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 PrintableVersion John Owen: the man and his theologyStar of the PuritansJOHN OWEN: THE MAN AND HIS THEOLOGY This book consists of essays on John Owen, by various scholars, which were delivered at a symposium on Owen at the John Owen Centre for Theological Study in September 2000. This centre was set up by the Board of London Theological Seminary in 1999. The first essay, entitled 'John Owen (1616-1683) - His Life and Times', is by Dr. Robert Oliver, a pastor who also serves as lecturer at London Theological Seminary and Adjunct Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary. This essay sets the scene for the remainder of the book, placing Owen in his context and providing a useful biographical overview. This will be of particular value to those who have never before encountered a book on this great Puritan scholar and preacher. His work as a pastor, as a theologian, as an university administrator and Vice Chancellor and as an army chaplain are all touched upon and a fine portrait is painted of a truly remarkable man of God. The second essay is by Dr. Carl Trueman, Associate Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, himself the author of a fine book on John Owen (The Claims of Truth: John Owen's Trinitarian Theology). The title of his essay is 'John Owen as a Theologian' and he divides it into three sections: first, Owen was a 'Learned Theologian'; second, he was an 'Anti-Pelagian Theologian'; and third, he was a 'Trinitarian Theologian'. Throughout, Dr. Trueman is concerned to emphasise that Owen was a scholar of the highest rank, familiar not only with the writings of the Church Fathers and the Reformers but also with the literature of the medieval period, to which he was in many ways indebted. Dr. Truman concludes with three significant observations. First, the danger that modern theological education in the evangelical tradition lacks the intellectual rigour and breadth of Owen's day, even to the point where many students only read books with which they know in advance they will agree! Second, the danger of an unthinking evangelical ecumenism which takes no account of the mistaken (even Socinian) views held by some who today go by the name 'evangelical'. Third, the importance of recovering a strong Trinitarian structure for evangelical theology Christ and the SpiritThe next two chapters of the book are essays by Professor Sinclair B. Ferguson, minister of St. George's Tron Church in Glasgow when this symposium took place and soon to be come Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary's new campus in Dallas. The first is entitled 'John Owen and the Doctrine of the Person of Christ'; and the second, 'John Owen and the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit'. The second of these was the D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Memorial Lecture for 2000. In his first essay, Professor Ferguson counsels us to read beyond the well-known works of Owen, in order to discover the profound Trinitarian theologian, rather than simply the polemicist. In spelling out Owen's orthodox Calvinistic Christology, he shows the profundity of Owen's mind but also the warmth of his heart, emphasising that Owen was a theologian who had little interest in a Christology which was purely speculative and not designed to bring men and women into a relationship with Christ. In his second essay, Professor Ferguson deals with the relationship between the Holy Spirit and Christ before going on to deal with the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the believer. He notes the importance of this method over against the majority of writers whose inclination when dealing with the Holy Spirit is to go straight into the application of redemption. In the course of his exposition, there are some interesting comments on both the sealing of the Spirit and the grieving of the Spirit. Chapter five is an essay by Michael Haykin, Professor of Church History at Heritage Baptist College and Heritage Theological Seminary in Cambridge, Ontario, entitled, 'John Owen and the Challenge of the Quakers'. This is an interesting historical essay outlining John Owen's relationship to the Quakers. He notes the radical difference between the Quaker emphasis on the 'inner light' and their anti-university attitude with Owen's Bible-centred and pro-academic approach. The final essay in the book is by Graham Harrison, a minister and a lecturer in Christian Doctrine at London Theological Seminary, entitled, 'John Owen's Doctrine of the Church'. He charts Owen's departure from his earlier Presbyterian convictions and the journey to Independency. Of particular note is the notion that government is by elders and that the congregation does not have some kind of democratic decision-making control. This, together with his willingness to have Synods and even regional gatherings, led to the accusation that Owen really was a Presbyterian - an accusation against which Harrison boldly defends him! This is a most helpful and stimulating book. Unfortunately, an otherwise enjoyable volume has been somewhat let down by the absence of a good sub-editor. I found 71 typographical and referencing errors in the first 68 pages of the book (when I stopped counting), including two on the very first page (the Foreword). If the book is ever reprinted, this should be given due attention. Professor A.T.B. McGowan,
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