Multidisciplinary Work on the Deity of Christ

Robert Peterson and Christopher Morgan have edited another helpful collection of essays in their Theology in Community Series, this time on The Deity of Christ. (Previous volumes covered The Glory of God and Suffering and the Goodness of God.)

As David Wells says, "This is a well-crafted, faithfully biblical, meticulously worked out study of the deity of Christ that brings us from the Old Testament through the New Testament, and into the modern world. This is a superb study."

You can read the introduction, table of contents, and Steve Nichols's essay online for free.

In the introduction they provide a "road map" for the volume:

We have mentioned a few reasons why Christ's deity is important. Stephen J. Nichols, research professor of Christianity and culture at Lancaster Bible College and Graduate

School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, winsomely explores these reasons and more in our first chapter, "The Deity of Christ Today."

Of utmost weight is the testimony of Scripture. For that reason, the heart of this volume is comprised of the work of noted biblical scholars. Raymond C. Ortlund Jr., formerly a seminary professor and currently pastor of Immanuel Church in Nashville, Tennessee, pens "The Deity of Christ and the Old Testament." Noteworthy is the caution that Ortlund exercises as he does not overreach the evidence for Christ's deity in the Old Testament.

Key chapters on Christ's deity in the New Testament follow. Stephen J. Wellum, professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, contributes "The Deity of Christ in the Synoptic Gospels" and "The Deity of Christ in the Apostolic Witness." Wellum's careful attention to both the big picture and individual texts shines.

Andreas J. Köstenberger, professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina, also writes two important chapters, "The Deity of Christ in John's Gospel" and "The Deity of Christ in John's Letters and the Book of Revelation." Köstenberger's ability as one of the foremost evangelical Johannine scholars is evident in his treatment of Jesus' deity in John's Gospel, letters, and the Apocalypse.

Essays by biblical scholars make up the core of this volume, but not all of it. It is imperative to build a good historical and theological superstructure upon the solid biblical foundation.

Gerald Bray, research professor of divinity at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama, writes "The Deity of Christ in Church History." Bray traces the history of the doctrine of Christ's deity from its beginnings until recent times, insightfully focusing

on current implications of truth and error concerning the person of Christ.

Robert A. Peterson, professor of systematic theology at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, authors "Toward a Systematic Theology of the Deity of Christ." Peterson attempts to bring together in a fresh manner some of the most important theological arguments for Christ's deity.

Alan Gomes, professor of historical theology at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California, contributes "The Deity of Christ and the Cults." Gomes, a recognized authority on the cults and editor of the fifteen-volume Zondervan Guide to Cults and Religious Movements, shows that there is little new under the sun, comparing contemporary cults to ancient heresies.

J. Nelson Jennings, associate professor of world mission at Covenant Theological Seminary, writes "The Deity of Christ for Missions, World Religions, and Pluralism." Jennings takes readers in some surprising directions as he shows the indispensability of the church's confession of its Lord's deity for its worldwide mission.

We invite readers to join us on this contemporary, biblical, historical, theological, practical, and missional journey investigating a grand theme— the deity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.