader to learn solid theology while tying it to the reading of Scripture.

This is a very accessible walk through one of the key creeds of the Church, grounding us in Scripture and key theology. It's meant for every believer to understand and then build on.
3159319
An essential tool for any theology student, whether layman or in seminary training
1882809
Many Evangelicals have been positively impacted by the work of Eugene Peterson. One of the Churchs modern sages, Peterson is the author of many books that occupy the shelves of pastors, church leaders, and laypeople alike. His Bible translation, The Message, has been read and used by many. His writing ministrys influence is pretty much undeniable.

As a reader of Peterson, though, I have always wondered what his preaching was like. I read from his memoir and writings about serving in the catacombs of Baltimore, Maryland at Christ Our King Presbyterian Church. He was pastor there for nearly thirty years. Thats well over a thousand sermons, and very few of them have made their way to the online world. Much of his preaching has been virtually unknown. In reading Peterson, one wonders whether the man is as able a preacher as he is writer, or, perhaps more inconceivable, if he is as able a writer as he is preacher. One does not have to wonder any longer.

As Kingfishers Catch Fire: A Conversation on the Ways of God Formed by the Words of God is a collection of forty-nine sermons, never before published, offering us a glimpse into the Sunday dialogue of Pastor Peterson. Brilliantly organized, there are seven sections that walk the reader through a biblical theology of Petersons sermons, with sections of sermons on the Pentateuch, the Psalms, the prophet Isaiah, Wisdom Literature, the Gospels, the Pauline Epistles, and the apostle John. Being sermons, they make for fairly short chapters. For the slower reader, here could be your next chapter a day devotional.

As for the actual content of the sermons, anyone familiar with Petersons work will not be surprised to find that these sermons are poetic in nature, inviting us into the biblical narrative, beckoning us to touch and smell and see the environment of the text. Petersons astute understanding of the biblical languages is evident in his preaching and exegesis. But Peterson is not aloof to the needs of todays hearers. Like his other books, he is always thinking of and focusing on the Christian life. After all, if we preach with no attempt to leave our hearers changed, what have we accomplished? Petersons sermons are not mere cold and lifeless explanations of the text. They are full of relevant challenges and encouragements, helping us to see the Bible as speaking to us today.

Ive really enjoyed getting a small taste of Eugene Petersons preaching ministry. It has helped me, in some ways, to understand the rest of his books. To know that Monday through Saturday, his writing was living in tandem with the preparation of these sermons, for his people. To know that Sundays for Pastor Peterson were opportunities for him not to sell a book, but to engage with his flock and offer them words of life. Pastors will find these sermons especially helpful, as they only help to model some important aspects of preaching. Im grateful to Waterbrook Multnomah and Eugene Peterson for these wonderful sermons. Here is another volume belonging to an already-stellar catalog.