Christian Dogmatics: Reformed Theology for the Church Catholic

“With this volume, Michael Allen and Scott Swain continue their promising project of Reformed catholicity. Those of us who identify as confessional Reformed Christians should embrace their call to center our faith and life around the Scriptures yet to do so as participants in an ancient and enduring community of believers who have mined the Scriptures and confessed the faith before us. Christian Dogmatics brings together a diverse group of thoughtful and accomplished theologians who take up the editors' call for retrieval and reflect upon most of the main themes of Christian theology. Their constructive proposals embrace a variety of classical and revisionist ideas, and although no reader will embrace everything proposed herein, no one will fail to be challenged, edified, and spurred on to further study of Scripture with the help of our theological forebears.”

“An outstanding collection on Reformed dogmatics from some of the sharpest minds in the contemporary business. Insisting upon the centrality of the scriptural gospel of the Triune God for every area of Christian confession, the contributors also demonstrate how the hearing of that gospel in the company of the church catholic and Reformed presents true hope for theological renewal in today's world. This book instructs, challenges, and inspires, abundantly illustrating the privilege and delight as well as demands that attend our ongoing reckoning with the church's historic faith. Why does dogmatic reasoning continue to matter so much, and what must dogmatics seek--in the strength of God—to say if it is to speak the gospel afresh in the church and to the world? Read here, and find out.”

“Behaving for all the world as if we were living in some kind of golden age of vibrant Reformed orthodoxy, the editors have brought together a multiauthor confessional theology, with significant contributions from a range of respected scholars. This is a gift to the entire church: the solidity, maturity, resourcefulness, and sagacity of these chapters provide theologians from all confessions with a statement of Christian doctrine from an identifiably Protestant perspective. I would not have thought such a thing possible in our time, but here it is: further evidence of Reformed catholicity's helpfulness.”

“A valuable collection that interprets the central loci of Christian belief from the perspective of the classical Reformed tradition. In providing a set of resources for the wider church, the volume is characterized by lucid, patient, and temperate exposition of key themes. It reflects the dual capacity of Reformed theology to accommodate a measure of diversity while never losing sight of its catholicity.”

“This is a rich feast. In their introduction, the editors assert that 'dogmatics is the disciplined effort to have our eyes and mouths retrained by the gospel.' In Christian Dogmatics, leading theologians address core topics, offering both an important resource for such retraining and a compelling vision of what retrained eyes can see and what retrained mouths will confess. Every chapter repays careful reading and reflection.”

“This volume features a stellar lineup of established and emerging Reformed theologians who represent a range of perspectives. The contributors are united, however, in their commitment to strong historical work that leads to fruitful engagement with current debates and to rich ways forward for contemporary dogmatics.”

“If one imagines that a strong traditional rootage implies looking backward and resting on dead stereotypes, here is the refutation! If one imagines that claiming a clear confessional identity is a mark of timidity and narrow-mindedness, here is the refutation! The twelve authors of Christian Dogmatics—through the diversity of their styles and their abundant use of the fathers as well as medieval and modern masters—demonstrate the 'catholic' relevance of Reformed theology. A scholarly yet readable synthesis that both anchors and vivifies the intelligence of the Christian faith.”

“This is an important contribution to the ongoing renewal of Reformed dogmatics in the ecumenical context of our time. It should have a significant impact on current discussion and feed into the systematic reconstruction of Reformed theology that is gradually taking shape before our eyes.”

“This book is a significant contribution to Christian doctrinal theology. It covers the main loci concisely and competently in a way that makes it suitable for classroom use. I expect it to have a wide usefulness in the years ahead.”