Faith Alive
Sean Gerety1 I. INTRODUCTION Luther and Calvin rightly maintained that justification by faith alone is the linchpin upon which the Church stands or falls. If this doctrine is lost or even muddied, the semblance of religion remains, but the Church fades into nonexistence. That is why a clear and unambiguous definition of faith is essential. […]
Worthy to Reign: The Cross and the War for Dominion
I. INTRODUCTION Why did Jesus have to die? For whom did He die? What did His death accomplish? Of all the ways that God could have saved the world, why the cross? Theologians have given different answers to those questions. Their answers are commonly called theories of the atonement.1 Discussions of the atonement among conservative […]
No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came from, What It Is, and Why It’s Harmful
No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came from, What It Is, and Why It’s Harmful. By Andrew David Naselli. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017. 123 pp. Paper, $17.99. I came to faith and grew via the ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. It taught a higher-life view of the Christian life, with two types […]
The Doctrines of Grace in an Unexpected Place: Calvinistic Soteriology in Nineteenth-Century Brethren Thought
The Doctrines of Grace in an Unexpected Place: Calvinistic Soteriology in Nineteenth-Century Brethren Thought. By Mark R. Stevenson. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2017. 320 pp. Paper, $37.00. This book explores the presence of Calvinistic soteriology among the Plymouth Brethren. JOTGES readers will be especially interested in Chap. 7, “‘What Must I Do to be Saved?’: […]
Perspectives on Israel and the Church: 4 Views
Perspectives on Israel and the Church: 4 Views. By Chad O. Brand, Tom Pratt, Jr., Robert L. Reymond, Robert L. Saucy, and Robert Thomas. Edited by Chad O. Brand. Nashville: B & H Academic, 2015. Vii + 317 pp. Paper, $29.99. As Charles Ryrie explained in his classic work on Dispensationalism, the first aspect of […]
Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King
Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King. By Matthew W. Bates. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017. 234 pp. Paper, $24.99. Matthew Bates received his Ph.D. from a Catholic school (Notre Dame), and he teaches at a Catholic school (Quincy University). But Bates says, “I am a Protestant” (p. […]
What Is Faith?
What Is Faith? By R. C. Sproul. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2010. 67 pp. Paper, $2.50. This booklet is divided into four chapters. The first two chapters are good. The last two are not. In Chap. 1, “A Hopeful Vision,” Sproul takes Hebrews 11 as his main text. He emphasizes that the promises of God […]
The Signature of Jesus
What is Contemplative Spirituality and Why is It Dangerous? A Review of Brennan Manning’s The Signature of Jesus John Caddock Winchester, OR The Never-Ending Review Little did I know when I began to read The Signature of Jesus the time and effort that would be involved in understanding it. I am not a theologian […]
The Gospel According to Jesus
A CRITIQUE OF THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO JESUS J. KEVIN BUTCHER Pastor Ebenezer Baptist Church Detroit, Michigan I. Introduction By writing The Gospel According to Jesus, in a sense John F. MacArthur has done the evangelical world a favor. He has raised to a level of national consciousness the contemporary confusion in the Church […]
Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles
THE HIGH COST OF SALVATION BY FAITH-WORKS: A Review of John F. MacArthur, Jr.’s Faith Works: The Gospel According to the Apostles1 ROBERT N. WILKIN Associate Editor Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society Roanoke, Texas I. Introduction It is with a deep sense of sadness that I write this review. Reading this book and listening […]