A Reformed Systematic Theology

I was sitting in on a seminary class taught by Dr. Ligon Duncan at Reformed Theological Seminary when I heard him say something that has forever stuck with me. He said, “There is the God that is and the God that we want and the two are not the same.” He followed up with another, “There is the God that is and the God that we underline in the Bible and the two are not the same.” I knew right then and there where I would be going to seminary. I haven’t regretted that decision.
Recently I received a copy of the first of a four-volume work entitled: Reformed Systematic Theology: Revelation and God. This work digs into the first two of eight central themes of theology. It was written by Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley. Beeke is the better known of the two. He is the president and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homilectics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. Smalley is a teaching assistant to Dr. Beeke, a bivocational pastor at Grace Immanuel Reformed Baptist Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and coauthor of several other works with Dr. Beeke.
This first volume is a massive 1312 pages and covers extensively the two themes. I found it easy to read and even devotional at times. It didn’t seem to be too rigorous and difficult to follow. At the end of each chapter was a song as well as questions for meditation or discussion. To give you an opportunity to go even further, they provide questions for deeper reflection.
Probably the one thing that I enjoyed the most were the quotes from different reformed figures throughout history. The quotes flowed with the topic at hand and brought even greater enjoyment to me as I read.
I look forward to the next three volumes being released by Crossway. I appreciate so much this effort and time it must have taken to have written this. I highly recommend it to you.
I received a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Church Conflict Resolution

When you think about the fact that Jesus said that the world would hate us and that we have an enemy in Satan, it shouldn’t surprise us when conflict takes places in church and between Christians. When conflict takes place, unfortunately, what suffers is the gospel. You would certainly think that we would be expectant and prepared when this takes place. Author Michael Hare seeks to tackle this issue in his book When Church Conflict Happens: A Proven Process for Resolving Unhealthy Disagreements and Embracing Healthy Ones.
The author comes at this topic with a wealth of experiencing having served over two decades in the role of senior pastor with most of that in what would be considered turnaround ministries. What that means is that he has seen his share of church conflict and has navigated churches through conflict and to health. He has severed over 15 years a church conflict consultant.
Hare does a good job of teaching us to map out the conflict to see what is truly going on in the situation at hand. He talks about the outward signs that we should be looking for in conflict so that we can address an issue before it gets out of hand.
I especially enjoyed the chapter on spiritual gifts where he showed how different gift sets can lead to conflict if we are not aware of the possibility.
His book has plenty of interacting section where you are encouraged to come map out the conflict discussed and provide your own possible solutions to the situation at hand. The book is also filled with stories that the reader most certainly can relate to.
Do I think that this book would be helpful to a pastor or church leader? Most certainly. To take the time to dissect what is truly going on in a situation and how to best overcome it, is time well spent. As the author points out, the church and personal relationships can grow stronger by going through the process.
It took me a while to read this book because of recent personal pain that I’ve gone through in my own life. I wished that I had a copy of it sooner. I feel a pastor and church leader must be prepared because of the warnings that Christ Himself has put forth.
The book is a 249 page read and is published by Moody Publishers.
I received a copy of this book for an honest review.