Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reformed Theology-Grace Displayed, February 7, 2001
In 'Grace Unknown', R.C.Sproul is concerned with answering the question, what is Reformed Theology? The first half of the book deals with 'The Foundations of Reformed Theology'. The five foundations are as follows: 1)Centered on God, 2)Based on God's Word Alone, 3)Commited to Faith Alone, 4)Devoted to the Prophet,Priest,and King and 5)Nicknamed Covenant Theology. The second half of the book gives a summary of 'The Doctrines of Grace' often referred to by the popular acrostic TULIP. Mr. Sproul never disappoints when it comes to analyzing terms that are used and how at times they can be misleading. For example, in the acrostic 'TULIP', the T stands for Total Depravity. Total Depravity is often thought to be utter depravity, which would mean that a person is as wicked as he could be. The author writes on p.118 ,"The term Total Depravity... refers to the effect of sin and corruption on the whole person." He then suggests that a better term to use might be radical corruption. Mr. Sproul's extensive knowledge of church history as it relates to Reformed Theology will give the reader much help in understanding how Reformed Theology and "The Church of Rome" differ. Historic Protestantism views the Bible as the only source of infallible revelation. Whereas the Roman Catholic Church has taught historically that there are two sources of infallible special revelation: scripture and church tradition. If you need or would like an answer to the question "What is Reformed Theology?",it would be difficult to find a more clear and concise answer to that important question than is found in the book "Grace Unknown".
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22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is an excellent source, February 1, 2000
To the previous person who made his claims: all of those claims are in errors. Calvinists do NOT hold to Calvin as some pope but merely defended the views of the five points, which was seen by them as biblical then, when those who held to views of Jacob Arminius remonstrated against those five points fifty years after Calvin's death! So, the five points of calvinism being same views as Calvin was incidental. Those who hold to the five points do so from biblical standpoint NOT because Calvin said so. Furthermore, the claim that Calvin did not hold to limited atonement is absurd. Anyone who makes that claim based on him citing verses that has atonement for world and all men apparently (apparently assuming falsely that calvinists do not hold to total and sola Scriptura, which they and Lutherans started the reformation to promote, as well as sola gratia, sola fide, sola Christos, and soli deo gloria) have never read Calvin when he defined what world, whold world, all men, every man, and whole human race means. In his commentary to 1 John, he asserted strongly that Christ did NOT atone for the reprobate, but that his atoning sacrifice for the whole world refers to the elect scattered all over the world. We see time and again how Calvin asserted that the atonement is for the elect only also in his commentary on gospel of John, especially on chapters 10, 11, and 17. The same goes for his views in his commentary on Romans, where he said on chapter 5, verse 18, that the atonement is common to all, but extended only to the elect, which is precisely the calvinist viewpoint (sufficient for all, but not only efficient but also designed for the elect). Read Calvin in Institutes of the Christian Religion on all men of 1 Timothy 2:3-4 and one sees that he holds to all men as all classes of people, and also that he does NOT seperate atonement and God choosing the elect for salvation. Another strawman the reviewer wrote was that holding to predestination was a view invented by calvinists to make themselves special. First of all, the calvinist view is that the elect can be calvinist, lutheran, arminian, etc, as long as that person believes and repents of his sins for the forgiveness of sins, that Christ secured at the cross. Second, the view of predestination and helplessness of man in sins apart from God's undeserved grace abounds in the Bible (Matthew 11:25-27; 22:14; Mark 13:20; Luke 18:7; John 1:12-13; 3:3-8; 5:21; 6:35-45, 61-70; 10:27-30; 12:39-40; 13:18; 15:16-19; 17:1-9, 20-26; Acts 13:48; Romans 1:18-32; 2:1; 3:9-20; 5:12-19; 8:7, 28-39; 9:6-24; 11:4-8; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 27-31; 2:14; 12:3; Galatians 1:15; Ephesians 1:3-12; 2:1-10; Colossians 2:13; 3:12; Philippians 1:6, 29; 2:12-13; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5; 2 Thessalonians 2:12-13; Titus 1:1, 3:4-7; 1 Peter 1:2-5; 2:8-9; etc.). Third, NOT just Calvin and the calvinists held to predestination and denied man's free will of himself to repent, but also Athansasius, Augustine in his Enchridions especially, early councils of Carthage, Orange, and Valence, Aquinas in his Summa Theologica (on sections on predestination and reprobation, operative grace, denial of conversion when God offered grace to man by his free choice alone, etc.), Gottschalk, Thomas Bradwardine, Gregory of Rimini, John Hus, Wycliffe, Tyndale, Martin Luther, Martin Bucer, Zwingili, etc. These were various names that were throughout the first 1500 years of history BEFORE Calvin! IN fact, Calvin was taught by Bucer who learned from Luther! Finally, predestination is a view NOT for the arrogant of heart, but for those who truly recognized that they are helpness to sin no more apart from grace of God, and aside from that mercy of God they would of themselves remain His enemies, dead in sins and trespasses, like animals who cannot change their own stripes! (I wonder how theologians like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Spurgeon, William Carey, Andrew Fuller, AA and Charles Hodge, James Dabney, Thomwell, John Owen, Lorraine Boettner, etc., could be mistaken that predestination is in the Bible, according to that logic of that reviewer who makes these claims of view being invented by calvinists.)
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Amen and Amen!, February 14, 2000
Dr. Sproul's book should be required reading in any seminary that considers itself to be theologically conservative. Whether you agree with him or not,(I do) he has penned an easy to read instruction manual on the "Doctrines of Grace". If you don't have a complete understanding of Reformed Theology or "Calvinism" you must read this book. As for anything else that can be said about the book, read the review by Thuyen Tran. To Brother Tran - Amen and Amen!
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