Customer Reviews

Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine

5 star:		(167)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Though I have found immense help in Dr. Grudem's book over the past months, I have post-poned a review in order to get a complete reading of it first. Now that I have read it all, I can say that this may be the best systematic theology written in the 20th century.

Dr. Grudem combines theological insight, practical application, and faithful exegesis of Scripture with simple, uncomplicated language and clear thinking. The result? The most readable and informative Systematic Theology one could desire. Every chapter starts with a question and ends with application questions and a hymn! Education is turned into exaltation over and over again as Grudem moves you from deep thinking to appropriate feeling about the greatest truths in the universe.

The arrangement of topics is typical. Grudem covers the doctrine of God, man, Christ, salvation, church, and last things. Like any book of this magnitude, it has strengths and weaknesses. But the strengths are more than the weaknesses. The section on theology proper (the doctrine of God) is outstanding. Grudem's explanation of the Trinity is very helpful avoiding both modalism and arianism. His treatment of God's character and attributes is especially good, arguing strongly against the "open" view of God and process theology.

The chapters on Creation and Providence are also very well-done containing lengthy Scriptural arguments for his position. His soteriology is Reformed and not much different than you would get from Berkhof or Murray. Still good, though.

Grudem spends much time discussing the Holy Spirit (though the chapters are scattered around the book and not in one section)and especially the church. His understanding of the nature of the church is excellent avoiding denominationalism, yet affirming a very Biblically-grounded argument for plural elders governing a congregational church. He is baptistic in polity, though not dogmatic on the issue. He believes that charismatic gifts are still current in the church today, but is wary of extremes. Whether one agrees with Grudem or not on this issue, he should be read, because he approaches the subject from a scholarly standpoint with supreme concern for the text of Scripture. One can't afford to neglect his arguments in forming their opinions (I still somewhat unsettled on many questions relating to this and so do not write from a bias.)

On last things, Grudem defends historic premillenialism and presents some thoughtful arguments to both amillenialism and dispensational pre-tribulation premillenialists. He should be read here. But again, he proceeds with caution.

The weakest chapter of the book is the one on the Atonement. Although Grudem provides some excellent scholarship on the question of Christ's "descent into hell" here, there is a lack of depth in his treatment of this most glorious doctrine. Berkhof and Gill are better.

Overall this is an excellent book. It's greatest strength is its textual basis. Grudem's chief concern is to be Scriptural and for the most part he succeeds well. You don't have to be a theologian to read this book. But you will become a theologian if you do.

Although I personally disagree with a number of the positions held in this book, and might agree more with other Systematic Theologies, this one is by far the best. It truly is head and shoulders above any of the other Systematic Theologies I have surveyed--including Hodge, Erickson, Wiley, Miley, Geisler, Williams and others--although each has it's value.

First, is the design and scope of the book. It id intentionally designed to help clarify positions held by those who believe the Bible is authoritative. This is different from Erickson, for example, who spends a lot of energy interacting with neo-Orthodox and other liberal perspectives. Grudem's approach is ideal for pastors and laymen. Handle challenging issues without getting off into extraneous detail. You go right to the crux of the issue. In addition, Grudem's tone feels kind. You really feel that he is instructing you in love. As many have pointed out, it really has a devotional quality to it in many places, including appropriate hymns at the end of each chapter. Look for that in another theology!

Second, it has excellent helps. For example, he indexes many of the major Systematic Theologies at the end of each chapter. This allows you to very easily compare his perspective with others, and do deeper reasearch.

Third, it's broad yet concise. I really feel that with this book on my shelf, I have access to the crux of a lot of major doctrinal issues. I don't need a pile of "four views" books. Grudem covers many many issues from the atonement to miracles and the baptism of the holy spirit.

Fourth, it is truly a Biblical approach. It's not just a doctrinaire polemic about pet positions. Just reading one chapter really challenged me and reinspired me to examine the Bible more closely--that is because that is exactly what Grudem himself is attempting. He's building up doctrine from Scripture, not the reverse.

I believe this book is destined to become a classic, and perhaps redefine the genre. Start here.

I have given this work by Wayne Grudem 5 stars not because I agree word for word with everything he espouses here, because I don't. I am of the view that theology, as a discipline, is like any other discipline in being a human endeavor, and therefore, is fallible. When reviewing works of theology, I believe in being careful about not expecting any theological work to approach a level of infallibility that only Scripture can ever attain. But in reading and reviewing theological material, I do expect the author to put forth an intelligent, logical, rational, persuasive BIBLICAL presentation that hangs together internally as well as biblically. So despite my reservations and disagreements with some of what Grudem puts forth here, I think it deserves 5 stars because in my view, this work gets the job done.

There are a number of clear strengths to this book. First, this book is by far the most accessible systematic treatment of theology I've ever read. If there is any systematic theology book that theology novices could really sink their teeth into, this is it. This book, while effectively dealing with the many difficult theological issues that need to be dealt with in any adequate systematic theology, avoids drowning these difficult issues in difficult terminology that too many systematic theologies wrongly assume are common terms that non-theology focused Christians understand and don't need defining. This is what makes so many systematic theologies inaccessible to most Christians. While it's true that this represents a sad commentary on the relevance of theological fundamentals and ideas in the minds of too many Christians, I felt that this book by Grudem is a great place to begin reeducating everyday Christians to think theologically and to be able to grasp the material without being intimidated. This is an enormous strength of this book.

Second, I find myself agreeing with many of the endorsements of this book from a diverse variety of theological perspectives in saying that this book is respectful of varying theological traditions and is clearly written in a spirit of Christian love. Grudem is mostly reformed in his theology and clearly articulates a reformed theology here. But he does so without being disrespectful to alternate viewpoints. In addition, his bibliography at the end of each chapter and at the end of the book is extremely thorough in giving readers a long list of resources from a variety of theological traditions.

Third, I felt that Grudem's book was fairly thorough in dealing with the many areas of systematic theology. I felt that his section on ecclesiology was especially good, while also clearly articulating persuasive positions on election, reprobation, grace, and providence.

Having said all this, I do believe that Grudem's book reflects a disproportionate emphasis on charismatic gifts that was both unpersuasive and overdone. Grudem clearly makes an investment in this book to advancing charismatic operativeness. In fact, it seemed to me that Grudem devoted more time to this particular issue than on many of the fundamental doctrines of God and salvation. Given that the operativeness vs cessationist debate is (or at least should be) a secondary issue, I did think it was inappropriate for Grudem to treat this issue as if it was a primary article of faith, which is unfortunately a common attitude that has encompassed the charismatic gift issue in elements of both sides of the debate.

In the end, while I was close to giving the book 4 stars because of the sometimes missplaced emphasis outlined above, I felt that this book was simply too good in too many other areas to demote the review I'm giving it. I wholeheartedly agree with Grudem's introduction where he desires Christians to think theologically because theology is not a dry, academic exercise, but a vibrant expression of God's faithfulness that can dramatically transform our faith when undertaken in obedience to God. Since I think this book has reintroduced the wonder and amazement of theology to so many Christians who had previously adopted a 'see no evil, hear no evil' attitude towards theology which I think is a terribly half baked approach to the Christian life, I believe that Grudem has done the body of Christ an enormous service which will hopefully result in greater interest and passion in contemplating the great things of God as a joyful endeavor of the mind.

Strengths - (1) Grudem's Systematic is very readable, written in a very clear and precise style. (2) Grudem interacts well with most of the trends in modern evangelicalism. His critiques of Pinnock and his Arminian friends are outstanding. (3) Grudem summarizes a lot of his own research in the chapters and sections on inerrancy, gender issues, the descent of Christ into hades, church polity, and spiritual gifts. A lot of this is outstanding material that you cannot find anywhere else. (4) Other sections, such as the canon of scripture, the ordo salutis, and eschatology are very good. (5) Grudem provides strong scriptural support for his positions. (6) There is a good emphasis on personal applications. A lot of this material will preach. It can be used in Bible studies and sermons. (7) It contains very useful bibliographic information. Weaknesses: (1) There is almost a total lack of historical theology and interaction with non-evangelical theologians. (2) Grudem spends too much space discussing minor disagreements with his colleagues at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. (3) Too much space is devoted to Grudem's pet issues (spiritual gifts) while other issues are neglected (general and special revelation).(4) The heavy emphasis on charismatic theology in a couple of chapters is likely to make the book offensive to people who could benefit from the rest of the chapters. (5) The chapter on the atonement lacks the kind of synthesis that you find, for example, in Erickson's Systematic. But despite these weaknesses, Grudem's Systematic is one of the best recent systematics by an evangelical and definitely worth reading.

Grudem's Systematic Theology was required reading for my theology classes in Seminary. I must say that I enjoyed reading his work, even though I do not sympathize with Calvinism. I think that the most beneficial aspect of this work is that it is pretty easy reading (easy reading for theology anyway).

Grudem has included several features that make this one of the best Systematic Theologies in print today.

* He provides the reader with clear and understandable definitions of the theological terms he uses.

* He closes each chapter with Questions for Personal Application.

* In addition to suggestions for further reading for each topic, he lists parallel sections in other systematic theologies from a variety of perspectives (Anglican, Arminian, Baptist, Dispensational, Lutheran, Reformed, Renewal, and Roman Catholic).

* Each chapter has a Scripture Memory Passage related to the chapter topic.

* He includes a hymn that goes along with the topic of each chapter.

The main weakness of this work is the same weakness present in every systematic theology I have read. Namely, that the writer presents his system without addressing the passages of Scripture that do not easily fit in with his system. I finished the book with more than two hundred questions, wondering how Grudem would respond. Most of the questions were formed directly from Scriptures that seem to be in disagreement with Grudem's system.

Overall, I would still recommend this systematic theology. However, I would recommend that the reader ask questions of the text and then seek the answers in the Bible. This is how we grow in our understanding of theology. Even if you are not a Calvinist, this book will aid you in understanding theology.

I must say that I believe Grudem has prepared a fine volume to describe his basic theology. That I do not agree with Grudem on many issues does not detract from this work and I believe that every Christian should read this with an open mind. Grudem presents a fairly Evangelical Reformed/Charismatic view of scripture that should be addressed by all believers. I personally am a cessationist, dispensational, and mildly Reformed Arminian (as presented by Robert E. Picirilli in his book "Grace, Faith, Free Will) and would strongly disagree with Grudem in these areas. That said, I think it is important for Christians to understand why we believe certain doctrines and not wall ourselves up behind predispositions. It is important to understand the variety of thought and understanding of people who differ from us and I believe it is intellectual suicide not to understand why those differences exist. Grudem did nothing to change my mind, but he presents a fair systematic review of his beliefs. That he references a multitide of other systematic theologies shows that he is trying to be fair and I appreciate his efforts. Rather than looking for books that merely support our beliefs, it is important for any student of the Bible to entertain those who would disagree with our theology (albeit on the non-essentials). Giving this less than 4-5 stars shows that a reviewer is merely upset that Grudem disagrees with them and is not an honest assessment of his efforts. This is a well written text and is a fair and important work. It should sit next to Erickson, Demarest, Garrett, Theissen/Doerksen, Chafer, Ryrie, Hodge, etc. in any Biblical library. You cannot know why or what you believe until you understand the various points of view. I prize Grudem's work...even if I left it ultimately more convinced of my own beliefs and understanding of Scripture.

I read through all 68 reviews so far...and couldn't help but add my few thoughts. As a preface, these thoughts come from a very strong evangelical reviewer who holds that the Bible is infallible - perfect, complete, and holding no self-contradictions.

Most of the detractors rated it low primarily because it taught doctrine that they disagreed with (usually either from postmodern, cessationalist, or Arminian positions). Most of its praises were from those who agreed with Grudem (calvinists, charismatics, conservatives). In fact, one reviewer in particular rated it lowly and then arrogantly said his "greatest concern" was that Grudem did not believe as he did (I believe it was with regard to dispensationalism).

I look at a book like this and wonder how Greco-Roman our culture has become. Has Plato more sway over our thinking than Jesus? With issues that are currently "hot", our highest goal so easily becomes the achievement of a full, logical "system" (hence the systematic part of the title). I do not believe that the Hebrew mindset elevated logic to anywhere near what Western theologians do today. Remember that all the individual authors of the Bible were Jewish except possibly Luke. As such, I would much prefer a volume titled "Topical Theology" rather than "Systematic Theology".

Thinking systematically forces our minds into a pattern that does its best to turn all Scripture into one big puzzle that we need to put together. Would a Hebrew mind think about it the same way? I see the Hebrews seeking wisdom above logic. If two passages did not fit together, they left them apart, assuming that part of the puzzle had not yet been given.

In fact the very ones who showed the greatest inclination towards systematizing scripture were the very ones Jesus argued with - the pharisees and sadducees. These two groups were so focused on their focuses that their only unity came in opposing Jesus. Not only that, but many Hebrew scholars in Jesus' day had come up with a theology that fused together Jesus' two comings, even though in hindsight it is very clear that one coming was as suffering servant and the second as a victorious King. Further, I see no evidence of Jesus seeking, honoring, or teaching a full logical system. In fact, though He was all-knowing, His focus was utterly practical and pastoral. In Paul's, Peter's, and John's writings, the only letter that comes close to being systematic is Romans, which clearly does not talk about every individual aspect of salvation (Jesus' resurrection being notably absent).

When it comes to the Bible, I believe we should not be so anxious to throw our support behind a given system of understanding (calvinism, arminianism, etc) and instead take Scripture at face value, assuming that until Jesus returns we might not have all the puzzle pieces. The Bible is 100% complete, yet it does not explain everything. I would instead say that God gave us everything that would help us love Jesus deeper during this lifetime, leaving out parts that would only serve to distract from the person we worship.

That said, Grudem's work does a very good job for what is intended to be. I wouldn't agree with all of his conclusions, but I do agree with his humility and purpose. This book increased my love for the Bible and (almost) every minute reading Grudem's words caused me to spend five minutes in the Bible itself. It's not perfect, but that's the best metric of judging books that I've found yet.

Some of the negative reviews mentioned that Grudem almost took for granted what protestants and evangelicals would consider "fundamental" doctrines. This is reasonably accurate, and as I understand it is because his desire is not to re-prove these beliefs. His audience is clearly in the evangelical camp and those seeking a more classical, less relevant (or sometimes very relevant but just way longer) approach should look elsewhere.

With some issues, Grudem does not spend much time discussing opposing viewpoints, undoubtably trying to stay within the constraints of one singular volume. Some of the areas which recieve a lot of attention (and from various perspectives, although he always presents his conclusion clearly) are
- the work of the Holy Spirit today
- Baptism
- Church government
- Salvation, election, free will
- End times

The labels of Grudem's doctrinal stances have been mentioned in other reviews, but I would like to point out that this book is very helpful regardless of one's personal views. At the very least you will find a worthy opponent and fellow student of God's word.

I have adopted Grudem's "Systematic Theology" as the text our college uses for its foundational three-semester systematic theology course. Grudem has a knack of handling difficult topics clearly and concisely, and his excellent writing style has been helpful for students who have had no previous exposure to theology. Grudem knows his topics well, and has gone beyond most introductory theology texts in several areas: 1) each chapter closes with a list of personal application questions, so that the student may appropriate truth into living; 2) each chapter gives an excellent bibliography for further study; and 3) each chapter ends by recommending a hymn for singing, showing that good theology demonstrates itself in doxology. In summary, I would say this: I have been searching for a good introductory theology text for twenty years, and have ended my search with this book. If I could have had the time and ability to write my own text, it would have been very similar in format and content to Grudem's. Dennis Thomason. Yellowstone Baptist College, Billings, Montana

I put off buying a book of systematic theology for years ... the language used in them always put me off! Grudem has the knack of writing profoundly, yet simply.

In his book, he discusses most issues an evangelical would be interested in, and he fairly presents the views of those he disagrees with.

I like his questions and hymns at the end of each chapter. It is also helpful that he tells you explicitly where he is coming from in his introduction.

This book is a terrific start if you want to explore Christian theology. There is also a shorter version of the book, but I think you would be cheating yourself if you didn't buy the whole shebang. [You don't have to read it all!]

Although I think Grudem and the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood are a little astray in their views on bible translation, I am happy to enthusiastically recommend this book, which does not stray into that area.

As an evangelical pastor, I study the NT in Greek for sermons on a weekly basis. As I do, I often find myself looking up issues in Systematic Theology. Lots of pastors use this book. If you want to know where to go for more research on a topic...he gives great lists of resources spanning across almost every denominational perspective available. So if you want to know where to get a scholarly view on 'once saved always saved' from the baptists, methodists and a host of other groups he gives you that in short list form. For that alone the book is an unusual resource.

Most theological books don't attempt to impact your devotional life...and can be dry. Not Grudem...he gives meditation scriptures and a song/hymn for personal worship. This book is just a great book.

Some of the topics can be taken in an outline form and filled in with illustrations...they preach very well when used like this. For example...his article on 'Final Judgment' is one that preaches well. Just make sure to give him credit if doing that.

Also-this book can provide a great start for research into a topic.

I think all ministers of the gospel should consult this book regularly. You may not agree with all his points on everything...but you have to respect a tool that has been so well composed and has helped so many already!