Wipf and Stock Covenant Theology in the Reformed Perspective: Collected Essays and Book Reviews in Historical, Biblical, and Systematic Theology

From The "Prologue": "Preoccupation with the biblical teaching on the covenants has long been a distinguishing trait of Reformed theology. Yet in recent years, the covenant doctrine has increasingly become a topic of interest in evangelicalism, in large part because of the growing rapprochement between the dispensational and nondispensational schools of interpretation. It is the contention of these collected writings, however, that only (historic) Reformed theology provides the system of doctrine necessary for an exposition of the divine covenants which is faithful to the teaching of Scripture. The relationship between God and humanity is, in a word, covenantal. God does not deal with his creation apart from covenant. In the history of Christian theology a variety of definitions has been offered for the term. Essentially, "covenant" is a bond or relationship between two parties. In the covenants between God and humanity, the Lord God sovereignly imposes the terms of these arrangements in accordance with His own will and good pleasure. With respect to the history of Christian doctrine it is the unique contribution of Reformed theology to have developed and systematized the biblical doctrine of the covenants..." In this volume Karlberg interacts extensively with the Westminster School, wherein one discovers two very divergent theologies - one Reformed, the other Barthian. Following the line of Geerhardus Vos, Cornelius Van Til, and Meredith G. Kline, the author defends the traditional interpretation of covenant theology. Systematician John Murray, as it turns out, departed significantly from this path, opening the door to radical revisions of the doctrine of justification and the divine covenants by members of the theological faculty who were to follow him This collection of articles and book reviews on Reformed covenant theology covers all aspects of the theological debate - historical, biblical, and systematic. Here's what scholars are saying about the author's work Dr. Mark Karlberg is "rapidly becoming known as an expositor of the Reformed faith" (I. Howard Marshall, University of Aberdeen) The author "in his erudite and learned articles, represents a person who advocates a return to the Reformation understanding of the law, an understanding with which, in large part, I am in agreement" (Thomas R. Schreiner, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) Concerning the historic Protestant doctrine of justification by faith, now widely disputed in contemporary biblical and theological studies, one contemporary defender remarks: the author has "struck at the heart of the issue directly and in a penetrating manner" (R. C. Sproul, Knox Theological Seminary)