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 PrintableVersion Systematic theology, vol. IBible truth clearly statedSYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, Vol. 1 Systematic theologies are not for everyone, for they are not bedtime reading. The market is students, ministers and the proverbial ‘intelligent, well-read layperson’. A number of evangelical systematic theologies have appeared in recent years, often resembling the curate’s egg — good in parts. The translation of Bavinck is a major event but we still need a consistently reliable recent theology. Douglas Kelly gives strong indication that his may be the one for which we’re waiting. This is the fruit of decades of research, thought and teaching. Kelly’s procedure is entirely sound; Scripture is his basis, the primary authority, but he engages throughout with the past teaching of the church. In this, he follows in the footsteps of Calvin and the Westminster Assembly. His breadth of coverage is wide. As he states, he is ‘gladly appropriating crucial insights … of the whole people of God over the last two thousand years — Eastern Orthodox, Western Catholic, and Reformed Protestant — as they sought to explicate and live out the foundational truths of the inspired Word of God’ (p.10). This reach is typical of the classical and historical Reformed tradition. Moreover, Kelly’s work is greatly enriched by the extent of his omnivorous reading, ranging well beyond theology into literature and philosophy. The knowledge of GodThis first volume covers the knowledge of God, interacting with post-Enlightenment unbelief, the triune God as one Lord, and his self-revelation in the covenant of grace — where Kelly judiciously discusses the place of the Mosaic covenant within the one covenant of grace and the relationship of the covenant to the eternal counsel of God. He also discusses the Trinity in some detail; this is a major advance, for it has normally been relegated almost to an afterthought in many Western theologies. On the filioque (that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son), while his conclusions are valid and well argued, Kelly does not do justice to the Augustinian concerns of the Western church and fails to cite Gerald Bray’s contributions to the debate, which underline what would be lost by an abandonment of the clause. However, his discussion of the Eastern split between the essence and energies of God is careful and his unwillingness to accept the distinction is both well explained and courteously presented. Kelly is greatly influenced by T.F. Torrance — under whom he did his PhD — and he has more citations than any other author. Torrance contributions on the Trinity, epistemology, and the interaction of theology and science can hardly be exaggerated. However, readers of EN would, inter alia, disagree sharply with his doctrine of Scripture and atonement. It remains to be seen how far Torrance’s impact will pervade the other volumes, which we await with anticipation. Robert Letham,
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