This book tackles a subject that everyone thinks about at times–how to think about God in a world of profound hate and senseless tragedy. While the author, Mr. Oord, takes us beyond the hard feelings of questioning faith to the theology that can tries to answer the question, he even goes to science and philosophy along with the Bible. Without any fluff at all he takes us on a journey that demands we decide what we believe about the providence of God.

Mr. Oord brought out a potpourri of emotions in me as I read. At times I would feel I was reading a simple believer in Christ while at other points I would think how could he believe such nonsense.  In one place he would hold that Scripture is a trustworthy guide and at another he would speak of evolution as a settled fact. Here he would want to honor the Lord and His Word and there he would speak of science and philosophy as near equals to the Bible. 

His analysis of all the issues and what has been believed was simply superb. His writing was as good as acedemic titles get. His simple, little chart on page 83 crystallized the range of thought on providence. His description of every method was fair and probing. He was a careful thinker who would have no part in reducing the discussion to merely a Calvinistic/Armenian debate. 

When he finally turned to his own explanation that he called “an open and relational account of providence”,  I simply could not go along with him. Though he offered profound points, I could not put them all together as he did. He figured that God’s love was the controlling factor in all God did until providence could be deemed as the Uncontrolling Love of God.

To my mind he missed a major point. The Lord is better described as equally the God of love and the God of holiness/justice. I believe one could arrive at a better theology of providence with that focus.

Despite disagreeing with his ultimate premise, and some lesser ones on what God could do or miracles, why do I give this volume a pretty good rating anyway? He spurred my thinking until I had to decide what I believed. I will always count such a book good and helpful. I am truly glad I read this book and have it on my shelves to refer to in the future.

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 volume tackles the tough questions, as the subtitle “Affirming Creation And Providence In An Age Of Anxiety” suggests. It is scholarly (I would guess graduate level), yet highly readable even if this is not your specialty. Dr. Highfield gives evidence of deeply thinking on everything involving these issues.

The book is in three parts: Creation, Providence, and the Problem of Evil. By the time you finish you will see that the problem of evil is where your beliefs on creation and providence are tested. I was genuinely impressed with the author’s presentation, logic, and fairness. Though he was a strong Bible believer and conservative in theology, he did not write to support one theological persuasion as much as addressing the hardest questions we Christians will ever hear or think.

Highlights include his explanation of the glory of God (pg. 111), his interaction with evolutionary biology (pg. 159), his description of reading the OT christologically (pg. 206), his phenomenal discussion of foreknowledge (pg. 226 ff), and his majestic handling of the problem of evil.

This volume will get the most prominent place on my shelves for this subject. I highly recommend it!

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.

It’s great to see this fine, inexpensive three-volume set that serves as an excellent primer to theology be now complete. (Don’t be confused as I was with this being volume 2 as the set was released in a 3-1-2 order). This set has a chance to be really helpful as size, price, and accessibility are all in its favor. I realized a long time ago that very few people are going to read a full-blown systematic theology tome.

This volume covers Creation, the Fall, and salvation. That means the doctrines of man, sin, and salvation are all covered. As for might imagine in a series that tries to teach the spectrum within believing Christianity rather than one narrow viewpoint as in most such volumes, this one is forced to address controversial Calvinism issues. The writers did a good job walking that tightrope no matter which side of the Calvinist line you fall. Clear discussion that will enable you to think your own thoughts in context are provided.

The text includes really helpful charts and graphs. Historical context about what Christians have believed in the past is exceptionally well done and clear. It really added to the value of the book. Even in the salvation section it was fascinating to read the history of thought about predestination.

I would disagree with points along the way, but the book was a winner and any Bible student would be greatly enriched by reading it.

I wholeheartedly recommend both this volume and the entire three-volume set.

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.

Volume 1

A Theology Of The Church, Revised Edition, edited by Daniel Akin and published by B & H Publishers, is a fine volume that no Baptist pastor can afford to be without. Sadly, I missed the original edition, but am glad to possess this revised edition.

This book is not so consumed with Baptist thought that it can’t on its own two feet as a quality systematic theology–it stands well. What it adds is that extra few pages in each section on how Baptists in particular have wrestled with that doctrine. I find that invaluable and something that can be found no where else.

Each chapter is written by a different Baptist theologian, and as is the common problem of such a setup, there isn’t always complete consensus. Still, that is no difficulty because the editor must have strictly enforced the notion of being kind and fair to other viewpoints, particularly other common viewpoints. There is variety in Baptist thought and this succeeds at being helpful to all. In fact, I believe even one not a Baptist would love this volume.

I must call out for special recognition the chapter by Kenneth Keathley on the Doctrine of Salvation. Since you may have guessed the possible bias, I will admit that I agree with his conclusions. Still, he so deftly defines issues and the points of debate. He confesses weaknesses in every viewpoint, including his own. He was charitable to all and I believe no matter your viewpoint you should read this chapter.

I did not read every page in reviewing this book, but took care to read enough to get a feel for what it taught. The chapter on Human Nature was another favorite. The chapter on Eschatology was less of what I expected ( he seemed to assume we started with a basic position and understood the main ones), but still gave wonderful material needed to grasp this issue in our day. Albert Mohler’s charge to the volume’s most likely users–pastors–was spot on too.

This volume is a new favorite for me.

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.