Tags
Arminianism, Bible, Calvinism, Christianity, Doctrines of Grace, God, Grace, Irresistible Grace, James Montgomery Boice, Jesus Christ, Limited Atonement, Perseverance of the Saints, Philip Graham Ryken, Reformed Theology, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Theology, Total Depravity, Unconditional Election
I’ve read a fair number of books by Christian authors on a wide range of topics in the areas of theology, bibliology and Christian living. Most of the books I’ve read I would recommend to friends, family and seekers. But every now and then I come across a book that I feel is a ‘timeless’ classic. The book The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel (Crossway Books, 2002) is one of those books. This book was written by the late James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken. Mr. Boice was senior minister of the historic Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia until his death in June of 2000 and Mr. Ryken is his successor. Both Boice and Ryken are outspoken proponents of the Reformed faith.
The book is moderate in length for a non-fiction book (226 pages) and consists of nine chapters broken down into three sections with end notes, a general index and a Scripture index. The foreword of the book was written by none other than R.C. Sproul, today’s preeminent Reformed theologian. The book is written in a polemical style in which Boice and Ryken present the Reformed Doctrines of Grace and the key component in rediscovering the Evangelical gospel.
The Doctrines of Grace are the classic five points of Calvinism: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints (TULIP for short). The first section of the book discusses the Doctrines of Grace in general. Chapter one sets the stage for the rest of the book by presenting the argument for Calvinism and why today’s Evangelical church needs to return to its historic Protestant roots. The authors talk about today’s false gospel in which many churches have become worldly. By “worldly,” the authors are saying that we live in an age that is weak on doctrine and light on morality. As Boice and Ryken put it, “Our knowledge is insufficient, our worship is irreverent, and our lives are immoral” (p. 20); the modern church is losing its grip on the gospel. Their argument is that the gospel is lost because we are losing our sense of the Doctrines of Grace (i.e., Calvinism). In its place is a growing trend toward Arminian thinking (in contradistinction to Calvinism, Arminianism is the belief that God is not sovereign in salvation and that man plays a crucial role in his salvation). The authors write, “This results in a theology that is not exclusively God-centered but is distorted in the direction of the self” (p. 28).
Chapter two (“What Calvinism Does in History”) presents a historical survey of how Calvinism has been applied in real world settings and the benefits — both to the church and to society — that have come as a result of living out Calvinism. The survey begins with Calvin’s Geneva. Calvin’s preaching had a tremendous influence in the city of Geneva during his time there. Next the authors turn their attention to the early Puritans whose goal in life was to glorify and enjoy God. They wanted to glorify God in everything they did, and that filtered into their daily lives, not just on Sundays. The Puritans were famous for living out the so-called Protestant work ethic; they had a high view of vocation that incorporated the secular as well as the sacred. The next segment of history was the Puritan influence in America that led to the Great Awakening of the early 18th century. Theologians such as Jonathan Edwards were very influential during this period. Edwards was a strong proponent of Total Depravity, and his preaching led to a great revival and emphasis on personal piety. The final period of history discussed is Holland during the time of Abraham Kuyper. Kuyper introduced Calvinism as an entire worldview that encompassed a “public theology to rival secular culture.” Kuyper founded two newspapers, a university, a political party and a denomination. He believed strongly that the Christian worldview (as seen through Calvinistic lenses) should inform all areas of life. The authors conclude chapter two with a section called “From Calvinism to Liberalism.” This section highlights what happens when people begin to neglect the Doctrines of Grace. The inevitable slide from Calvinism to Arminianism to Liberalism and then to Atheism is born out in all four examples given. They write, “When divine sovereignty is pushed aside to make room for human ability, a theological dislocation occurs that inevitably leads to the abandonment of orthodoxy” (p. 58).
Chapters three through seven comprise section two of the book, which looks at each of the five points of Calvinism in great detail. Boice and Ryken, instead of using the classical names for each of the five points (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints) they alter the language somewhat to clarify what each of these points mean. Total Depravity become Radical Depravity, Unconditional Election remains unchanged, Limited Atonement becomes Particular Redemption, Irresistible Grace becomes Efficacious Grace and Perseverance of the Saints becomes Persevering Grace. The authors explain these changes in each respective chapter. As a personal note, one of the doctrines that has always tripped me up was Limited Atonement (Particular Redemption). For the longest time, I could not reconcile this doctrine with the Bible in a way that satisfied me. As such, I would classify myself as a 4-Point Calvinist (as many others do). However, Boice and Ryken explain this doctrine in such a way that I am now comfortable in claiming to be a full 5-Point Calvinist.
The book closes out with section three, Rediscovering God’s Grace. This section, comprised of two chapters, looks a Calvinism’s practical outworking in both the individual and in society. Far from being an intellectual exercise, this book bring Calvinism home and puts ‘shoe leather’ to the doctrine.
I know this phrase has become cliche and tired, but this book is a must read. If you’re wondering what Calvinism is all about, this book is for you. If you’re not convinced of Calvinism as a Biblical theology, this book is for you. If you’re wondering what the depths of God’s grace are, this book it for you. If you’re a Christian who is concerned with the gospel, this book is for you! Bottom line: READ THIS BOOK! I cannot recommend this book too highly (5 out of 5 stars).
have you ever consider that it is a wrong starting point that got people into the present mess?
and when everything around fails, you go back to the starting pt?
In theory, that is always a possibility, but you’re going to have to demonstrate that this is so in this specific case (which I don’t believe it is). The story of socialism/communism is a good example of your theory. It doesn’t seem to matter that socialism/communism has been an abysmal failure every time it is tried, but we still have those in America who want to implement it here. The starting premise of socialism/communism is false and always leads to wrong conclusions. However, in the history of Christianity, the gospel of grace is the central message, and from time to time the church has strayed from that central message into error (whether small or gross). The corrective is to always go back to the central message of the gospel of grace.
fair enough. i know it will have to take quite a lot to put up a case against your postulation but i am not driven at this point to do just that
socialism/communism do not share the same fundamentals with capitalism as such, i do not believe it supports my “theory”.
in the case of christianity, the church started off with “grace and faith” and look happen after 2000 years? in between the church history, there were full of blood shed( even to this day) and since then, it has degenerated to the worship and service of mammon.
my personal take is that the church has gotten the kingdom message all wrong.
let’s watch and see who is right.
I wouldn’t necessarily disagree that the church has gotten the kingdom message wrong. My question to you would be where do you think the church has it wrong and what is your corrective?