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Contending for our all

‘Out-rejoicing our adversaries’

CONTENDING FOR OUR ALL
Defending truth and treasuring Christ in the lives of Athanasius, John Owen and J. Gresham Machen
By John Piper
IVP. 174 pages. £8.99
ISBN 1 84474 135 9

This is an inspiring and timely book with a most salient message for evangelical Christians in this day of increasing theological contention.

It consists of biographical sketches of three Christian theologians of the past. These were originally presented by the author at the annual Bethlehem Pastors’ Conference. Each of the three was engaged in theological controversy: North African Bishop Athanasius in the fourth century over the deity of Christ, Welsh Nonconformist John Owen in the 17th over a range of issues, and the American Presbyterian Machen in the early 20th as he critiqued liberal Protestantism. Piper summarises each man’s life and battles, using many judiciously chosen quotations from primary and secondary sources, and much sympathetic (though not uncritical) analysis.

From each man, he draws lessons for us about contending for the faith in our own day. The overall theme is that, ‘Some controversy is crucial for the sake of life-giving truth. But enjoying it is usually a sign of pride.’ While we duck out of confronting error at our peril, we must be sure we enter the theological lists in a Christ-honouring way.

From Athanasius, we learn the importance of ‘out-rejoicing our adversaries’. Owen, to whom ‘truth about Christ was necessary for communion with Christ’, provides a powerful encouragement to commune with God ‘in the doctrine we contend for’. The lessons from Machen (a fascinating, seminal and unjustly neglected figure in the UK) are more diverse — and well worth absorbing, not least because he knew the pain and difficulty of denominational battles.

The pages of this newspaper record month by month the painful theological controversies of our day. Those engaged in such battles will find huge personal encouragement in this splendid, scholarly, sincere and well-argued book. Younger people in particular, who find themselves drawn into theological tussles in their denominations, churches and CUs, would do well to read it prayerfully.

Julian Hardyman,
Senior Pastor, Eden Baptist Church, Cambridge