Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Predominately Outstanding Treatment of Biblical Anthropology, August 24, 2003
Allow me to say up front that as a great admirer of Machen, I don't believe that this particular book was his best. Because it is a compilation of a series of 'talks' delivered via radio during the 1930s, the consolidated written form does not read as well as a manuscript written specifically for a reading audience, rather than a listening audience. But the actual content of what Machen discusses here is outstanding and like much of his published material from decades past, is in desperate need of being heard today.Because this book is a compilation of timed radio talks, each chapter of the book is short, about 10 pages each. As is typical of Machen, even in a book like this that purports to discuss the Christian view of man, Machen devotes many of the early chapters to discussing God rather than man. Machen held a great resentment, properly so, of theologies and worldviews that glorified man which masqueraded as products of the Christian tradition. As such, even in a discussion about man, Machen very deliberately makes God the focus, particularly in the early chapters. It is here that the nature of God is discussed, along with His decrees and His attributes, particularly where the creation in general and man in particular is concerned. In a discussion about man, the reader might think early on that Machen is not really dealing with the stated focus of the book, but he is as is seen by the later chapters. It is in the last 7 chapters in particular where this book really becomes riveting, in my view. Machen's discussion of creation and the fall is very good. His treatment of original sin and its relationship to human responsibility is impeccable. His related critiques of Pelagianism, in all its forms, is devastating. Machen presents a very compelling case for the inability of man and the grace of God that intervenes in man's hopeless natural condition. As I said at the beginning, this book, while excellent, is not his best or most important contribution. While Machen was obviously interested greatly in matters of theological purity, he also was a student of culture and current events. As a result, these talks touched upon a number of cultural issues that were current at that time and there are points in this book where Machen devotes considerable ink to discussing societal issues rather than strictly theological issues. While some of the societal issues discussed here are still pertinent today, the reader may at times sense that the book is at least somewhat dated in these areas, and I confess that some of those discussions seemed at least somewhat off topic, though I certainly acknowledge that my assertion here is debatable. But in conclusion, this book still provides a much needed antidote to the man-exalting theologies that pack many pews in the American church today. Machen counters this trend with a solidly Biblical argument that confesses that it, like many faithfully Biblical arguments, will not win many popularity contests even among Christians. An important read on the nature of man and what that means relative to our relationship to God.
|
|
|
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent primer, April 10, 2004
1. Nice little books of radio messages. Short, simple, basic.2. Also reflects Machen's catechetical background (The glorious "Westminster Little Catechism"). He learned it word-perfect by age 12. It shows. In this respect, Machen refelcts a more intelligent time period, when parents catechetized their children. Kudos to Machen's parents. His pedigree shaped by parental industry and love is demonstrated, methinks with little effort. 3. A good brief on overall anthropological issues. 4. For the seminarian, however, one needs the weightier works (although Machen could "surely hang with the heavy-weights). As radio lectures, this was for the public. 5. Worth having on the shelf after buying 25-30 of the heavy-weights.
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
God's Creation, God's Power, God's Knowledge, November 30, 2007
God is in control. God is sovereign and the creator of the universe. God sustains His creation and is active in His creation, whether he chooses to use ordinary or extraordinary means (miracles).God is omniscience. God knew before the creation everything what was to be and all the alternatives. God is the same today, tomorrow, and yesterday. God is immutable. God does not change; Man changes constantly. God is self existent; Man is a created being. Man has a body, soul, and is created in God's image. The author of the book makes a distinction that man is made not created since God brought man into being from dust not exnihilo. Man was brought into existence through extraordinary means, but not created as the universe was. The dust was created, man was made. Substance started to exist when God created the universe. Man is dependent on God. God is self existent and self sustaining. God is spirit; Man is body and soul. J. Gresham Machen does not accept the theology that man is body, soul, and spirit. When Spirit is mentioned in the New Testament it is referring to the Holy Spirit- not man's spirit. The author also goes into a detail discussion about the brain, mind, and soul. A distinction is made between the physical means of thought and the thought of man constructed through the soul. The mind is part of the soul not the body. The theme of this book is about the distinction between God's perspective and being as compared to and in relationship to man's perspective and being. God is sovereign because he is all powerful and all knowing while man is neither. Calvinistic view of predestination is defended and a major factor in this book. This are written transcripts of messages given by J. Gresham Machen, but I thought it was a well written and organized work on topic.
|
|
|
|
by J. Gresham Machen
by J. Gresham Machen
by Stephen J. Nichols
by J Gresham Machen
See all 17 books citing this book
