A Review of Confessing the Impassible God

Last updated on: February 13, 2016 at 12:32 pm by Jordan Cooper

A Review of Confessing the Impassible God 2016-02-13T12:32:33-06:00 Jordan Cooper

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ImpassibleGod Despite the numerous debates between Lutheran, Reformed, and Roman Catholic theologians in the Post-Reformation scholastic era, there was a broad agreement, among all of these theologians, on the doctrine of God. With the rise of liberalism in the nineteenth century, this doctrinal consensus began to deteriorate. Liberal theologians argued against the supposed Hellenist imposition of static ontological concepts which helped formulate the traditional doctrine of God, often referred to as “Classical Theism.” These differences with Classical Theism were not only apparent in Schleiermacher and his disciples, but began to influence more conservative theologians in both the Lutheran and Reformed traditions. Thomasius and other Kenoticists posited accidental qualities in God which were set aside during the incarnation. Charles Hodge and other Princeton theologians reformulated the doctrine of simplicity among other traditional divine attributes.

These challenges to Classical Theism have remained, and continue to influence the writings of some contemporary Reformed writers such as Rob Lister, Bruce Ware, Kevin VanHoozer, John Frame, and Scott Oliphant. In Confessing the Impassible God, by Reformed Baptist Academic Press, a variety of authors seek to defend Classical Theism against these contemporary challenges, by focusing on the doctrine of divine impassibility in particular. The scope of this work is broad, and the essays are divided into various sections which include: Old Testament texts, New Testament texts, Historical Theology, and Systematic Theology. This volume is so comprehensive in scope that someone interest in impassibility in relation to any particular field, including practical theology, will have much to gain from this book.

The writing is straight-forward, and not overly academic. It is apparent that the intended audience of this book is the average parish pastor or studied layperson. There is not a heavy utilization of scholastic latin terminology, which has often framed these discussions in the past, or of lengthy footnotes. Doctrinal discussions surrounding the incommunicable attributes of God can become quite abstract and difficult for the average theologically educated reader. The authors of this volume are clear to define confusing terminology, and use a number of illustrations in order to simplify complex concepts. This fact has both positive and negative implications for the value of this particular work. On a positive note, this brings doctrine of God discussions to a level that many people are able to comprehend, and thus its impact will be broad among pastors and laity. Unfortunately, however, this also means that there is not as much depth as one might hope in some of the discussions. There are several points where more in-depth writing in the footnotes would have strengthened the argument.

Since they are written by different authors, the chapters are of various qualities. The strongest chapters in the book are Charles J. Rennie’s three essays which cover the systematic theological implications of impassibility. One should not read VanHoozer or Oliphant without taking Rennie’s criticisms into consideration. These essays show the most theological depth of any in the volume. The Biblical chapters point to important texts in this discussion, but the utilization of just about every text relevant to the doctrine means that no text gets a particularly in-depth exegetical treatment. I think it would have been more effective if the authors had selected a handful of the strongest texts for impassibility, and engaged in a more critical exposition of those passages, while critiquing the exegetical conclusions of those who take the opposite perspective. These chapters are helpful for the pastor who wants a Biblical basis for impassibility to use for his congregants if these issues arise, but will not likely have any profound impact in the broader scholarly debate surrounding impassibility in the Biblical text.

It is refreshing to read a work that is grounded in Classical Theism which also affirms the authority of Holy Scripture. This volume is well worth the price and time to read, and agree or not with the authors’ conclusions, it is sure to stimulate the mind of the one reading it, and point one back to the Biblical text to discover the God who is revealed in its pages. I cannot speak to the validity of usefulness of this text within the broader Reformed Baptist confessional tradition, as I am a Lutheran. These conversations are much broader, however, than the Reformed Baptist world, and this volume deserves reading from those outside of this tradition. Personally, I would like to see more work on this topic done which interacts not simply with contemporary evangelical theology, but engages figures like Moltmann, Jenson, Gunton, and others who have written critically of Classical Theistic positions.

The book can be purchased on Amazon here.

Book Review

Classical Theism

Confessing the Impassible God

Impassibility

Reformed Baptist

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