Systematic Theology, Volume One

Classically Trinitarian. Thoroughly Reformational. Unashamedly Baptistic.

Volume 1 of Dr. Stephen Wellum's Systematic Theology is set to become a standard as he produces a Systematic Theology from the waters of Biblical Theology. Rather than proof-texting, Wellum begins with theological method before forming a Doctrine of Revelation. Dr. ...Read MoreRead more about Classically Trinitarian. Thoroughly

Wellum connects a biblical Doctrine of Revelation to every area of Theology.

Rooted in the inerrancy and sufficiency of Scripture, Dr. Wellum builds on the backbone of the Bible (Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation) by evaluating competing theological systems (covenant vs dispensational theology) before defending a distinctly Baptist Covenant Theology called Progressive Covenantalism. His evaluation is a helpful summary of his much larger work, "Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical-Theological Understanding of the Covenants" authored with Dr. Peter Gentry.

Dr. Wellum then moves from this foundation to build a Reformational and Classical doctrine of God, creation, providence, sovereignty, and the Trinity rooted in the Scripture and informed by the best thinkers of the church.

Volume 1 of 2 is a must read for scholarly evaluation of Open Theism, Eternal Functional Subordinationism, Liberal Theology, and other contemporary Theological issues.

In short: Get this book. Read it. Soak it in. Prepare for volume 2 in the years to come.

This Systematic Theology is a resource that will influence Baptist theology and impact the church for generations to come. Read LessRead less about Classically Trinitarian. Thoroughly

This is a Systematic Theology that will help the reader properly conceptualize, categorize, and understand good & proper theology. Dr. Wellum works this theology onto the pages starting from a high view of the Triune God who speaks, gives life, and reveals Himself to His creation.

His Baptist Theology is on full display as he presses ...Read MoreRead more about This is a Systematic Theology that

the reader to the whole of Scripture, to wrestle with it on it's own terms. Even if you do not share the same theological heritage, this scholarly work will add great light and perspective to how you understand and know God.

Christ is Lord of all and this work should be commended to any student of the Bible. Read LessRead less about This is a Systematic Theology that

In my theological journey from years of training in dispensational theology, to intense study of covenant theology, and finally committing to progressive covenantalism, Stephen Wellum and his writings have been instrumental in my finding a final theological resting place. It is difficult to decide exactly what superlatives to use in describing Wel...Read MoreRead more about In my theological journey from years

lum’s Systematic Theology volume 1. My first read through this work has already triggered streams of theological thought that I have no doubt will prove to be valuable. It is a long-awaited work by those following his thinking and I will be waiting expectantly for the second volume of the 2-volume set.

Wellum’s system is clearly Reformed and covenantal. A brief scan of the resources he uses in the footnotes reveals a host of Reformed theologians both early and current – Bavink, Turretin, Vos, Horton, Vanhoozer, etc. But he does not subscribe to the covenant theology system and explains why he does not. Neither does he advocate dispensational theology. Rather, Wellum presents a theological system as a via media between dispensationalism and covenant theology.

He aptly defines theology as faith seeking understanding in order to think God's thoughts after him, and as an objective discipline dependent on the Bible. Theology is not a set of ideas based upon multiple worldviews. It is based on the Bible as the standard authority for understanding what God wants us to know about himself.

In this volume Wellum discusses prolegomena, bibliology, and theology proper, but with an interesting turn he includes bibliology as part of theology proper. His rationale for that approach is that the written revelation is the result of God’s self-revelatory speech-act, so should be included under discussion of God himself. The second volume will include the other systematic loci of anthropology, hamartiology, Christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology.

I will leave detailed descriptions of this work to other reviewers, but I have two simple and obvious observations that most impressed me: 1.) Wellum’s presentation of prolegomena is lengthy, over 150 pages, but it includes essential discussions not found in many other systematic theologies. Wellum astutely explains why study of an evangelical systematic theology is an essential requirement for the current church. 2.) He provides careful guidance to the reader with logic flow in the text of the topics covered. Rather than force the reader to determine the three or four or five points in the discussion of each topic, Wellum consistently signifies each main point of his logic with italicized ordinals. I sincerely appreciated this very helpful structure as I worked through the complex philosophical and theological topics in each of the systematic loci. He also provides non-italicized ordinals for subsets of each main point where warranted.
Wellum’s presentation is always clear, precise, and understandable. While working through this volume will be a rewarding challenge to the untrained lay reader, Wellum writes in a style that is easy to read and understand along with his careful presentation of logic flow. The presentation of each of his main points usually follows the sequence with definition of terms, historical treatment, discussion of alternative views, explanation of his view of each topic, and scriptural support for his view.

We are all blessed by Wellum’s years of theological experience, and the enormous effort spent to produce this volume. This work is truly a must read for those interested in theology, and especially those interested in comparing theological systems.

Soli Deo gloria. Read LessRead less about In my theological journey from years

We all have many systematic theologies on our book shelf, this is the one to keep on your desk for quick access. A systematic theology grounded in biblical theology is exactly what we've been waiting for. Wellum has put together the first volume of what is without a doubt the new standard for ST, especially for Baptists.