Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology

by Mark Dever, J. Ligon Duncan, R. Albert Mohler Jr., C.J. Mahaney, John Piper (Contributor), R.C. Sproul (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), John MacArthur (Contributor), Thabiti M. Anyabwile (Contributor)

4.09 of 5 stars 4.09 · rating details · 35 ratings · 6 reviews

Some of the leading voices in evangelical Christianity reaffirm the importance of preaching biblical theology for the health of our churches.

Loving, teaching, and rightly dividing the Word of God is every pastor's privilege and responsibility. If a pastor understands what the Word says about God, man, and the curse, about Christ and his substitutionary atonement, and about...more

Hardcover, 221 pages

Published October 1st 2009 by Crossway Books

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 120)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jan 27, 2011 Matthew Robbins rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve spent a lot of time reading books and blogs written by people quite a ways apart from me on the theological spectrum. Some of this was because those were the books I had a chance to review; some of it was simply me trying to understand the views of those people and attempt to formulate responses to their questions about biblical doctrines I hold dear.

The results of this? I now have a good understanding of where many of these people are coming from. I also, howe...more Over the past 6 months or so, I’ve spent a lot of time reading books and blogs written by people quite a ways apart from me on the theological spectrum. Some of this was because those were the books I had a chance to review; some of it was simply me trying to understand the views of those people and attempt to formulate responses to their questions about biblical doctrines I hold dear.

The results of this? I now have a good understanding of where many of these people are coming from. I also, however, have developed a good deal of frustration with hearing biblical truth not only questioned, but outright rejected and even maligned.

That’s why I was so happy to get the chance to review Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology, a collection of essays based on the Together For The Gospel Conference talks. Al Mohler, Mark Dever, R.C. Sproul, John MacArthur and other fine theologians contributed, and the book is a much-welcomed respite from the constant doubting and deconstructionism going on in many corners of evangelical theology. Instead, we get a beautiful, biblically-based collection of truth that fights back against the attacks of liberalism and paints a picture of the gospel that has honestly refreshed me.

Every chapter oozes the gospel, but some did stand out to me. Thabiti Anyabwile’s essay on humanity’s common ancestry as Image-bearers and the effects of this on race relations was fantastic and presented the issues in a way I’d never heard. R.C. Sproul’s essay on the “Curse Motif of the Atonement” was spectacular, setting the foundation for understanding the gospel in a way that has been almost completely lost among my generation. Finally, Al Mohler’s defense of substitutionary atonement is a great example of why I consider him one of the greatest intellectual Christians of our time. His history lesson on the development of attacks against the doctrine helps set things in perspective when you hear the latest “conversation” about it.

John Piper, C.J. Mahaney, Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, and Greg Gilbert also contribute helpful essays.

These are the men I most admire when it comes to theology, and this compilation of gospel-defending, bible-embracing, God-honoring essays was perfectly timed for me. In a world where everyone, even many Christians, want to question everything, even the things God has made abundantly clear and beautiful, these are some of the men who are consistently, clearly, and astutely articulating the truth. The truths in this book can serve as an anchor for us against the siege of deconstructionism. Questions are good, but they need to have answers. We don’t have them all, but many of those answers, especially pertaining to the gospel and the cross of Christ, can be found in this book. I’m very thankful for it.(less)

like · see review

Dec 07, 2009 Pastoralmusings rated it 5 of 5 stars

Proclaiming A Cross-Centered Theology is a product of Together for The Gospel, a coalition of concerned Christians who seek to maintain the purity of the gospel and encourage others to do the same.
The 2008 conference featured speakers Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, John MacArthur, John Piper, Al Mohler, Thabiti Anyabwile, R.C. Sproul, and others. This quite the impressive lineup. Transcripts of each speaker's contribution to the conference form the content of this book.
The main subject is declared by...more Proclaiming A Cross-Centered Theology is a product of Together for The Gospel, a coalition of concerned Christians who seek to maintain the purity of the gospel and encourage others to do the same.
The 2008 conference featured speakers Mark Dever, Ligon Duncan, John MacArthur, John Piper, Al Mohler, Thabiti Anyabwile, R.C. Sproul, and others. This quite the impressive lineup. Transcripts of each speaker's contribution to the conference form the content of this book.
The main subject is declared by the book title, Proclaiming A Cross-Centered Theology. The goal is to uphold the gospel of Christ as central to the theology that is proclaimed from Christian pulpits.
Ligon Duncan leads out in chapter one by calling for sound doctrine. Duncan insists that systematic theology is not only necessary, but unavoidable if we are to speak of Christ. Taking the time to dispel some myths concerning a conflict between exegetical theology, Biblical theology, and systematic theology, Duncan shows that we all have a system of thought that we operate out of, and calls for us to recognize the need to use systematic theology in the church.
Thabiti Ayabwile shows how all are made in the image of God. In so doing, he emphasized to us all that racism is contrary to the gospel of Christ, and can be seen as a denial of the gospel, or at least a compromise of the gospel.
John MacArthur tackled the huge topic of human depravity and inability.
Mark Dever gave to us “Improving the Gospel: Exercises in Unbiblical Theology.” Dever demonstrated how the “new and improved” versions of the gospel are actually deficient. Whether men seek to make the gospel relevant by a contextualization that actually changes the gospel, whether we expand the gospel by embracing as fellow laborers those who deny the gospel (especially relevant in the days of Evangelicals and Catholics Together and the Manhattan Declaration), Dever calls us to simply embrace the Biblical truth of the gospel and stand upon it.
Greg Gilbert gives an overview of what the gospel actually is. One would like to think that Christians do not need to be reminded of this, yet we sadly need this reminder.
Sproul takes the “Curse Motif of The Atonement” and demonstrates to us that Jesus became a curse for us when He went to the cross and died for our sins. This seems to have resonated with everyone at the conference, possibly being considered not only the best presentation of the conference, but the best ever spoken by Sproul.
R. Albert Mohler Jr (Al) spoke concerning the battle against penal substitutionary atonement (PSA). His question is, “Why do they hate it so?” Having read this, it is obvious that the battle rages on even among those who call themselves evangelicals. Mohler declares that PSA is Biblical and should be embraced by those who desire to be true to the gospel.
John Piper is certainly in his element when he speaks from the book of Hebrews to show us how the supremacy of Christ can create radical Christian sacrifice. This chapter will certainly be an encouragement to those who are facing hard times for the sake of the gospel. It also has the potential to lay a foundation within our hearts for the times when we must suffer for Jesus' sake.
Last, but not least, C.J. Mahaney gives us “Sustaining The Pastor's Soul”. Mahaney has the peculiar gift of being able to take his Bible and bring out to us exactly what we need to pick us up off of the floor, or drag us out of the pit of self pity, or even the slough of despond. I honestly can see myself going back to this chapter in times of discouragement.
This book is a call for us to come Together for The Gospel. T4G has done a good job, and this book is indicative of the work that they have been doing for several years.
Many times transcripts of speeches/sermons show the marks of having been spoken and leave something to be desired when one reads them. Whether the credit goes to the speakers or to the editors, I do not know. I do know that one should not have this problem when reading Proclaiming A Cross-Centered Theology.
Many thanks to Angie Cheatham of Crossway for providing PastoralMusings with this review copy.(less)

like · see review

Aug 09, 2012 Mark A Powell rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the tradition of Preaching The Cross, this book features the collected transcripts of the messages given at the 2008 Together for the Gospel conference. Each speaker focused his sermon on the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ and what his death means in terms of both doctrine and application. Although the variety of writing styles occasionally disrupts the continuity of the book, the overall message is coherent and their unified proclamation of the Gospel remains clear.

like · see review

Jul 23, 2011 Jean Pierre rated it 5 of 5 stars

I would suggest this book to any young pastor. These group of pastors come together to tackle some issues that many young pastors deal with.

like · see review

Feb 26, 2013 Stephen Willcox rated it 3 of 5 stars

The sermons are fantastic. But there is no need to buy the book when you can download and listen to the sermons on-line for free.

like · see review

Sep 29, 2012 Seth Channell rated it 3 of 5 stars

Great material but the book is basically sermons turned into a book.

like · see review

May 15, 2013 Kyle is currently reading it

May 13, 2013 Colin Ting marked it as to-read

Apr 14, 2013 Tyler Hurst marked it as to-read

Apr 11, 2013 Rick George added it

Apr 11, 2013 Jonathan added it

Apr 07, 2013 Gabriel Davis marked it as to-read

Shelves: all-books

Apr 07, 2013 Joshua marked it as to-read

Apr 05, 2013 David Sims marked it as to-read

Mar 19, 2013 Daniel marked it as to-read

Mar 11, 2013 Steve Weaver rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 11, 2013 Kiagiri marked it as to-read

Mar 09, 2013 Phil Awtry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Mar 05, 2013 Joe Abdelghany marked it as to-read

Mar 03, 2013 Chris Thomas marked it as to-read

Mar 02, 2013 Mitchell Holley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Feb 27, 2013 Michael Boling is currently reading it

Feb 26, 2013 Jeff Manning marked it as to-read

Shelves: books-i-own

Feb 25, 2013 Jeff Brown rated it 5 of 5 stars

Feb 19, 2013 Jake Dunlow added it

Shelves: books-i-own

Feb 12, 2013 Ryan marked it as to-read

Feb 11, 2013 Dan Loggans marked it as to-read

Feb 08, 2013 Eric Nygren marked it as to-read

Jan 29, 2013 Steven added it

Jan 26, 2013 Anca Martin marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 4 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (1)

Genres

Religion > Theology

7 users

Non Fiction

2 users

Religion > Christianity

2 users

See top shelves...

About Mark Dever

Mark Dever serves as the senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, DC. Since his ordination to the ministry in 1985, Dr. Dever has served on the pastoral staffs of four churches, the second being a church he planted in Massachusetts. Prior to moving to Washington in 1994, Dr. Dever taught for the faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University while serving two years as an associate...more

More about Mark Dever...

Books by Mark Dever

The Deliberate Church: Building Your Ministry on the Gospel

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Proclaiming a Cro...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Proclaiming a Cross-Ce...

“Hold your possessions so loosely that when they are lost in the sacrifices of love, your confidence in a supreme Treasure in heaven will fill you with joy.” — 3 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology
avg rating	preview: Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology Goodreads rating: 4.09 (35 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6417195-proclaiming-a-cross-centered-theology?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347666061l/6417195.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6417195-proclaiming-a-cross-centered-theology?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology by Mark Dever[/url]

Proclaiming a Cross-Centered Theology

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website