Concise Reformed Dogmatics

Tony Reinke BR > P&R, Herman Bavinck, Systematic theology

Concise Reformed Dogmatics

Along with classic oxymorons like “jumbo shrimp” and “pretty ugly” we can add a new phrase—“concise 940-page book.”

The new Concise Reformed Dogmatics from P&R is a contemporary, single-volume systematic theology that collects the best of the rich reformed theology of our Dutch friends.

For a single-volume theology I’ve never seen anything like it.

There is no doubt that authors could have easily fluffed this volume out into a 3 or 4 volume series. But instead they carefully distilled the content into a “concise” and sharpened format. And it doesn’t take long to notice this in the details and in the weightiness of each sentence.

The contemporary Dutch authors (J. van Genderen and W. H. Velema) and the English translators (Gerrit Bilkes and Ed M. van der Maas) have blessed the church with an excellent work of theology that captures the best dogmatic exegesis, the most valuable thoughts of Augustine, John Calvin, and Martin Luther, the best of our Dutch homeboys like Herman Bavinck, Wilhelmus à Brakel, and Abraham Kuyper and manage to interact frequently with the notorious Karl Barth.

Typical of Dutch dogmatics, it’s really not exactly what we think of in American when we talk about “systematic theology.” It’s more a combination of a little John Frame ethics and a little J.I. Packer practical theology added to Wayne Grudem’s systematic theology. I mean when is the last time you read a systematic theology with sections covering prayer, mission work, and human sexuality?

For a single-volume dogmatic, this is a precious gift to the church. And despite it’s length (940 pages) and price tag ($40) the addition of this volume to your library is worth consideration.

You can view the table of contents and a sample chapter over here.

——————

Title: Concise Reformed Dogmatics
Authors: J. van Genderen and W. H. Velema (Dutch)
Translators: Gerrit Bilkes and Ed M. van der Maas (English)
PDFs: Sample chapters available here.
Boards: cloth (as in real cloth)
Pages: 944
Volumes: 1
Dust jacket: yes
Binding: sewn
Topical index: yes
Scriptural index: yes
Text: perfect type
Publisher: P&R
Year: 1992 (Dutch) + 2008 (English)
Price USD: $59.99 / $40.79 at Westminster
ISBN: 9780875525778

The mark of the wounds

Tony Reinke Cross of Christ, Cross-centered life, Jonathan Edwards, Puritans

From the end of a letter written by Jonathan Edwards to Deborah Hatheway (June 3, 1741):

“Don’t talk of things
of religion
and matters of experience
with an air of lightness and laughter,
which is too much the manner in many places.
In all your course,
walk with God
and follow Christ
as a little,
poor,
helpless child,
taking hold of Christ’s hand,
keeping your eye
on the mark of the wounds
on his hands
and side,
whence came the blood
that cleanses you from sin
and hides
your nakedness
under the skirt of the white shining robe
of his righteousness.”

What is Legalism?

Tony Reinke Legalism, Legalist

Ah the ole “L” word. Many of us use the word in our vocab. But what is it and what does it mean? That’s a question I’m asked on a frequent basis and one I like to revisit annually on this blog.

I can distinctly remember the time when this question begged for clarification in my own life. At one time three events collided (and all took place in the same week). I think each event reveals why clarifying the dangers of legalism are necessary and worthy of revisiting frequently.

First was a conversation with a woman who had decided to permit her daughter to skip church in order to participate in soccer games. “I don’t want to be legalistic about church,” she said. Another encounter was with a man who defined legalism as “living by lots of rules.” And the third encounter was with a man who labeled Christians who abstained from alcohol as legalists.

Let me say from the start that I’m not saying these people are right or wrong in their convictions. What is important to see is that each statement (I believe) reveals a superficial and fundamentally flawed view of legalism.

Let me explain.

Rules are not the problem

Almost 900 passages in the Bible contain the phrase “do not.” Which is to say that the Bible contains quite a lot of prohibitions. Jesus condensed some chief prohibitions for us: “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother’” (Luke 18:20). There are a lot of rules in the Bible.

Which is to say that if you apply the entire Bible to the Christian life, you can end up with a long list of helpful rules and reminders (i.e. the “one anothers”). Doesn’t this fact explain why Jonathan Edwards was compelled to compose his long list of resolutions?

See the fundamental danger of legalism is not living with rules or not living by rules—whether you attend church every week or not, whether you drink wine or not. Legalism points to a much deeper heart issue.

A false gospel

At its most dangerous level, legalism is a soteriological problem. That is, legalism is a false gospel and a false hope. Legalism is the lie that says God’s pleasure and joy in me is dependent upon my performance rather than the finished work of Christ.

It is legalism that causes the Pharisee to look proudly into the sky in the presence of a tax collector. It is legalism that causes a poor missionary in Africa to think God is more pleased with him than an American Christian businessman driving a Mercedes. It is legalism that causes the preacher behind the pulpit to think God is more pleased with him than the tatooed Christian teenager sitting in the back row.

Legalism is the lie that God will find more pleasure in me because my obedience is greater than others or that God looks at me with disgust because I am not living up to His expectations. It is the failure to remember that God’s pleasure in us comes outside of us (in the finished work of Christ). Legalism causes the heart to forget that God sings over us because of the work He has done, not because of what we have done (Zeph. 3:15-17).

Believers equally bring pleasure to God because the pleasure He receives in us is the purchased pleasure of the substitution of Jesus Christ. Any imagined superiority to other Christians (not rules or a lack of rules) is the sure sign of the legalist.

The irony of legalism

The great irony (and danger) of legalism is this: If you think God is more pleased with you because you take your child to a soccer game instead of church, if you think God is more pleased with you because you do not live by rules, and if you think God is more pleased with you because you do drink alcohol—you are just as legalistic as the man who thinks that perfect church attendance, lists of rules, and abstaining from alcohol makes him more pleasing to God.

Rules are not the problem.

And whether our convictions are biblical or unbiblical is another issue altogether. Legalism is not so much objective (are my convictions biblical or not?) but subjective (what do my convictions get me?). And this is what makes legalism dangerous whether your convictions are biblically accurate or not.

From what I hear, often what is labeled as legalistic too often focuses primarily upon rules or a lack thereof rather than the gospel.

As I’ve seen in my own heart, what sustains self-righteous legalism is a failure to boast only in the righteousness of the Cross of Christ. Once I take my eyes off the Cross I begin boasting in my list of rules or boasting in my lack of rules. Either way, I know I have fallen into legalism.

Why is the Old Testament shut out of church?

Tony Reinke spurgeon

Ralph Davis holds the distinction of writing the only Bible commentary that has doubled me over in laughter. A hilarious Old Testament Bible commentary? I know it sounds strange. Dr. Davis is unique voice, a cherished OT scholar, and a man worth listening to. His article Why is the Old Testament shut out of church? is worth a read.

In part:

“…Maybe this is why the OT is shut out of the church.  We do not have the right approach.  I am not convinced that there is a ‘problem’ with the OT.  I do not think the ‘strangeness’ or ‘distance’ or the language of the OT is much of a problem; nor is our difficulty with the OT mainly a matter of techniques.  Rather we get off track in our interpretation of the OT because our eyes are fastened on the wrong ‘object.’   I do not mean that we cannot consider methods and genre and criticism and problems, but for crying out loud there is a living God waiting to reveal himself in the OT and we so easily take our eyes off of him!  If he is my exceeding joy (Ps. 43:4) then I should delight in seeing him in the OT.  If he is the fountain of living waters (Jer. 2:13), I should be thirsting and craving for him as I read its texts…”

Reading Digest #2 (Dec. 1, 2008)

Tony Reinke .Reading Digest, spurgeon

Reading Digest #2 (Dec. 1, 2008)

Thanks for all the comments on reading digest #1. And thanks for all the emails, too. Although I cannot respond to each comment and email I do read them all. I am grateful that you have taken the time to share with me the books you are reading, your current reading priorities, and even your willingness to contest my own book ratings. Keep them coming!

New to digest #2 you will see that I’ve added my devotional reading from scripture which will bring for me a level of needed accountability. And (for fun) I’ve added a list of books I will not be reading.

So here is the latest update on my reading schedule. For each book I’ve attempted to aggregate the following information: % read, rating out of 5 stars, category the book fits into in my library, and a brief summary.

DEVOTIONS …

• John 12:23-26. Because my great sin struggle is against the idol of ease.

• James 1. Reading through James slowly. This chapter has helped me see the importance of faith in perseverance and the danger of unbelief in trials.

CURRENTLY READING …

• “Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds” by Chris Brauns (10%). Christian living. Too early to rate.

• “Uprooting Anger: Biblical Help For a Common Problem” by Robert D. Jones. (20%, 3.50 stars). Christian living. Very good so far. Anger may manifest itself as red-hot or ice-cold. Anger is the manifestation of sin rooted in selfish unmet desires, fears, idols, comforts, passions etc (James 4). Q: Will the book help the reader define the specifics of these idols?

• “Instructing a Child’s Heart” by Ted and Margy Tripp (20%, 4.50 stars). Parenting. The newest from Tripp and a gem. Highly recommended for all parents.

• “Gilead” by Marilynne Robinson (25%, 4.00 stars). Novel and winner of the Pulitzer. Reflections of an old pastor. The prose sip like vintage wine.

• “Outliers” by Malcom Gladwell (30%, ^3.40 stars). Talent is overrated–the “greats” flat out worked harder. The 10,000 hour rule = work for 10,000 hours at something and you will do it well. Success is not defined by IQ or natural ability alone but by situation, hard work, and street-smarts. Getting better. This is helping to inform how I should be parenting my children for success.

• “Our Reasonable Faith” by Herman Bavinck (30%, 5.00 stars). Systematic theology. Fantastic condensed theology noted for its carefulness in composition and its moments of breakout doxology.

• “Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies” by Li and Bernoff (30%, 3.75 stars). Online marketing. How to interact with the inevitable web 2.0 phenomena and collective power of the online user. More technical than Godin. Reading this for a discussion group and need to get on this this week.

• “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” by Chip Heath (30%, 4.50 stars). Marketing and communication book. “Sticky” has become a new word in my daily language and a persisting challenge to rethink what I say and how I say it. Looks like I’ll be reading this in a group soon so I’m putting it off for now.

• “Getting Things Done” by David Allen (40%, 4.30 stars). Personal planning. Classic book on how to schedule well and get things done efficiently.

• “Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us” by Seth Godin (60%, ^2.80 stars). Leadership. Groups stand around together, tribes communicate and provoke one another. How do leaders harness the potential of these online tribes and lead them via Web 2.0—blogs, Facebook, Twitter. The book greatly improved at about the 30% mark.

RECENTLY COMPLETED …

• “The Back of the Napkin” by Dan Roam (100%, ^4.00 stars). Business strategy and problem-solving book. Thinking through, solving, and explaining complex problems on a napkin with a pen, icons, and stick figures. Wonderful book for visual thinkers like myself and bearing immediate fruit at work. Highly recommended.

• “Assassination Vacation” by Sarah Vowell (100%, 3.50 stars). Secular history and travel writing. Vowell’s thorough research on presidential assassinations is presented in a way that allows the reader to join her as she travels to various locations. It should be noted that in this book (and all her books) she views life through a lens of wry irritability. She is a non-Christian and this book includes a section on the Oneida sex cult. Beware of this if you decide to read.

• “Discourse on the Trinity” by Jonathan Edwards (100%, 4.00 stars). Theology. This little work helped me understand how Christ is the duplicity of the Father for God to delight in Himself. A fundamental truth to understanding the entire theology of Edwards.

• “We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry” by G. K. Beale (20%, 2 stars). Scholarly and hard to apply. Not what I expected.

• “The Wordy Shipmates” by Sarah Vowell (25%, 1 star). Vowell—a liberal—on the Puritans! Who could pass this up? Except for a few highlights, this was a let down.

ON THE DOCKET …

• “Concise Reformed Dogmatics” by J. van Genderen and W. H. Velema, translated by Gerrit Bilkes and edited by M. van der Maas. Dutch systematic theology. At first glance this book appears to be a contender for the 2008 book of the year award. More photos and review forthcoming on the blog.

WILL NOT BE READING …

• “Pagan Christianity?: Exploring the Roots of Our Church Practices” by George Barna and Frank Viola. Argument for house churches (who knew Barna went house church?). Labels as ‘unbiblical’ the practices of preaching, tithing, meeting in a building, and really everything institutional. I love the publisher’s preface note which states (my paraphrase): “Please don’t stop buying our books just because we decided to print this nonsense.” Ben Witherington has already reviewed the Barna + Viola logic circus (and did a great job).

Reading Digest #1

Tony Reinke .Reading Digest, Book Notes, spurgeon

I love to read and try to burn through books at a good pace. Since this reading schedule prohibits full reviews of many of the books I’m reading, my friends have encouraged me to publicly list my reading schedule and brief thoughts on books. To that end I’ll be posting a biblio-update once a week. I don’t post this to sell books (no hyperlinks) and I don’t post this to impress you. I will be prioritizing this list for 4 distinct purposes:

  1. as a means of provoking diligence in your own reading schedule
  2. as a means of helping others make wise book investments (let me buy the bad ones)
  3. as a means of personal accountability (no room for slacking off)
  4. as a means of hearing from you about what you are presently reading (use the comments).

So here is my present reading schedule, complete with the present % read, thoughts, and ratings (5 stars being the highest recommendation, 1 star meaning the book is more useful as a recycled paper product.

  • Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (25%, 4 stars). Novel and winner of the Pulitzer. Reflections of an old pastor. The prose sip like vintage wine.
  • Outliers by Malcom Gladwell (25%, ^3.2 stars). Talent is overrated–the “greats” flat out worked harder. Note the 10,000 hour rule = work for 10,000 hours at something and you will do it well.
  • The Back of the Napkin by Dan Roam (70%, ^3.85 stars). Business strategy book. Thinking through, solving, and explaining complex problems on a napkin with a pen, icons, and stick figures. Wonderful book for visual thinkers like myself and bearing immediate fruit at work.
  • Our Reasonable Faith by Herman Bavinck (30%, 5 stars). Intro level systematic theology. Fantastic condensed theology noted for its carefulness in composition and its moments of breakout doxology.
  • Instructing a Child’s Heart by Ted and Margy Tripp (20%, 4.5 stars). Parenting. The newest from Tripp and a gem. Highly recommended for all parents.
  • Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath (30%, 4.5 stars). Marketing and communication book. “Sticky” has become a new word in my daily language and a persisting challenge to rethink what I say and how I say it.
  • Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell (70%, 3.5 stars). Secular history and travel writing. Vowell’s thorough research on presidential assassinations is presented in a way that allows the reader to join her as she travels to various locations. It should be noted that in this book (and all her books) she views life through a lens of wry irritability. Includes ‘mature’ content.
  • Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin (50%, ^2.5 stars). Leadership. Groups stand around together, tribes communicate and provoke one another. How do leaders harness the potential of these online tribes and lead them via Web 2.0—blogs, Facebook, Twitter. The book greatly improved at about the 30% mark.
  • Getting Things Done by David Allen (40%, ^4.3 stars). Personal planning. Classic book on how to schedule well and get things done efficiently.
  • Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Li and Bernoff (30%, 3.75 stars). Online marketing. How to interact with the inevitable web 2.0 phenomena and collective power of the online user. More technical than Godin.

Recently completed (% read, final rating) …

  • Discourse on the Trinity by Jonathan Edwards (100%, 4 stars). Theology. This little work helped me understand how Christ is the duplicity of the Father for God to delight in Himself. A fundamental truth to understanding the entire theology of Edwards.
  • We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry by G. K. Beale (20%, 2 stars). Scholarly and hard to apply. Not what I expected.
  • The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell (25%, 1 star). Vowell—a liberal—on the Puritans! Who could pass this up? Except for a few highlights, this was a let down.

On the docket …

  • Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds by Chris Brauns. Christian living.
  • Uprooting Anger: Biblical Help For a Common Problem by Robert D. Jones. Christian living.

So what are you currently reading? I’d love to hear in the comments!

Tony