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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my favorite books!,
By
This review is from: God's Strategy in Human History (Paperback)
Forster and Marston have delivered a stellar book that attempts to present an exegetical and Scriptural framework for the content presented in the book. Instead of beginning from a set of deductive theological assumptions and then attempting to support that system from Scripture, Forster and Marston examine Scripture and attempt to build their case directly from the text. The authors unabashedly admit that their views are very similar to those of Arminian and Weslyan traditions, but they state in the beginning of the book that they do not want to be labeled with these names, but want to construct a theology that is in line with the teachings of the first 300 years of Christianity. Anyone who reads their appendix will come to understand that the teachings presented in this book were the orthodox consensus of the early Church for the first 300 years, and that it was Augustine who introduced serious deviations into the mainstream orthodox Christianity of his time.Forster and Marston begin by describing the battle that is being waged between God and the spiritual forces that oppose Him. They examine the book of Job and see how this relates to the overall struggle. Then the authors examine the 9th chapter of Romans to see if this book is dealing with election and individual destinies, or God's actions within human history. The authors do an excellent job of arguing for their opinion that this chapter is speaking about God's involvement in human history and it deals with God's choosing of one nation or individual over another nation or individual to accomplish His purpose. Other sections of interest in this book are the sections on foreknowledge and predestination and the chapters on faith and works. The section on faith and works was particularly interesting because it relies on much of the teaching of the new perspective which has shed much light on how a 1st century Palestinian Jew would have approached Scriptural issues. The research, argumenation, and exegesis in this book are solid so every chapter is excellent, but the ones mentioned above were two of my favorites. There really aren't too many weaknesses I could find in this book. There were a lot of little printing mistakes so that was a bit annoying. Furthermore, there were times when the authors dealt with the teachings and writings of Open Theist's and seemed to be a bit sympathetic with them, but never said they agreed wholeheartedly with them. This group of scholars has come under attack from people from every perspective within the Christian Church, so it would have been nice to know definitively where the authors stand. Also, some of the arguments against Reformed teaching were too emotional, but that does not detract from the fact that there are also many biblical arguments against their teachings. Anyone interested in reading a scholarly study that defends free-will, God's love and desire for all to be saved, and explains how God interacts in the affairs of men, then this is the book to read. The Appendix with quotes from the early Church Fathers defending free will, and illustrating how Augustine's teaching was a 5th century invention is also invaluable. Without a doubt this is one of the best books available that discusses such issues.
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Insight Anti-Calvinistic Interpretation of Scripture,
By Greg Boyd (St. Paul, MN) - See all my reviews
This review is from: God's Strategy in Human History (Paperback)
Many assume that when the Bible speaks of "electing" people and "hardening" other people, it means that God arbitrarily chooses who he will love and save, and who he will hate and damn. This book convincingly shows that the biblical authors had no such idea in mind in using these terms. With meticulous research these authors support an interpretation of the biblical narrative that affirms human free will, God's universal love, and God's desire for all people to be saved. I couldn't recommend a book more strongly!
22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interested in the 'Openness Debate' then read this book,
By A Customer
This review is from: God's strategy in human history (Loose Leaf)
This book is worth its cover price (£5) just for the Appendix alone, which covers subjects like 'Original sin' 'Infant Baptism' and the teachings of the 'Early Church Fathers'. Throughout the book Roger Forster and Paul Marston look at the implications of man's freewill and how God gets his will carried out on earth. The issue of God's foreknowledge, predestination and election are covered with a preciseness that the subject requires. Lately the 'Openness Debate' by Clark Pinnock and others has sparked new interest in this whole theological area, and any one who wants to examine all sides of this subject needs a copy of this book. Roger Forster's home church Ichthus Christian Fellowship in London England has copies of this book available, they can be emailed on media@ichthus.org.uk
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