Systematic Theology (Volume 1): Grounded in Holy Scripture and Understood in Light of the Church (Systematic Theology (Mentor)) (v. 1) (Hardcover)

~ Douglas F. Kelly (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For those who yearn for an orthodox Reformed catholicity, Kelly shows the way forward." -- Ligon Duncan III "Endorsement"

Product Description

I have written this first volume, thinking of my heritage as both Reformed and Catholic; gladly appropriating crucial insights of the whole people of God over the last two thousand years Eastern Orthodox, Western Catholic and Reformation Protestant as they sought to live out the foundational truths of the inspired Word of God. Doug Kelly

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Mentor (January 12, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845503864
• ISBN-13: 978-1845503864
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #642,075 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly great resource for the Church, April 13, 2009

By	R. E. Hoch (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a must have for any serious theological library. The first volume in Doug Kelly's systematic theology series does a magnificent job at articulating the specifics of reformed theology in light of the history of the church. This book is filled with the collective wisdom of the most brilliant theologians in the history of the church - from the early fathers to modern scholars, and beyond.

Especially good if you would like to familiarize yourself with patristic theology, as Doug Kelly is very well versed in early church history.

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings, August 21, 2009

By	Philip Taylor (Northern Ireland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand it is very interesting to read as Kelly quotes a lot from those I would not normally read e.g. Church Fathers, Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic. Some of the quotes are excellent. On the other hand, there are times when it feels like I was simply reading a lot of quotes, which were often difficult to understand. This made the book feel a little like a digest of Christian thought. Kelly quotes liberally from French theologians and cultural historians - something I am obviously not able to do. So in some ways I am thankful for the 'digest' nature of the book. However, as an experiment I briefly tried to read portions of the book by just reading Kelly's own words. It seems to me that Kelly could have put much of the thought of the quotes in his own words and simply foot noted them. I think this would have made a better book.

Also, the placement of appendices after each chapter disrupts the flow of the book. Much better to have them at the end.

Also, Kelly's chapter in the influence of Enlightenment thought had loads of quotes but only a little discussion of 'influence'. The balance seemed a little off.

But - his chapter on God revealing himself through the Covenant of Grace was amazing.

Given that Prof Kelly is writing two more volumes I would suggest that perhaps an abridgment could be made into a 1 volume ST with many of the quotes summarized.

All to say, I have mixed feelings. Some portions (when Prof Kelly himself writes) had my mind and heart praising God. Some portions (many of the Appendices and long quotes) had me thinking "why am I reading this"?

In short, I think this book needs to be read along side other ST's such as Robert Reymond's and/or Wayne Grudem's. However, if I was to recommend an ST to the man or woman in the pew it would not be Douglas Kelly's ST Vol. 1 - better wait for the abridged version of his 3 volume work.