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FROM HEAVEN HE CAME & SOUGHT HER: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective HB

Availability: OUT OF STOCK, AVAILABLE TO ORDER
  • ISBN 9781433512766
  • Author GIBSON & GIBSON (EDITORS)
  • Pub Date 01/01/2013
Publisher Crossway Books
There is a palpable sense of confusion and sometimes even embarrassmentwith regard to so-called limited atonement today, pointing to the need for thoughtful engagement with this controversial doctrine.......
£31.34
£32.99
There is a palpable sense of confusion and sometimes even embarrassmentwith regard to so-called limited atonement today, pointing to the need for thoughtful engagement with this controversial doctrine. Incorporating contributions from a host of respected theologians, 'From Heaven He Came and Sought Her' stands as the first comprehensive resource on definite atonement as it examines the issue from historical, biblical, theological, and pastoral perspectives. Offering scholarly insights for those seeking a thorough and well-researched discussion, this book will encourage charitable conversations as it winsomely defends this foundational tenet of Reformed theology.

About the contributors

David Gibson (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is minister of Trinity Church in Aberdeen, Scotland. Previously he served as a staff worker for the Religious and Theological Studies Fellowship (part of UCCF) and as an assistant minister at High Church, Hilton, Aberdeen. Gibson is also a widely published author of articles and books such as Rich: The Reality of Encountering Jesus and Reading the Decree: Exegesis, Election and Christology in Calvin and Barth.

Jonathan Gibson (PhD, Cambridge University) is associate minister at Cambridge Presbyterian Church and assistant professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is the author of historical and biblical articles in Themelios and Journal of Biblical Literature and regularly speaks at conferences in Australia and South Africa. Jonathan and his wife, Jackie, have two children.

J. I. Packer (1926-2020) served as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College. He authored numerous books, including the classic best seller Knowing God. Packer served as general editor for the English Standard Version Bible and as theological editor for the ESV Study Bible.

Sinclair B. Ferguson (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is Chancellor's Professor of Systematic Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and the former senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. He is the author of several books, the most recent being By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me. Sinclair and his wife, Dorothy, have four grown children.

Paul Helm (MA, Worcester College) is a teaching fellow at Regent College in Vancouver. He previously taught philosophy at the University of Liverpool and was was the J. I. Packer Chair of Theology at Regent College. He also publishes online at Helm's Deep. Paul is married to Angela, and they have five children.

Robert Letham (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of systematic and historical theology at Union School of Theology. A Presbyterian minister with twenty-five years of pastoral experience, he is the author of books such as The Work of Christ; The Holy Trinity; and Union with Christ, and a range of articles published in encyclopedias and journals.

John Piper is founder and lead teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. He served for thirty-three years as the pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is the author of more than fifty books, including Desiring God; Don't Waste Your Life; and Reading the Bible Supernaturally.

Thomas R. Schreiner (MDiv and ThM, Western Conservative Baptist Seminary; PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is the James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and associate dean of the school of theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Carl R. Trueman (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of biblical and religious studies at Grove City College. He is an esteemed church historian and previously served as the William E. Simon Fellow in Religion and Public Life at Princeton University. Trueman has authored or edited more than a dozen books, including The Creedal Imperative; Luther on the Christian Life; and Histories and Fallacies. Trueman is a member of The Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Lee Gatiss (PhD, Cambridge University) is the director of Church Society, a lecturer in church history at Union School of Theology, and a research fellow of the Jonathan Edwards Centre Africa at the University of the Free State, South Africa. He also serves as a member of the editorial board of Themelios and editor for the internet journal Theologian. Lee and his wife, Kerry, have three children.

Matthew S. Harmon (PhD, Wheaton College) is professor of New Testament studies at Grace Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. He was previously on staff with Cru for eight years and is the author of several books. He also co-hosts the Various and Sundry podcast. Matthew and his wife, Kate, live in Warsaw, Indiana, and have two sons.

Michael A. G. Haykin (ThD, University of Toronto) is professor of church history and biblical spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. He has authored or edited more than twenty-five books, including Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church.

Alec Motyer (1924-2016) served as principal of Trinity Theological College in the United Kingdom, as well as pastor of several churches in England.

Stephen J. Wellum (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and editor of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. Stephen and his wife, Karen, have five adult children.

Garry Williams (DPhil, Oxford University) serves as the director of the John Owen Centre for Theological Study at London Theological Seminary in the United Kingdom, which provides theological teaching for pastors after their initial training. He is also a visiting professor of historical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Garry and his wife, Fiona, have four children.

As reviewed by Dr. Stephen McQuoid in January 2021- 'In essence this book is a defence of the Reformed doctrine of Limited Atonement, though the authors use the more palatable expression Definite Atonement. Not being a Calvinist I picked up this weighty tome (700 pages) with a degree of scepticism as well as anticipation. By the time I finished I had enjoyed the read, but ultimately found it unconvincing.

To be fair the contributors are brilliant and the theology rich and encouraging, especially as this book essentially celebrates God’s great plan of salvation. The first part of the book looks at Definite Atonement in history, the second Definite Atonement in the Bible, the third Definite Atonement in theology and the last part Definite Atonement in pastoral practice. This is all well and good, however the historical analysis simply recounts reformed leanings in history, the pastoral essentially suggests that believers are reassured by Definite Atonement, a point I agree with, but of course, other non-reformed perspectives of the doctrine of salvation can also reassure. Moreover, both Paul and the writer to Hebrews want to warn as well as reassure and that balance in not acknowledged here. As for the Biblical and Theological sections of this book, they are very good, but also predictable as they bear the hallmark of biases inherent in reformed soteriology and at times they teeter on the brink of an unsubstantiated dogmatism that misses the subtlety of scripture. Motyer, for example in his chapter on the suffering servant (chapter 10) reads too much into Isa.53:4-6 in implying that the divine activity negates human choice. Likewise, Harmon goes into overdrive in his attempt to brush over the obvious meaning of John 3:16 (p.284) and merely quoting DA Carson at this point doesn’t make his argument any more plausible. Meanwhile Dan Strange (chapter 21) does a wonderful job opposing universalism, but he forgets that this is not a binary choice between Calvinism and Universalism, it is much more nuanced than that All of that having been said, this is a good book which reaffirms the doctrine of salvation, albeit with a reformed bias. If you are a Calvinist, it will reaffirm your theological position. If you are not, but you have a good grasp of the subtle nuances of the doctrine of salvation, it is unlikely to change your perspective, in which case the John Lennox book, 'Determined to Believe?' will prove a good inoculant.'


Publisher : Crossway Books; 1st edn edition (30 Nov. 2013)
Language: : English
Hardcover : 704 pages