Academics and Theology

 We are honored to receive this gift from a good brother in the LORD as an addition to the growing library. It is a massive read on such a profound subject that I have heard time and time again in the past that have only recently begun taking seriously. My approach to reading now is not the casual page turning I am accustomed to with regular books, but since providence did not have me enroll in Reformation Bible College I still am inclined to study, howbeit academically, systematically, and intuitively.

As I was past my reading plan included on the subject of anthropology and its impact on practical ministry, I came across an important note worth emphasizing. 

Pastors need to understand and believe what the Bible teaches them about the people wherein they serve. Shepherds must know their sheep (Proverbs 27:23). While this requires personal relationships as pastors watch over the souls entrusted to them (Hebrews 13:17), it also requires a deep knowledge of God;s word, which is sufficient to equip God's servants for their work (2 Timothy 3:17).

As Erickson points out, an imbalanced view of human nature can distort the way we do ministry. If we view people as mere minds, we will focus on intellectual ministry and expect teaching in itself to change them. If we believe people are driven by emotions, when we will seek to motivate them by counseling them through past experiences and creating new emotional experiences. If we reduce people to relationships, then our ministry might minimize doctrine and maximize fellowship. If we overspiritualize our understanding of people, we will treat physical problems as moral failures. We need a biblically balanced perspective on man in order to exercise a wise, balanced, holistic ministry.

..let us not forget that when we serve mankind, we care for the masterpiece of the lower creation, as Thomas Boston(1676-1732) said.

Reformed Systematic Theology by Beeke and Smalley (3 Volumes)

The first volume in the Reformed Systematic Theology set of four projected volumes that draws on the historical theology of Reformed tradition, exploring the first two of eight central points of systematic theology—the doctrines of revelation and the character of God—with an accessible and comprehensive approach that is biblical, doctrinal, experiential, and practical. 

"We believe that the experiential application of doctrine is paramount for doing good systematic theology. Systematic Theology should minister to the whole person," write Beeke and Smalley. "We hope that this work will help prepare God's servants to nurture spiritual knowledge and saving faith in God's people according to the riches of Christ. We aim not only to educate you as the reader, but also to edify you and to equip you to tell others the wonders of our God."

Volume 1

 Part 1: Prolegomena: Introduction to Theology and the Doctrine of Revelation
Analytical Outline: Prolegomena

Section A: Introduction to Theology
1. What Is Theology? Part 1: An Academic Discipline
2. What Is Theology? Part 2: A Spiritual Discipline
3. Who Does Theology? Where? When?
4. Which Theology Do We Do? Part 1: Christian, Catholic, Evangelical
5. Which Theology Do We Do? Part 2: Reformed: Historical, Confessional, Theological, and Hermeneutical Perspectives
6. Which Theology Do We Do? Part 3: Reformed: Polemical and Experiential Perspectives
7. Why Do We Do Theology?
8. How Do We Do Theology? Part 1: Spiritual Dynamics
9. How Do We Do Theology? Part 2: Academic Methods

Section B: The Doctrine of Revelation
10. Theological Fundamentals of Divine Revelation
11. General Revelation, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
12. General Revelation, Part 2: Philosophy and Science
13. General Revelation, Part 3: Natural Theology and Theistic Arguments

Excursus: Some Historical Perspective on Natural Theology and Theistic Proofs
14. Special Revelation: Biblical Teaching
15. Errors Regarding Special Revelation, Part 1: Romanism and Liberalism
16. Errors Regarding Special Revelation, Part 2: Liberalism’s Offspring
17. The Bible as the Word of God
18. The Properties of the Written Word, Part 1: Authority and Clarity
19. The Properties of the Written Word, Part 2: Necessity, Unity, and Efficacy
20. The Properties of the Written Word, Part 3: Inerrant Veracity
21. The Properties of the Written Word, Part 4: Objections to Inerrancy
22. The Properties of the Written Word, Part 5: Sufficiency
23. The Cessation of Special Revelation, Part 1: Charismatic Continuationism
24. The Cessation of Special Revelation, Part 2: Prophecy Today
25. Applied Revelation for Practical Fruit

Part 2: Theology Proper: The Doctrine of God
Analytical Outline: Theology Proper

Section A: The Doctrine of God’s Triune Glory
26. Introduction: The True Knowledge of God
27. Introduction to God’s Nature and Attributes, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
28. Introduction to God’s Nature and Attributes, Part 2: Theological Issues
29. The Name of “the Lord” (YHWH)
30. The Holiness of the Lord
31. Gods That Are Not God
32. God’s Spirituality
33. God’s Simplicity: “The Lord Our God Is One Lord”
34. God’s Infinity, Part 1: Incomprehensibility, Aseity, and Immensity
35. God’s Infinity, Part 2: Eternity: Infinity with Respect to Time

Excursus: Problems of Time and Eternity
36. God’s Immutability, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
37. God’s Immutability, Part 2: Theological Issues
38. God’s Knowledge, Part 1: Omniscience and Wisdom
39. God’s Knowledge, Part 2: Foreknowledge
40. God’s Sovereignty: An Introduction to Omnipotence
41. God’s Moral Excellence, Part 1: Goodness and Love
42. God’s Moral Excellence, Part 2: Truth and Righteousness
43. God’s Moral Excellence, Part 3: Jealousy, Impassibility, and Joy
44. God’s Moral Excellence, Part 4: Wrath and Compassion
45. The Trinity, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
46. The Trinity, Part 2: Historical Development
47. The Trinity, Part 3: Theological and Practical Considerations

Section B: The Doctrine of God’s Sovereign Purpose
48. The Decree of God: General Considerations
49. Predestination, Part 1: Election and Reprobation
50. Predestination, Part 2: Historical Development through Reformed Orthodoxy
51. Predestination, Part 3: Questions and Uses
52. God’s Providence, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
53. God’s Providence, Part 2: Problems and Applications

Section C: The Doctrine of Angels and Demons
54. The Holy Angels of God
55. Satan and the Demons

Volume 2

In this volume, Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley shift from the doctrine of God (theology proper) to the doctrine of humanity (anthropology) and the doctrine of Christ (Christology). This extensive reformed theology explores the Bible’s teaching about who we are and why we were created, as well as who Jesus is and why his divinity is essential to the Christian faith.

Part 3: Anthropology: The Doctrine of Man
Analytical Outline: Anthropology

 1: Introduction to Anthropology

Section A: The Doctrine of Creation
 2: The Creation of the World, Part 1: God the Creator
 3: The Creation of the World, Part 2: Historical and Theological Questions
 4: The Creation of the World, Part 3: Exegetical Questions
 5: The Creation of the World, Part 4: Scientific Questions

Section B: The Doctrine of Man’s Creation and Nature
 6: The Creation of Man by God
 7: The Controversy over the Historical Adam
 8: The Image of God, Part 1: Exegetical and Biblical Theology
 9: The Image of God, Part 2: Historical and Polemical Theology
 10: The Image of God, Part 3: Systematic and Practical Theology
 11: The Gender and Sexuality of Man
 12: The Constitution of Man, Part 1: Unity and Duality
 13: The Constitution of Man, Part 2: Body and Soul
 14: God’s Covenant with Adam, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
 15: God’s Covenant with Adam, Part 2: Historical and Systematic Theology
 16: God’s Covenant with Adam, Part 3: Practical Implications

Section C: The Doctrine of Sin
 17: Introduction to the Doctrine of Sin
 18: The Fall of Man into Sin and Misery
 19: The State of Sin, Part 1: Historical Theology of Original Sin
 20: The State of Sin, Part 2: Universal Sin, Imputed Guilt, and Lack of Righteousness
 21: The State of Sin, Part 3: Total Depravity and Inability
 22: The Free Choice of the Will
 23: Actual Sins: The Diverse, Poisonous Fruit of Original Sin
 24: The Punishment of Sin by God
 25: Sin and the Believer
 26: Suffering and the Believer

Part 4: Christology: The Doctrine of Christ
Analytical Outline for Christology

Section A: The Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace
 27: Introduction to the Covenant of Grace
 28: Historical Perspectives on God’s Covenants
 29: The Perpetual Continuity of God’s Gospel
 30: The Eternal Covenant with God’s Son and Those in Union with Him
 31: The Diverse Administrations of God’s Covenant of Grace, Part 1: Noah, Abraham, and Moses
 32: The Diverse Administrations of the Covenant of Grace, Part 2: David and the New Covenant
 33: The Essential Unity of God’s Covenant of Grace
 34: The Abiding Duty to Obey God’s Moral Law
 35: The Church’s Union with Her Covenant God through Faith

Section B: The Doctrine of the Person of Christ
 36: Introduction to the Study of Christ’s Person and Work
 37: The Names of Christ
 38: The Deity of Christ
 39: Christ’s Incarnation, Part 1: The Coming of the Incarnate Son
 40: Christ’s Incarnation, Part 2: Humanity and Relations
 41: Christ’s Incarnation, Part 3: Historical Development of Orthodox Christology
 42: Christ’s Incarnation, Part 4: Theological Questions and Practical Applications

Section C: The Doctrine of the Work of Christ
 43: The Threefold Office of the One Mediator
 44: The Two States of Our Prophet, Priest, and King

Excursus: He Descended into Hell
 45: Christ’s Prophetic Work, Part 1: Introduction and Typology
 46: Christ’s Prophetic Work, Part 2: Revelation by the Word
 47: Christ’s Prophetic Work, Part 3: Illumination for His Prophetic People
 48: Christ’s Priestly Work, Part 1: Introduction to Christ’s Priestly Office
 49: Christ’s Priestly Work, Part 2: Penal Substitution for the Satisfaction of God’s Justice
 50: Christ’s Priestly Work, Part 3: Christ’s Sacrificial Obedience
 51: Christ’s Priestly Work, Part 4: The Perfections of Christ’s Sacrificial Accomplishment
 52: Christ’s Priestly Work, Part 5: Intercession for a Priestly People
 53: Christ’s Kingly Work, Part 1: Introduction, Victory, and Triumph
 54: Christ’s Kingly Work, Part 2: Power, Grace, and Glory
 55: Christ’s Kingly Work, Part 3: Christ’s Kingly People
 56: Practical Conclusion to Christology: The Centrality of Christ

Volume 3

In this volume, Joel R. Beeke and Paul M. Smalley shift from the doctrine of God (theology proper) to the doctrine of humanity (anthropology) and the doctrine of Christ (Christology). This extensive reformed theology explores the Bible’s teaching about who we are and why we were created, as well as who Jesus is and why his divinity is essential to the Christian faith.

Part 5: Pneumatology and Soteriology:
The Doctrine of Salvation Applied by the Holy Spirit
Analytic Outline: Pneumatology and Soteriology

Section A: The Holy Spirit and the History of Salvation (Historia Salutis)
 1: Introduction to the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit
 2: The Work of the Holy Spirit in Creation and Common Grace
 3: The Spirit of God with Old Covenant Israel
 4: The Spirit and God the Son Incarnate
 5: Pentecost and Paraclete: Baptized with the Spirit
 6: The Gifts of the Spirit in the Church
 7: The Signs and Wonders of the Spirit
 8: The Holy Spirit and the New Creation

Section B: The Holy Spirit and the Order of Salvation (Ordo Salutis)
 9: Union with Christ by the Spirit, Part 1: Biblical Themes
 10: Union with Christ by the Spirit, Part 2: Theological and Practical Considerations
 11: The Order of the Application of Salvation
 12: General Calling, Part 1: The Free Offer of the Gospel
 13: General Calling, Part 2: Preparatory Grace and the Spirit of Conviction
 14: General Calling, Part 3: Resisting, Testing, and Blaspheming the Holy Spirit
 15: Effectual Calling, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
 16: Effectual Calling, Part 2: Theological Controversy
 17: Regeneration, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
 18: Regeneration, Part 2: Theological Questions and Practical Application
 19: Conversion, Part 1: Repentance unto Life
 20: Conversion, Part 2: Faith in Jesus Christ
 21: Conversion, Part 3: The Exercise and Necessity of Faith
 22: Justification, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
 23: Justification, Part 2: Historical and Polemical Theology (Reformation)
 24: Justification, Part 3: Historical and Polemical Theology (Modern)
 25: Adoption, Part 1: Biblical Theology
 26: Adoption, Part 2: Systematic and Practical Considerations
 27: Sanctification, Part 1: Biblical Teaching
 28: Sanctification, Part 2: Theological Controversies
 29: Sanctification, Part 3: Practical Application

Authors

Joel R. Beeke (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) has written or coauthored one hundred books, and edited another one hundred titles. He is president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, a pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, as well as the editor of Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, the editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books, the president of Inheritance Publishers, and vice president of the Dutch Reformed Translation Society.

Paul M. Smalley (ThM, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary) is faculty teaching assistant to Joel Beeke at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He previously served for twelve years as a pastor in the Baptist General Conference in the midwestern United States.

 Book Descriptions: Heritage Books