That Bruce Waltke is revered in Old Testament scholarship is beyond dispute. His works on some OT books are the highest rated commentaries we have on them (particularly Proverbs and Micah). He’s written on most every section and genre of the OT and even contributed on Hebrew syntax. It comes as no surprise that Waltke would be chosen to deliver a comprehensive OT theology with those credentials. As he has done before, he even credits an associate who helped, in this case, Charles Yu, as a contributing author–but make no mistake—this is a Waltke work.

He gives 6 chapters of thorough explanation on what bible theology is as well as the importance of OT theology. By the time he’s done with this introduction, which compares to many a whole book on the market today, we are 170 pages deep.

Part Two covers chapters 7-28 and is labeled “Primary History”. It’s not just a chapter on every book or a combination of books of the Old Testament, yet every book that includes a historical element is covered. He lingers over the foundational Book of Genesis in covering the Cosmos, man, the Bride, the Fall, and the Noahic and Abrahamic Covenants. He follows a theological interpretation of Creation that doesn’t demand a literal creation, which is less than I would believe. Still, he was more conservative in places that I anticipated, and as works are graded these days, he would be labeled “conservative”.

Part Three covers chapters 29-35, is called “other writings” and addresses Wisdom Literature. As you probably know, that is one of Waltke’s specialties. The final 70 pages of this fine volume are made up of helpful indexes.

To my mind, this volume is one of the three most important OT Theologies on the market today. Because of the cruciality of OT Theology, and because of the three distinct approaches, I recommend having this Waltke volume along with Paul House and Eugene Merrill. If one is all you want, this book gives you the most material.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This book has a wonderful approach to the study of the Holy Spirit. Most such books run straight to controversy as if the Spirit was nothing more than an academic question or a “spirited” debate. The better ones remind us that the Spirit is a Person. This one by Jonathan Dodson goes one better by stressing that He desires relationship—a relationship that is not merely representative of the Father and the Son, but personal to Himself. The author went so far in that vein that repentance was required in his life for what was rank neglect of the Spirit on his part. Perhaps like me, you aren’t far behind him!

Dodson knows how to connect with this generation. I’m not sure the word “hip” is still in currency as I don’t have a hip bone in my body, but he knew how to pull in a great deal of popular culture. For the record, I don’t think I had ever seen even one movie he referenced, but he told enough of the plot that I could connect the dots easily. What won the day for me was his prevalent sincerity and contributive content.

He didn’t drown in tongues, or gifts, or other strange favorites, but he displayed a clear understanding that preferred to stay on task for a relationship with the Spirit. My strongest recommendation for this book is the positive conviction it brought to me. In short, I prayed differently this morning. In a book aimed at Christians at all points of our journey, what could be a better endorsement?

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

This collection of cutting-edge essays on the doctrine of humanity is the sixth installment in a series entitled “Explorations in Constructive Dogmatics”.  They proceed from the Los Angeles Theology Conference hosted by Fuller Theological Seminary. Previous entries addressed Christology, Trinitarian Theology, the Atonement, the Word of God, and the task of dogmatics. A wide-ranging group of specialists is assembled in each case and this time includes Marc Cortez, Hans Madueme, Ian McFarland, Richard Mouw, Lucy Peppiatt, and Frances Young, and total 12 contributors that look at humanity from many vantage points.

Let’s be clear. There’s no shallow wading here. Though these essays are not geared toward a popular audience, they are well written, There’s a good chance, however, that they will go deeper than you get in most volumes. If you’re game, then, this book is an important, challenging read. As I read, it struck me that many of these essays were in the realm where the doctrine of humanity bumps against the other major doctrines—Christology, Eschatology, Pneumatology, among others. Along the way, you will get a clear overview of where scholars are still debating this key doctrine. You will notice as well that current events are bearing on these theological issues as questions of how we personally identify ourselves is addressed as well, yet with a warmness toward biblical clarity and longstanding Christian belief.

All 12 essays were well done. My favorites were Marc Cortez’s look at “Nature, Grace, and the Christological Ground of Humanity”, Hans Madueme’s “From Sin to the Soul: a Dogmatic Argument for Dualism”, and  Lucy Peppiatt’s “Life in the Spirit: Christ’s and Ours”. I took something that helped me from each of them.

I imagine this will be a much-cited and influential book for some time to come as it fully succeeds in what it sets out to do.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Mark this down as one of the best books around on the Trinity. Don’t let the fact that it’s written in a popular style cause you to believe that it’s inferior to more scholarly volumes either. Michael Reeves has put the Doctrine of the Trinity on the high perch it deserves and uses it as a springboard to comprehend our faith. If you don’t go into the reading of this book with Mr. Reeves’ conclusions, you will likely leave it that way. Along with all that academic value, you will have your heart warmed too. This book succeeds at every level.

Instead of giving a chapter-by-chapter overview, let me tell you some of the things that jumped off the page for me. He reminded me how persuasive the concept of God as Father is all across Scripture. He demonstrated that because the Father loved the Son, creation is about Him sharing His love! He explained how our triune God “is the sort of God who will make room for another to have real existence”. That observation even explains the presence of evil in our world.

There’s more! He reveled in the explanation of grace being more than God giving out of what He had—He gives Himself. The Lord created familial relationships, he said, to extend the fellowship He loves. Isn’t this enough to hook you? If not, check out his discussion of holiness. I saw in the Trinity more than ever that God loves me.

If I could only have one book to explain the importance and practicality of the Trinity, this book would be it. Call it indispensable!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.