Book Review: The Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God
The Gospel of the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God by George Eldon Ladd
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
He spiritualized and generalized the kingdom to where at times he made it synonymous with salvation, eternal life, etc. He conflated conceptions of the universal lordship of Christ and the mediatorial kingdom of men on the earth. He ended up with a supersession of Israel and reformulation of the people of God to the point that his vision for the restoration of Israel fell short of the promises/covenants made to the fathers, which necessarily included a geo-political, ethnic, and territorial kingdom with Jesus Christ on the throne of his father David in Jerusalem ruling over the twelve tribes united on the land promised to Abraham.
It was an interesting read historically, but I can’t recommend it as helpful.
Book Review: The Kingdom of God: A Baptist Expression of Covenant & Biblical Theology
The Kingdom of God: A Baptist Expression of Covenant & Biblical Theology by Jeffrey D. Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was surprised, but delighted, that Johnson pointed out errors with the covenantal nomism of New Perspective and Federal Vision. There is a lot of good in this book and it is a good treatment of the biblical theology of covenants and kingdom. I appreciated the author’s tone and approach. I didn’t detect the condescension and dismissive that can often accompany these discussions. Johnson was fair in presenting his views and this is the type of writing that can be helpful, even where you disagree.
Book Review: Gospel and Kingdom: A Christian Interpretation of the Old Testament
Gospel and Kingdom: A Christian Interpretation of the Old Testament by Graeme Goldsworthy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review: He Will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God
He Will Reign Forever: A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God by Michael J Vlach
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have been studying the kingdom of God closely for the last few years. I recently became aware of this book, which is “A Biblical Theology of the Kingdom of God.” This book is excellent and delivers on the expectations from the subtitle. Vlach works through the Bible from beginning to end, identifying the kingdom theme throughout. He ties all those threads together better than in any single work I’m aware of.
I appreciate that Vlach is up front about his premillennialism from the start. So many try to palm their eschatology and we end up with a vague treatment of scriptures. Even when I disagree with a man’s eschatological position, I appreciate knowing where he’s coming from and I want him to make his case so I can consider what he is saying and the prejudices he might have. Too many books and commentaries fail here.
Vlach did not cherry pick a few verses here and there, but rather worked with significant portions of Scripture. He paid attention to context and also presented primary objections or different views. He also answered those objections. I thoroughly enjoyed it all the way through.
He makes a good case for plain meaning, but he also applies that hermeneutic to various passages. He gives a very brief treatment of historical views and apologetic applications. I highly recommend this book. Vlach’s writing is clear. So many books dealing with the kingdom are vague or overly spiritual. I will definitely reread and refer to this book in the future. The bibliography is also a great resource. I was unaware of many of those books, but I have found a few to start reading soon and others to read later.
