A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
by Fred G. Zaspel
I have thoroughly enjoyed the Short Studies in Systematic Theology series from Crossway as each next volume has been released. The goal of making solid, informed theology accessible to a broader Christian readership in manageable portions is one that deserves continual pursuit. This series in particular takes the ball across that goal line wonderfully.
This latest volume in the series, Mark Thompson’s The Doctrine of Scripture: An Introduction, is just superb. I’ve read much on this area of doctrine over the years, aiming always for the best, and after all that I still find this little book stimulating, exciting, and informative. We will always want to keep the magisterial works of Warfield, Frame, and such, but this “introductory” book is marvelously comprehensive for its size and deserves to be the first to recommend for those entering the study. It is simple but not simplistic, and in about 170 small-sized pages of text Thompson lays out the doctrine of Scripture in a remarkably comprehensive way. He helpfully situates the doctrine as a subset of the doctrine of God and maintains a Christological focus—the Bible is the self-revelation of God with Christ as supreme spokesman.
Very happy to see this book, and I hope it receives the widest use. I could say this about all of the volumes so far in this series, but this volume in particular would serve as the basis of a wonderful series of lessons for Sunday School or any church or Bible study group.