I know I’m in danger of confusing everyone, but I want to announce that not only have I completed The Oaths of God: An Introduction to Biblical Covenantalism, but I am also basically done with the first draft of Deciphering Covenant Theology: A Critique.
I thought you might like a look at the Table of Contents and maybe pray for the book. I realize that even though I’m a nobody, a book such as this will tick off covenant theologians. I do not mean the book to be a personal attack. In fact, the first chapter is a sincere compliment to Covenant Theology. The book is intended as a critique of the system in the same way the works of covenant theologians have critiqued Dispensationalism. Books such as Vern Poythress’, Understanding Dispensationalists. It is easy to come across criticisms of Dispensationalism from the perspective of Covenant Theology, but relatively rare to have the tables turned. Renald Showers’ book There Really Is A Difference is not a full exploration of and response to Covenant Theology, but more a defense of Dispensationalism. This will be a full on critical analysis.
This book has two purposes. The first is to inform non-covenant theologians about what Covenant Theology is and why it is unscriptural. The second purpose is invite covenant theologians to consider the weaknesses of their system as seen by an informed outsider. The book will be quite short, but long enough to set out the arguments. It will be heavily footnoted.
I hope (DV) to have the book ready by the end of the year.
DECIPHERING COVENANT THEOLOGY: A CRITIQUE
Preface
Introduction
PART ONE
Ch. 1 The Genius of Covenant Theology
Ch. 2 A Very Brief History of Covenant Theology
Ch. 3 The ‘Covenant’ in Classical Covenant Theology
Ch. 4 The Deductive Character of Covenant Theology
Ch. 5 The Covenants of Covenant Theology
Ch. 6 Reading A Covenant Theologian
Ch. 7 Federal Theology, Baptism and the Covenant of Grace
Ch. 8 The Eschatology of Covenant Theology
PART TWO
Ch. 9 The Problems of Covenant Theology (1)
Ch. 10 The Problems of Covenant Theology (2)
Ch. 11 The Problems of Covenant Theology (3)
PART THREE
Ch. 12 Concluding Thoughts
Appendix
6 comments On A Second New Book in the Wings: ‘Deciphering Covenant Theology’
Looking forward to this. Would it be possible to add an appendices dealing with the unique aspects of Baptist Covenant theology?
Joshua,
I have something in there on that subject. That is one area that I must expand before publishing. I don’t want to enter into intramural debates, since in the end, they come out in the same place, which is why they recommend each others works. Do you have any particular Baptist source in mind?
Pascal Denault’s “The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology” Revised Edition is Probably the best book on the subject as it clearly highlight the differences between the two covenantal theology’s.
I hope it can be translated into Spanish; I could help. We need materials of this type of literature in the Hispanic community.
I can’t think of anyone better equipped and more even-handed to take on this topic. Very much looking forward to this book!
I’m incredibly excited about both, and have a mental list of people I will give them to.
Here in the south, conservative doctrine and practice is almost invariably strongly coupled to reformed covenant theology. Even worse, a Galatian-adjacent heresy of sanctification by law (rather than by God, through knowledge of, faith in, and hope in the gospel) seems to be creeping in. May the Lord grant the growth as a result of this careful doctrinal fertilizing and weeding.