Customer Reviews

Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism

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4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
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Joel Beeke says, "The target audience for this book is laypeople and ministers who are interested in learning the basics of Calvinism. I hope it also will serve as a stimulating summary and refresher course for those who are already avid Calvinists, much as Steven J. Lawson's The Expository Genius of John Calvin from Reformation Trust excites those of us who are already familiar with much of its content. I have worked hard to keep this book simple, clear, and non-technical, in the hope that you might hand it to others to help them understand how you think as a Calvinist."

I felt this was the case except the chapter on philosophy can be a more difficult read for those of us not well versed on the subject.

While the book John Calvin - A Heart for Devotion Doctrine & Doxology, also from Reformation Trust is about John Calvin himself and a brief introduction to his theology, this book is less about Calvin himself and more about Calvinism from the beginnings of the Reformation through the time of the Puritans both in Europe and after they arrived in the U.S. It's a bit longer and more thorough than the previous mentioned book but is still introductory.

Included in this history are the Reformed canons, confessions, catechisms. There is a lengthy treatment of these documents which may be of interest to some who are unfamiliar with their content and origins.

Other notable figures from Martin Luther (including an explanation of the differences between Lutheranism and Calvinism) to Jonathan Edwards are mentioned in the book.

Although the acronym TULIP wasn't developed until the 1900's, the Canons of Dort contain a response to the Remonstrance of 1610, a response to Calvinism by forty-three of Arminius' followers. This is covered quite a bit in the book. Therefore, this book isn't an objective look at Calvinism as compared to other areas of theology and Arminianism is talked about negatively and even called "heretical" (or at least what Arminius' followers had to say) which I think is going too far. Just when I thought there may have been too much time spent refuting Arminian theology, the book moved on from there.

The book doesn't dwell too much on TULIP though, as Calvinism is much more than that:

"It is important to note that the five points do not summarize all of Calvinism; that would be a truncated view of the Reformed faith. One of the aims of this book is to show the panoramic grandeur of the Reformed faith's worldview."

The book also covers the popular 5 Solas-Scripture alone (sola Scriptura), grace alone (sola gratia), faith alone (sola fide), Christ alone (solus Christus), and the glory of God alone (soli Deo gloria).

A couple of ancillary benefits to this book are the extensive citations and bibliographies at the end of each chapter and an introduction to the history and theology of the Puritans who carried on the Reformed tradition.

Other than listing some of the current denominations that are Reformed, I would like to have seen the history go even farther-past the Puritan era-but that may have been beyond the size and scope of the book.

This book is very readable, enjoyable and educational. I highly recommend it.

I'm ambivalent about this book. I'll put what I like first, then what I didn't like.

WHAT I LIKE

Joel Beeke's intention with this book is to present a full scale overview of the Reformed faith: her history, her theology, her philosophy, and her practice (worship, family life, work ethic). This is a great idea, and much of the peripheral material was well done, such as the first two chapters on history and the confessions. Beeke enlists a few other writers for some excellent (though very brief) chapters, such as Ray Lanning on worship, Robert Oliver on preaching, and Ray Pennings on practical theology. Pennings' three chapters were especially well-done. So, the thing I like most about the book is the breadth of material covered. Also, as a minor point, I highly appreciate the craftsmanship of the book: the binding, the typeface, the font size, the paper, the design of the cover -- all excellent!

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE

The bulk of the book is written by Beeke, and I have to say that I'm not a fan of his style. He is competent in his knowledge of the material covered, but it is less than cohesive or flowing. The reading is "jumpy," largely because it reads like a series of quotations. There is no doubt that Beeke is well-read, but unfortunately he is too anxious to quote EVERY quote that he likes on any given matter. The quotes are often good, but they rarely serve to illumine the issues with any greater depth. It come across like a string of platitudes -- nice sounding but largely ornamental. As a result, the sections on soteriology and piety are quite tedious, and this is the bulk of the book and the most important parts. There are better places to go for an introduction to this material. Off hand, I would sooner recommend Boice's The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel or Hoekema's Saved by Grace for soteriology or anything by John Piper for piety.

I was also highly disappointed by the chapter on philosophy by James Grier. I don't think Dr. Grier had a clear idea of what he wanted to accomplish with the chapter. It was very, very basic -- far too basic, even for an introduction (yet, curiously, a lot of philosophical terms are undefined). Grier's entire thesis is that Calvinist philosophy is governed by Scripture, thus metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics all require attention to the God of Scripture and His will. This is all well and good, but Grier completely avoids any of the issues that have made Calvinist philosophy unique from, for example, Roman Catholic Thomism. There is nothing about natural theology or the use of evidences. I didn't expect a full scale treatment of Van Til, Brunner, or Barth, but I did expect at least some cursory acknowledgment of the issues. You won't find it here. Reformed theology's relationship to classical philosophy is an important issue, and it has shaped most of the important debates in Reformed theology for the last century (and it continues unabated). Unfortunately, the reader of Grier's essay would not know this.

So, I have to say that I probably won't be recommending this book to anyone as an introduction to Calvinism. There's better stuff out there, just not in one book. I would only recommend it to someone who is already fairly well-read and wants to cover their bases (and perhaps be introduced to some areas that he may not be familiar with). Like I said, some of the essays are good -- good enough for me to rate the book at three stars instead of two.

Dr. Beeke does an excellent job showing the historical- and more still the biblical- roots of Calvinistic theology, worship, and community. The chapters written by his contributors blend well into the general book, and the whole work presents a glorious picture of the Christian's life as lived for God's glory. I would use this book to teach basic Christian spirituality, as well as distinctive Calvinist dogma.

Overview:

The book is quite a lenghty one, coming in at 416 pages. It is divided up into six sections: The history of Calvinism (1), Calvinism in the Mind (2), the heart (3), the church (4), in practice (5), and Calvinism's Goals (6). Joel Beeke is a prolific author who has written or coauthored fifty books, and contributed to 1500 journal, dictionary and book articles. While he is the books main author there are contributions from 8 other theologians.

What I liked:

Quite often we divorce the reformers from their historical setting. Without knowing the history we are prone to think that the reformers were intolerant and narrow minded. Beeke does a great job here. He highlights some of the key abuses the reformers were reacting against. When viewed in this light many of their I had no idea that the five solas of the protestant reformation were formed in opposition to five key teachings of the Roman Catholic church. For example, Sola Scriptura as opposed to Scripture and Tradtion. The short discussion on the differences between Lutheranism and Calvinism was quite helpful. Beeke offers an excellent exposition of the five points of Calvinism and offers some great quotes: "Original sin is in us like our beard. We are shaved today and look clean; tomorrow our beard has grown again, nor does it cease growing while we remain on earth." (page 54) and "...we are active "sin-aholics" by nature." (page 55).

Grier's chapter on Phiosophical Calvinism was interesting. He highlighted some important points in the area of metaphysics, epistemology and ethics. Scripture is the key to understanding the nature of reality (page 152). God is the source of all knowledge and thus we only things when God makes them known to us (page 153). Divine command is the essence of mans moral obligation (page 156).

Too often reformed theology books stop at the five points. While they are not be depricated they do not represent the sum total of Gospel truth. Sections three through six demonstrate that quite clearly. Calvinism results in God honouring piety by means of the believers union with Christ by the Holy Spirit. What Calvin meant by piety was quite different to what it means today. He said that true piety "consists in a sincere feeling which loves God as Father as much as it fears and reverences Him as Lord, embraces His righteousness, and dreads offending Him worse than death" (page 174). Calvinism is often thought of as a hinderance to evangelism, but ironically it gave Calvin and the Puritans some hope of success. They were to preach the Gospel to every person, in every town because God has his elect everywhere.

But what I liked most about this book was that it showed that Calvinism is a God honouring, biblically faithfull system of theology that affects all areas of life. It is practical and It satisfies the mind. It aids the church, while it truly relies on God's power for its strength. It is Christ centred. We can't ask for much more in a theological system.

What I didn't like:

The chapter on the confessions was quite boring. This section would be helpful to someone interested in the history of their confessional church, but seeing as I go to an independent church, it bears little relevance. The book suffers from an over reliance on confessions and creeds. While they should not be depricated, a greater focus on scripture is what the book needed. In fact if you cut out the references and expositions of the confessions the book could have been shortened quite a bit. I didn't enjoy the chapter on Church government. To someone interested the history of their denomination the Chapter would have been helpful. But living in a post denominational era one has to wonder why we bother flogging a dead horse?

But something that troubled me was the consistent view that Arminians were the enemy. They were the "heretical" sect leading people astray. Fortunately Arminians, however misguided they may be theologically, are not the enemy. I'm willing to bet that most Arminian's would affirm and agree with Calvinists on the essentials of the Christian faith. There was also too much of an emphasis on the Limited atonement. My feelings on this doctrine is that it lacks practical value, and would cause more confusion than anything else.

Conclusion and Reccomendation:

Whenever someone says "I'm a Calvinist", "I'm an Arminian" or "I'm a this or that Christian" I'm reminded of Paul's opening remarks in his letter to the Corinthians. "I am of Appollos ! I am on Paul...Is Christ divided?" Spurgeon wrote, in his defence of Calvinism, that everyone is born an Arminian and that God opens our eyes to the truth of his word. While we can reason the truths of reformed theology from scripture, our acceptance of them comes by divine revelation of the Holy Spirit within us. Something the reformed camp would do well to remember.

The diversity of material presented in the book makes it difficult to sum it up without writing a book length review. The ideas of both camps were presented in a largely irenic fashion (I say that with some reservations above). People need to be taught good doctrine. It gives them a solid grounding in the Christian faith. I know from personal experience. Too many introductions to reformed theology stop at the five points, as if they convey the entire Gospel truth. Beeke does a great job at taking this further than most introductions would.

I would like to thank Reformation Trust for providing this review copy.

Joel Beeke is president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He is author of a number of books including Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible, The Family at Church, Meet the Puritans, Puritan Reformed Spirituality, and Taking Hold of God: Reformed and Puritan Perspectives on Prayer.

The terms `Reformed' and `Calvinism' have about as many definitions these days as they do definers. Living for God's Glory aims to help change that by providing the reader an introduction to the Reformed and Calvinsitic traditions. In addition to the majority of chapters being written by Beeke, there are also contributions from Sinclair Ferguson, James Grieg, Michael Haykin, Nelson Kloosterman, Ray Lanning, Robert Oliver, Ray Pennings and Derek Thomas.

The first section explains the origin of the Reformed tradition in the 16th century Reformation and the confessions ans catechisms that followed. The second section then proceeds, and is much longer and more detailed. This section explains the basic theology of Calvinism including a concentration on the doctrine of God, and the five TULIP points, the five Reformation Solas and philosophy in the Reformed tradition. This section is obviously the most controversial of all, but it does quite a good job of clearly explaining the issues and the Reformed traditions. There are times in this section when other traditions are not represented as well as possible and at times the rhetoric is a bit strong. The 12th-15th chapters deal mostly with the doctrine of sanctification, with an emphasis on Puritan thought.

The remaining sections, in my opinion are the best part of this book. Most people outside the Reformed tradition know most of the theological issues involved in Reformed theology, but most are unaware of much of the rich practice that takes place within Reformed churches. Here Lanning offers a good explanation of the Reformed approach to worship, Oliver also has a good discussion of Reformed preaching. Beeke follows up with two great chapters on evangelism from Calvin and the Puritans. My favorite chapters were in the final section where the chapters on family worship and theology are excellent from Beeke. The final chapter from Ferguson explains the telos of Reformed theology as geared ultimately toward the glory of God.

The strength of this volume is the fact that a number of theologians who are steeped in the theology and history of the Reformed tradition offer a comprehensive introduction to the teachings and practice of the Reformation tradition. This means that you get the story straight from the horse's mouth from Godly men with a lifetime of experience and scholarship. However, this also leads to the volumes biggest weakness, it's occasional misrepresentation of non-Reformed theology and practice. While it is understandable to have such a position in a monolithic text such as this, having another editor from outside the tradition might have been helpful. This is something I would suggest for any book that sought to present the position of one tradition. However, as a whole, this text is excellent and anyone interested in learning more about the Reformed tradition should use this resource.

A few years ago if you were to ask me what Calvinism was I would have been able to connect it to TULIP but it would be unlikely for me to be able to identify each point for you. Not only that but my upbringing educated me concerning Calvinism to believe that God doesn't love the world and there is no need to evangelize. These were the faulty beliefs tacked on to the word Calvinism.
However, I began to see things differently as I entered college and started to read things on my own. I soon learned what the five points are and how they really aren't such a bad thing. Eventually, I became so enamored with the heart behind Calvinism and the logical ideals that I took on the Reformed faith.
What broke me was the God exalting view of the Reformers. I didn't love God like the people I was writing did, and there wasn't any other system that was dedicated to seeking the face of God like the Reformed faith did.
I found this to be very true:
"As Calvinists, we are enamored with God. We are overwhelmed by His majesty, His beauty, His holiness, and His grace. We seek His glory, desire His presence, and model our lives after Him." (pg. 42)
But until recently Calvinism and the Reformed faith to me was still the "five points."
I began to see that my beliefs changed everything about my life. Calvinism impacted all of my decisions. It changed my view of why I work, it changed my view of worship, my relationship with my wife, or even how I will raise and instruct by baby daughter.
Calvinism suddenly became so much more than the five points of Calvinism. It became a dramatic shift in how I lived my life.
Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism by Joel Beeke seeks to give instruction to men like me who have seen the radical theocentric vision of Calvinism and are not sure yet of just how this is supposed to look like in a life.
Beeke begins the book by providing some very interesting information on church history concerning different creeds. His point in doing this is to squash the mistaken ideal that all Calvinism is, is five points. I found the creedal section of the book very informative. Creeds discussed were the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Second Helvetic Confession, the Canons of Dort, the Westminster Standards, and the Calvinistic Baptist confessions. I found the information provided to be very helpful and informative.
Beeke then moves on to discuss the singular focus of Calvinism- God. He argues that this separates Calvinism from every other religious system. I would cite that as the reason for my own deep affections for the Reformed faith.
Beeke states the thesis of Calvinism and then moves on to overview and defend each of the points of TULIP.
Concerning total depravity:

"My dear unsaved friend, you are a "sin-aholic." You are a slave this very hour, a slave in your bed tonight--even when you pray. And you will be a slave until God's almighty power raises you from spiritual death, opens your blind eyes, unstops your deaf ears, and breaks the chains of depravity that enwrap you. And even then, until your last breath, you will battle against your addiction to sin, for we remain recovering sin-aholics to the end (Rom. 7:24)." (pg. 56)

I agree with Beeke's insightful examination of total depravity and found the above paragraph to be especially piercing (although I am not sure if "enwrap" is a word.)

Beeke does an excellent job of examining and defending each point of TULIP. These few chapters would be an excellent source while in a Systematic Theology class concerning soteriology. The chapters are full of examples and illustrations.

The next step for Beeke after outlining and defending TULIP was to move on to the foundational points of Calvinism which are Sola Scriptura, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria. He presents these points then defends them against their rival systems.

The next movement in Living for God's glory was the most interesting part of the whole book for me. Beeke began to examine the practical outworking of Calvinism in the life of a believer. The second part of the book was titled "Cultivating the Heart." This part sought to provide the actions that must be associated with Calvinistic thought. Many practical helps were contained in these few chapters.

The final movement for Living for God's glory concerned Calvinism and the Church. Topics presented were ecclesiastical concerns, missions, preaching, and evangelism.

Weaknesses of the Text:

Joel Beeke proves himself to be a very well researched writer. However, a weakness with having such a good grasp concerning other references is an overabundance of quotations. The quotations were pertinent and insightful, but a well placed quotation can draw me deeper into the text, whereas an over abundance of quotations can cause me to lose focus of what the writer himself is trying to get across.

Conclusion:

This was an excellent read. If I can define how it reads it is like a systematic theology on Calvinism. Very academic, well written, and inspiring.
Excellent addition for a believer's library.

In this book Living for Gods glory you are given a lot more than in some of the other books on calvinism. i personally feel that the title and introduction to calvinism is a misleading but only do to my previousl experience. This book unlike others i have read gave more history. While it gave me an understanding of the doctrine it also gave me some insight into the reformation and the development of various views throughout history, namely luther and calvin. This book is a very good read but not one to just read through. It contains both the doctrine but the heart of the reformers and those that have come through this theology. It challenged many assumptions and causes you to think about where those assumptions lead. Often we are unaware of the implications. I highly recommend this book bu warn you. It is a book to read slow otherwords you will miss much.

Calvinism. In the circles that I've grown up in, to say that name brings a measure of concern to most people. It's as if a popular not-quite-heresy has just been named. Or as if someone has just desired to kill all decent conversation just by saying the word. This rubbed off on me for many years, until such a time that I began to understand more thoroughly the doctrines of grace.

The interesting thing is that so many who think they know what Calvinism is simply don't have any clue. Maybe a preacher has caricatured the doctrines commonly referred to as "Calvinistic" as being deadening to someone's spiritual life. Or an individual or group of individuals has sown division among Christian believers, all while claiming the name "Calvinism." Or a man has burst out in frustration, telling a friend that God just is playing a "game" and that such a God could never be loving just ordering around robots. The list goes on and on.

But is this really Calvinism? Or do some Calvinists exemplify humility? Is it all erudite theological sophistication? Or do some of those who call themselves Calvinists have a passion to see the lost saved? Are they all undermined by their theology, and just "aren't being true" to what they believe? It appears not to be so. Two springs ago, TIME Magazine came out a this cover story where they declared that the "New Calvinism" was one of the major factors shaping the world today. Each of the three men mentioned as spearheading this resurgance (John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Al Mohler) have an evangelistic zeal that is entrenched in the reality of God's sovereignty.

I've benefitted greatly from each of their ministries, and especially in the case of Piper, I learned to believe not all caricatures are true. In continuing to read the Scriptures, I myself have come to espouse the soteriological (i.e. salvation) side of Calvinism. God gets all the credit for saving a sinner, but those who reject Him get all the blame. This is my cry in evangelism, along with many of my Calvinistic brothers.

So, in picking up this book on Calvinism, I was looking for what might properly represent the beliefs and attitudes of the better side of Calvinism. And I found it in abundance. I've not been familiar with Joel Beeke's writings or preaching prior to reading Living For God's Glory, but what I've read leaves me impressed. He's fairly precise in his language, and not as much a wordsmith as some, but he conveys with passion what the truths of Scripture are that Calvinism trumpets, with little of the excess mentioned above.

Observations:

1) Beeke doesn't just write about theological Calvinism; he writes about Calvinism as a worldview. Or, to phrase it another way, what a Christian's worldview would look like if God was considered sovereign in every area of life. As such, there is something here for everyone, it seems. Philosophy, history, ethics, practical issues... just about every area is touched on and examined from a Calvinistic point-of-view.

2) He doesn't write as a strict Presbyterian. There is much here for Reformed Baptists, too, and the inclusion of the discussion concerning historic Reformed roots is enlightening for the uninformed. Having taken a few courses on church history here, and studying on my own, it's surprising for many to find how Calvinistic our Baptist roots are. To be a Baptist at one point in history meant almost without exception to be a Calvinist.

That being said, I would like to see how Calvinistic theology affects the different strains of Christian thought when it comes to Baptism. The idea is scarely mentioned throughout the pages of the book, and I wonder if (considering the thoroughness of the book overall) if Beeke didn't write about it to keep his reading base as wide as possible.

3) He includes a large section at the end about the Puritans, the English Calvinists who many consider to exemplify the best of what came out of the Reformation. Beeke and others take us through the effect that Calvinism had on the family, the political world, and the work force with great personal anecdotes from the lives of those who were there, living it out.

4) All of the five points are examined in great detail, and it is rightly discerned that Calvinism (and I would argue Christianity as a whole) has claims upon one's mind before it has claims upon one's affections or will. The arguments against each point are examined and dealt with both from Scripture and from systematic theology. For instance, the different arguments for or against Limited Atonement (the doctrine that Christ died for only some) are examined in the light of Scripture, and the breadth of the Calvinistic positions are at least mentioned.

One thing to note is that the infralapsarian/supralapsarian debate that is common among Calvinists isn't mentioned at all here. I would have liked to have seen a clarification of these two positions, as well as Beeke's own thoughts on the matter.

5) In doing all of this, Beeke makes it abundantly, thoroughly clear that there aren't three options in salvific history. You don't have Arminianism vs. Calvinism vs. Biblicism. There is an Arminian way of looking at it: man chooses God which results in God choosing man, or a Calvinistic way of looking at it: God chooses man which results in man choosing God. The myth of the "Biblicist" position is abundantly clear after reading through these pages; I'm grateful for the clarification.

There are ways to transcend the sometimes petty bickering that marks Calvinist/Arminian debates (note that I did not say all the time... some of that is more than bickering, and is needed!), but claiming a third option as if the other two sides weren't trying to be Biblical is really a cop out. It's sad that positions on salvation are now characterized by their most popular proponants (John Calvin and Jacob Arminius), but it doesn't detract from the fact that throughout the history of Christendom that there have only been two ways of looking at salvation. There are degrees of gray in between, but they fall in one of two camps ultimately.

Problems:

I would detract one star for one thing that I am very wary of: the trumpeting of men in place of Scripture. Earlier in the book, I thought Beeke was doing this as he exalted how the Reformers did certain things. I very much got a "because so-and-so did it, we should too" vibe numerous times. Regardless of whether or not this is able to be corrobrated, I'm very much on guard for this. He does a good job of making Scripture king, but sometimes lapses into exalting men without consideration to Scripture. A contributor writing later in the book directly disavows any attempt to do this, and makes a deliberate swing from mentioning the Reformer's practice to what Scripture has to say about the matter. It was refreshing, to say the least.

Calvinism has its excesses, and its not for no reason that it is so often caricatured. But if you want to understand what Calvinists really believe, I suggest you pick up a book like this and keep a Bible nearby to see the truths of the Scripture.

'His sovereignty declared Him to be God, the incomprehensible Trinity who is nevertheless knowable insofar as He chooses to reveal Himself to us.' p 39

With the commemoration of Calvin's 500th birthday, a number of goodly volumes have seen the light, but none has sought to move heaven and earth, for God's glory, as this particular volume. To increase the harvest, the workers need be pulled in, in a biblical manner of speaking. The yield of Calvinism has indeed proved itself a hundredfold, and the contributors share in the awesome responsibility to recall afresh the wisdom of the man through his writings, the piety through his passion for Christ, the proofs through his simplicity of life, the love for his assembly through unceasing prayer. The plainness of Calvin's devotion to Christ marks the road less travelled on, though frequent markers placed by Calvin assures the reader that with Spurgeon we can quietly rejoice, 'God's choice makes chosen men choice men.'

Beeke identifies the need of the hour: 'We must first ask, who are the saints? Many would say they are people who have been baptized or have made decisions for Christ at evangelistic camp meetings. However, Scripture and Reformed confessions define saints as those 'whom God calls, according to His purpose, to the communion of His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and regenerates by the Holy Spirit' (Canons of the Synod of Dort, Head v, Art. 1) and as 'they whom God hath accepted in His Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by His Spirit' (WCF, 17.1).' p 116 As the barren fig tree that would not bear fruit, the reprobate cannot show the growth visibly attendant in the lives of the elect. In shaping their evangelism, the Reformed have always shown their dependence on the apostolic model, in both its teaching and its practice: 'Along with other Reformers, Calvin taught evangelism in a general way by earnestly proclaiming the gospel and by reforming the church according to biblical requirements.' p 276 The Puritans excelled in their rousing appeals to the common people through a thorough use of the means of grace, as 'evangelism was a Word-centered task of the church, particularly of her ministers. They were truly 'fishers of men', seeking to awaken the unconverted to their need of Christ, to lead them to faith and repentance, and to establish them in a lifestyle of sanctification.' p 290

Consumed by a need to live coram Deo, or biblically-experientially, much of the work in 'Living For God's Glory' hinges on the experience of faith that all believers must look for in dependence upon Christ, for only then can we be in one accord with John Calvin: 'All our progress and perseverance are from God.' In a chapter devoted entirely to experiential preaching, Joel Beeke states the need for such a style of comprehensive preaching in our age: 'It aims to apply divine truth to the whole range of the believer's personal experience, including his relationships with his family, the church, and the world around him. In other words, it addresses the entire range of Christian living, focusing heavily on a believer's spiritual well-being and maturity. With the Spirit's blessing, the mission of such preaching is to transform the believer in all that he is and does to become more and more like the Savior.' p 256

Reflecting on the multitude of challenges and the ferocity of changes forced upon the church militant, re-enforcing the message of old and its delivery remains as the only ordained means in bringing the sheep into Christ's fold: 'In 1 Cor 2:10-16 Paul says that good exegesis is spiritual. Experiential preaching does not minimize these aspects of interpretation, but neither is it content with them. The Word must be applied spiritually. Specifically, such preaching teaches that Christ, the Living Word and the very embodiment of the truth, must be experientially known and embraced. It proclaims the need for sinners to experience who God is in His Son.' pp. 257-258

'By far the most culpable contortion of passages of Scripture out of their natural meaning and connection is found in the history of those theological schools whose pulpits have rejected the doctrines of sin and grace, and were forced to find substitutes for these in semi-religious or wholly secular themes.' WGT Shedd, Homiletics & Pastoral Theology p 150

Professor Beeke reveals the connection in the 'call' to extraordinary obedience, and God simultaneously acting upon the minister's heart by His Spirit: 'Scripture says that there should be no disparity between the heart, character, and life of a man who is called to proclaim God's Word, and the content of his message. There must be no disjunction between their calling and living, their confession and practice. Their preaching must shape their lives, and their lives must adorn their preaching. Ministers must be what they preach, not only applying themselves to their texts but applying their texts to themselves. Their hearts must be transcripts of their sermons.' p 270 It was said of William Perkins, the father of Puritanism, that 'As his preaching was a comment on his text, so his practice was a comment on his preaching.'

Beeke justifiably commends the spiritual empowerment needed by the humble shepherd of God's flock who applies the Word faithfully and well to his hearers' hearts, not to his own gain or glory: 'Therefore, a true Calvinistic preacher must be 'determined not to know any thing...save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified' (1 Cor 2:2).' p 258

Calvinism, you say? What is that exactly?

People have varying reactions to hearing the term Calvinism. There are many strong opinions for and against the Calvinist perspective on the teaching of the Bible. Yet with the strength of opinion, and perhaps because of it, Calvinism is often misunderstood and misrepresented.

Whether or not you identify as a Calvinist, Joel Beeke does a terrific job in presenting the tenants of this Reformation era theology. In the first section he takes us chapter by chapter through TULIP, an easy way to remember the basics.

What I found most helpful was the second half, which is a real life perspective of people who lived as the first Calvinists: Puritans. These 15th century Christians are often regarded to see how the teachings of John Calvin impacted how people lived everyday life. Beeke takes us through the family structure of a typical Puritan household along with how the faith was taught and practiced.

Do not be intimidated. At first glance this book with its more than 400 pages looks too large to tackle. However, Beeke uses accessible language and strong biblical support to present a basic look at what Calvinism is and the assurance of living in light of God's sovereignty and for God's glory.

[LEGAL: copy of the book was provided as compensation for this review by the publisher]