The Doctrine of Humankind
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 63, No. 2 – Spring 2021
Editor: David S. Dockery
What a privilege it is to note some of the fine publications of recent months for the readers of the Southwestern Journal of Theology! The survey for this issue is rather wide-ranging as we take a look at books from several fields of study, beginning with works related to worldview, culture, and education.
WORLDVIEW, CULTURE, AND EDUCATION
In this particular issue of the Southwestern Journal of Theology, focused on theme of Christian anthropology, it seems quite appropriate to begin our survey by noting the significance of The Rise and Fall of the Modern Self: Cultural Amnesia, Expressive Individualism, and the Road to Sexual Revolution (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020), by Carl R. Trueman, which is certainly one of the most important Christian books published in the past year, if not the past decade. Written in an accessible style, Trueman, an exemplary intellectual historian, offers incisive analysis of the developments in Western culture over the past two hundred years that have brought us to our current cultural moment. Directed by Trueman’s brilliant interpretation as well as critique of influential and shaping philosophers, poets, scientists, psychologists, and ethicists, readers are able to see the connections that have led to the dominance of the therapeutic, the triumph of the sexual revolution, and the championing of expressive individualism. Providing faithful guidance to help reimagine how to direct our steps in days to come, this book is essential reading for pastors and Christian leaders. Addressing similar issues from a legal perspective, O. Carter Snead, professor of law at the University of Notre Dame, has brilliantly described how American culture and law have wrongly enshrined individual autonomy as the highest moral good. Snead contends that this faulty understanding of anthropology has led to faulty law, especially in the areas of bioethics. Like Trueman’s volume, Snead What It Means to Be Human: The Case for the Body in Public Bioethics (Harvard University Press, 2020) should be a high priority on the reading list of Christian leaders. Another important work on Christian anthropology has been written by Matt LaPine, The Logic of the Body (Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2020).
Abraham Kuyper was truly one of the most influential thinkers in the history of the church in the areas of worldview, education, and culture. Lexham Press is in the process of providing a splendid service to the Christian community by bringing together some of the most important works from the former prime minister of the Netherlands with the Collected Works in Public Theology series. One of my favorite volumes in the series to this point is On Education (Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2019), edited by Jordan Bailor and Melvin Flikkema. This book offers readers an open door into Kuyper’s brilliant work on the philosophy and theology of Christian education. Applause and congratulations are in order for the fine work of the editorial and translation teams for their efforts to make this superb volume available to a new generation of educators and Christian leaders. On Education will serve as a magnificent resource for anyone interested in the work of Christian education. Common Grace: God’s Gift for a Fallen World (Lexham, 2020) is another fine contribution to this important series. Related themes are found in the excellent work on The Doctrine of Creation: A Constructive Kuyperian Approach (Downers Grove: IVP, 2020), by Bruce Riley Ashford and Craig G. Bartholomew.
David Naugle, who taught philosophy at Dallas Baptist University and whose own work reflected aspects of the Kuyperian tradition, has been honored by his colleagues and students with a meaningful book of essays. The Good, the True, and the Beautiful (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2020) is a fitting and worthy multidisciplinary tribute, edited by Mark J. Boone, Rose M. Cothren, Kevin C. Neece, and Jacklyn Parrish (who currently serves in the Office of Communications at Southwestern Seminary). The editors express their profound gratitude for Naugle’s influence and his investment in the lives of so many. Known for his effective and transformational teaching, as well as significant and scholarly publications, this book beautifully reflects and echoes Naugle’s thoughtful articulation of the importance of Christian worldview thinking, living, and engagement. The astute and insightful chapters range from the thought of C. S. Lewis, William Wilberforce, Philip Melanchthon, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas to literature, art, movies, philosophy, apologetics, and more. The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes, by Louis Markos (Camp Hill, PA: Classical Academic Press, 2020), demonstrates the power of story for shaping and forming the mind, the heart, and the imagination. Believing that all knowledge and all that is wise and good finds its source in God, Markos, reflecting the insights of C. S. Lewis, engages fifty well-known Greek and Roman myths. The Houston Baptist University professor observes that our secular world has lost sight of the essential role of narrative. Following the footsteps of Christian thinkers through the ages, Markos helps us see these classical myths afresh as Christian paideia for our day. He provides a hermeneutical window for each account with his reflections, applications, and notes, brilliantly enabling readers to see how these ancient stories not only teach us virtue but warn against folly, anticipating the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Just War and the Christian Tradition: A Genealogy, edited by J. Daryl Charles and Eric D. Patterson (South Bend: University of Notre Dame Press, 2021) is a praiseworthy, multi-authored effort that offers a superb overview of just war thinking. Contributors to this comprehensive work include philosophers, military strategists, political scientists, and historians who seek to engage various and distinctive denominational approaches to the issues of church and state, war, peace, diplomacy, statecraft, and security over two thousand years of Christian history. So much more than merely a reminder of the development of just war thinking throughout the years, this splendid book offers wise, insightful, and truly useful guidance for readers as they seek to navigate the challenges of our complex twenty-first century context.
Roger Erdvig, the respected leader of the Wilmington Christian School (DE), has written Beyond Integration: Immersing You and Your Students in a Biblical Worldview (Manitou Springs, CO: Summit Ministries, 2020). The Breakdown of Higher Education: How It Happened, The Damage It Does, and What Can Be Done (New York: Encounter, 2020), by John M. Ellis is an insightful jeremiad on the state of higher education in North America. Two works that look at the rise of the “nones,” exploring the implications for this growing sector of the religiously unaffiliated for the Western world, are Back-Pocket God: Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of Emerging Adults (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020), by Melinda Lundquist Denton and Richard Flory, and Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World (New York: Public Affairs, 2020), by Tara Isabella Burton.
Baylor University professor Alan Jacobs has given us a brilliant and reflective work, which calls for us to look to the past to find guidance for today, as well as for the future, in his new book, Breaking Bread with the Dead: A Reader’s Guide to a More Tranquil Mind (New York: Penquin, 2020). Lexham Press continues their project to draw from the best of Christianity Today through the years in order to provide beneficial resources for a new generation. The most recent addition to this project is a fine collection of articles, edited by Timothy D. Padgett with the title Dual Citizens: Politics and American Evangelicalism (Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2020). This timely volume includes about 90 editorials and brief articles by key evangelical thinkers and leaders, which have appeared in the pages of CT over the past six decades. Addressing virtually every political question (whether dealing with domestic or international issues) that has captured public attention, this book, will be a blessing to many. How then should we respond to this cultural moment? Helping us think through at least one avenue for responding to this challenging cultural moment, Yuval Levin has written A Time to Build: From Family to Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream (New York: Basic, 2020).
BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND HISTORICAL STUDIES
Dana Harris has provided a pedagogically sound resource, which will benefit beginning Greek students for years to come. An Introduction to Biblical Greek Grammar: Elementary Syntax and Linguistics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020) reflects the thoughtful instructional approach of one who has invested years in the classroom. The accompanying workbook will be welcomed by teachers and students alike. Joshua Jipp, one of the brightest young NT scholars of our day, has written The Messianc Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020). Paul and the Hope of Glory: An Exegetical and Theological Study (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020) is an extraordinarily helpful volume, showing how the theme of eschatology affects virtually all aspects of the apostle Paul’s writings, mission, and theology. Another important volume on Pauline themes is the work by Te-Li Lau, Defending Shame: Its Formative Power in Paul’s Letters (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2020). This thoughtful work not only carefully explores Paul’s use and understanding of shame in his letters, but powerfully provides application for various twenty-first century contexts as well. Bringing together exegetical skill, contextual insights, and a pastoral heart, the author serves as a wise guide for his readers.
The Expository Commentary Vol X. Romans – Galatians (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020) is the next volume in this new Crossway series. Readers will find each of the works on these four key Pauline epistles to be a treasure of outstanding biblical exposition from a Reformed perspective. This volume includes “Romans,” by Robert Yarbrough, “1 Corinthians,” by Andrew David Naselli, “2 Corinthians,” by Dane Ortlund, and “Galatians,” by Frank Thielman. The first new volumes in the new Christian Standard Commentary (CSC) series are now available. The CSC has obvious connections with the New American Commentary (NAC), which also is published by B&H. Whereas the NAC was written and edited by Baptists with a focus on a Baptist readership, the CSC, with its similar emphasis on theological interpretation, is designed with a broader evangelical audience in mind. The revised and updated works on 1&2 Peter and Jude, by Thomas R. Schreiner (Nashville: B&H, 2020), and Galatians, by Timothy George (B&H, 2020), have provided a great start for this new series. Readers will want to note The Letter to the Ephesians in the New International Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020), by Lynn Cohick, as well as the volume in the Reformed Expository Commentary on 2 Timothy and Titus (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R, 2020), by Daniel M. Doriani and Richard D. Phillips.
Historical Theology for the Church, edited by Jason G. Duesing and Nathan A. Finn (Nashville: B&H, 2021) will serve as a wonderful gift to pastors, church leaders, students, and theologians alike. Jason Duesing and Nathan Finn have assembled a talented cohort of Baptist thinkers to serve as engaging guides to help us better understand the development of key theological concepts as they have been articulated and debated through the centuries. Bringing their Baptist commitments to bear on this well-designed work, the contributors enable us to gain a greater appreciation for a knowledge of the past, the value of tradition, and the importance of catholicity. In all of these things, the authors desire to spur us on toward retrieval for the sake of renewal in our personal discipleship as well as in our worship, teaching, preaching, and service in and for the church. Three of the finest chapters in this volume were authored by Southwestern professors Malcolm Yarnell, Madison Grace, and Coleman Ford.
Graham Cole has written Faithful Theology: An Introduction (Wheaton: Crossway, 2020). This apt little book is a big gift to those being introduced to the study of theology. Cole is a truly an astute theologian and a faithful and wise guide for his readers. Readers will want to carefully and discerningly work through another useful overview for the work of theology, which has been provided by Mark Ellingsen, Theological Formation: Making Theology Your Own (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2020). Bradley G. Green has given us a first-rate introduction to one of the greatest thinkers in the history of the Christian faith with his recent volume on Augustine of Hippo: His Life & Impact (Christian Focus, 2020).
Peter L. H. Tie (who holds a PhD from Southwestern Seminary) and Justin Tan are to be congratulated on bringing together nine talented writers to provide a thoughtful and symphonic approach to the person and work of the Holy Spirit in Spirit Wind: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Global Theology – a Chinese Perspective (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2020). Throughout the pages of this work, readers are given a multi-perspective look at this key doctrine from the vantage points of biblical theology, historical theology, and cultural/pastoral theology. Shaped by an unapologetic commitment to scriptural authority as well as a particular focus on Chinese theology, this engaging volume will be a blessing for theologians and missiologists, as well as for pastors and students. Another serious work from a Southwestern PhD graduate has been written by Hongyi Yang, A Development, Not a Departure: The Lacunae in the Debate of the Doctrine of the Trinity and Gender Roles (P&R, 2018).
Less than one year after the death of J. I. Packer, one of the most influential evangelical thinkers of the past sixty years, Alister McGrath has produced J. I Packer: His Life and Thought (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2020). Henrietta Mears had a huge influence on the lives of Bill Bright, Harold Ockenga, and several other key evangelical leaders. Her story is winsomely told in Mother of Modern Evangelicalism: The Life and Legacy of Henrietta Mears (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2020), by Arlin C. Migliazzo. Another intriguing biographical study on the transforming friendship between Dorothy L. Sayers and C. S. Lewis is available in Dorothy and Jack (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2020), by Gina Dalfonzo.
MINISTRY AND SPIRITUAL LIFE
Jason Allen has put together a wonderful little companion to his volume on Discerning Your Call to Ministry. The new book is called Succeeding in Seminary: 12 Keys to Getting the Most out of your Theological Education (Chicago: Moody, 2021). Compelling, clear, and concise, Allen’s new project is a remarkably helpful resource for those seeking to prepare for a lifetime of faithful Christian service. The book recognizes that a call to ministry includes a call to preparation as well as a focus on providing careful and thoughtful guidance regarding the importance of study, theological conviction, personal and family commitments, the place of church and friendship, along with mission and ministry. Succeeding in Seminary will make a great gift book.
Informed by the trajectory of history and shaped by solid biblical commitments, Virtual Reality Church (Chicago: Moody, 2021), by Jonathan Armstrong and Darrell Bock, raises the important questions about the application of virtual and augmented reality for ministry, Christian living, worship, and the formation of Christian community. Exploring the theological meaning of church, including the practice of baptism and Lord’s Supper, Armstrong and Bock reach across the denominational spectrum to offer thoughtful and pastoral guidance on these pressing issues, always with the goal of advancing the gospel message in our rapidly changing world. While readers will likely yearn for more answers and additional guidance to these perplexing challenges, Virtual Reality Church offers the best introduction available on the subject. Moreover, this volume will become important reading for anyone wishing to engage these issues in the days to come.
The Leader’s Pallette: Seven Primary Colors (Bloomington, IN: Westbow/Inspirita, 2021), by Ralph Enlow, is now being translated into Mandarin. Enlow is not only a knowledgeable student and exemplary practitioner of leadership, he is a wise and reliable guide as teacher and mentor of both leadership theory and practice. Informed by the scriptural themes of steward, servant, and shepherd, and emphasizing an understanding of leadership in terms of influence, Enlow walks his readers through a sevenfold presentation of the meaning, motivation, roles, and relationships involved in God-honoring, faithful, and effective leadership. Leveling the Church: Multiplying Your Ministry by Giving it Away, by Micah Fries and Jeremy Maxfield (Chicago: Moody, 2020) is a thoughtful book, which carefully guides readers toward a biblical view of ministry, encouraging both a rethinking and reframing of faithful church leadership for the twenty-first century.
Free Grace Press has published Let the Little Children Come: Family Worship on Sunday (and the Other Six Days, Too), by Scott Aniol, associate professor of church music and worship at Southwestern Seminary. Shaped by scriptural reflection and informed by serious theological commitments along with a broad understanding of church history, Aniol offers wise guidance for parents, pastors, church leaders, and grandparents as well. This thoughtful little volume, filled with hymns, catechisms, Bible readings, and practical instruction, provides helpful insights for congregational worship on Sunday as well as family time throughout the week. Even those readers who may struggle with Aniol’s convictions regarding age-graded Christian education and church programming will find this well-designed and carefully organized volume to be a rich resource for those seeking to tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord.
In conclusion, I want to note a few other significant books worth adding to your 2021 reading list: Rethink Yourself: The Power of Looking Up before Looking In, by Trevin Wax (B&H, 2020); Companions in Suffering: Comfort for Times of Loss and Loneliness, by Wendy Alsup (Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2020); Deep Discipleship: How the Church Can Make Whole Disciples of Jesus, by J. T. English (Nashville: B&H, 2020); Another Gospel: A Lifelong Christian Seeks Truth in Response to Progressive Christianity, by Alisa Childers (Wheaton: Tyndale, 2020); The Courage to Stand: Facing Your Fear without Losing Your Soul, by Russell Moore (Nashville: B&H, 2020); and When Church Conflict Happens: A Proven Process for Resolving Unhealthy Disagreements and Embracing Healthy Ones, by Michael Hare (Chicago: Moody, 2020).
The year 2020 in so many ways was characterized by disappointment, challenge, sickness, and sadness. But the number of helpful, serious, engaging, and quality publications for followers of Jesus Christ is certainly a source of joy and hope. We will look forward to extending our survey in the next issue of the Southwestern Journal of Theology.
