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The Faith Once Entrusted to the Saints?

Author:	Geoffrey W Grogan
Published By:	IVP (Nottingham)
Pages:	302
Price:	£12.99
ISBN:	978 1 84474 478 7

Reviewed by Philip Joy.

This is a pretty long and detailed piece of apologetics for theological students and pastors which deserves more space than this review can allow. Posing the question to what extent we as evangelicals should take onboard many of the key new biblical and theological trends in evangelicalism, Grogan offers chapters on ‘The challenge of Open Theism,’ ‘The retreat from Penal Substitution,’ ‘Justification and the New Perspective on Paul,’ ‘Issues affecting the doctrine of Scripture,’ and ‘The Key to Christian Doctrine.’

Rather unfashionably, but bravely, he asserts that “evangelical theology is the (sic) authentic Christian theology”, but he believes it has become infected, and if any of these chapter headings bring back alarm bells that have rung in your mind at some time or other, then this book might be for you.

Let us begin with theology. Open Theism has borrowed from Process Theology an aversion to traditional ‘fixed’ concepts of God such as his changelessness, sovereignty and foreknowledge. In this view God permits human causation and even allows his own will to be shaped by it. Grogan admits that through this we have recaptured something of the beating, living heart of God to whom we may pray and have a genuine relationship, but warns of the danger of losing the God whose power and purpose is directing history and individual lives. I admit I was disappointed that, while Grogan’s discussion is explicitly theological, there is no clear presentation of how he himself ‘does’ theology. There is no mention of Wesleyan Quadrilaterals, or Reflective Trialogues. For him then to go on and criticize the philosophical underpinning of Open Theism is not as convincing as it might otherwise have been. On the other hand, his treatment of free-will and determinism in its various historical theological and biblical manifestations makes valid points.

Space permits detailed discussion of just one other chapter: ‘The Retreat from Penal Substitution.’ This is contemporary stuff as Steve Chalke, once the darling of the evangelical establishment, has written of it famously as “cosmic child-abuse”. So how does Grogan fare here? Well, I think he puts up a good defence, arguing against this point, for example, that the Son voluntarily conformed to the Father’s will out of a joint-redemptive purpose. He presents a carefully nuanced account, arguing at some length against many of the criticisms of this account of the atonement - with appropriate caveats about crass analogies in preaching.

This book requires patience on the part of the reader because its style is necessarily somewhat heavy. Yet I think if I were preaching on Paul and justification and had to decide which commentary to go with all along the line - Moo versus Dunn for example - I think the relevant chapter here would help orientate me. I don’t like his Western account of the Trinity, but he seems to be fully up to date with the current social and cultural milieu of 21st Century, First-World Postmodernity and its relevance to preaching and right thinking. He is aware of key 20th century theologians such as Moltmann, as well as the lesser, but influential, writers such as Fretheim. He knows about trends in biblical interpretation, particularly the influence of literary theory, and he understands the need for biblical theology and a right understanding of the relationship of the Testaments. He is aware of the complex cross-cultural hermeneutical work which has now become the bread and butter of the preaching ministry and he understands the vital necessity of seeing the Bible as both God’s Word from cover to cover, yet also a landscape in which certain paths and peaks provide a perspective from which to understand the remaining features. Furthermore, he has a canny awareness of how the new thinking has crept into our public worship.

I especially like the final chapter which offers guidelines on how to guard against error while drawing the good from the new thinking. So, if you are a student, or a minister in need of a refresher, this book could be a worthwhile addition to your shelf.