Archive | March, 2011

Free Copy of B. B. Warfield’s The Canon of the New Testament

By Phil Gons on March 26, 2011 in Books, Deals

Logos Bible Software is giving away a free copy of B. B. Warfield’s short essay The Canon of the New Testament: How and When Formed. All you have to do is like them on Facebook.

Even if you’re not currently a Logos user, you can download their free PC, Mac, iPhone, and iPad apps or access the book online at Biblia.com.

Here’s an excerpt:

The early Christians did not, then, first form a rival “canon” of “new books” which came only gradually to be accounted as of equal divinity and authority with the “old books”; they received new book after new book from the apostolical circle, as equally “Scripture” with the old books, and added them one by one to the collection of old books as additional Scriptures, until at length the new books thus added were numerous enough to be looked upon as another section of the Scriptures.

Check it out.

Kim Riddlebarger Reviews The Theology of B. B. Warfield

By Phil Gons on March 16, 2011 in Books, Reviews

Kim Riddlebarger, senior pastor of Christ Reformed Church in Anaheim, California and co-host of the popular White Horse Inn, reviewed Fred Zaspel’s The Theology of B. B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary. Riddlebarger wrote his dissertation on Warfield1, so he is in a good position to offer a helpful review of Zaspel’s work. It’s worth a careful read.

Here’s his conclusion:

In conclusion, let me say that Fred Zaspel has done a great service to Christ’s church by giving us a most important and most useful volume, one which should be found on the bookshelf and in the iPad (it is also available as a eBook) of anyone who is interested in Reformed theology, the history of Old Princeton, and the work of B. B. Warfield.

Thank you Dr. Zaspel, for writing the book I wish I could have written! This volume is highly recommended.

Read the whole review.

“The Lion of Princeton: Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield on Apologetics, Theological Method, and Polemics,” PhD diss., Fuller Theological Seminary, 1997. It was revised and published on his blog as The Lion of Princeton: Benjamin Breckenridge Warfield; Apologist, Polemicist, and Theologian, n.p., 1997. vii + 374 pp. [PDF]. [↩]

Wes Bredenhof Reviews The Theology of B. B. Warfield

By Phil Gons on March 11, 2011 in Books, Reviews

Wes Bredenhof, Pastor of the Providence Canadian Reformed Church in Hamilton, ON, has a nice review of Fred Zaspel’s The Theology of B. B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary. In addition to summarizing the book helpfully, he discusses Warfield’s views on apologetics, Scripture, evolution, and perfectionism. It’s worth a read.

Here’s his conclusion:

The Theology of B. B. Warfield is a comprehensive guide to the thought of “the Lion of Princeton.” There’s no question it will be a standard reference for decades to come. Anyone interested in the development of Reformed theology on our continent needs to have it and read it.

Read the whole review.

The Gospel for Christians

By Phil Gons on March 9, 2011 in Quotes

Tullian Tchividjian shared this classic quote from Warfield on why Christians can never move beyond the gospel:

There is nothing in us or done by us, at any stage of our earthly development, because of which we are acceptable to God. We must always be accepted for Christ’s sake, or we cannot ever be accepted at all. This is not true of us only when we believe. It is just as true after we have believed. It will continue to be trust as long as we live. Our need of Christ does not cease with our believing; nor does the nature of our relation to Him or to God through Him ever alter, no matter what our attainments in Christian graces or our achievements in behavior may be. It is always on His “blood and righteousness” alone that we can rest.

This comes from Perfectionism, Part One, vol. 7 of The Works of Benjamin B. Warfield (New York: Oxford University Press, 1932; repr., Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000), 113.

See more Warfield quotes.

5 Questions for Fred Zaspel on The Theology of B. B. Warfield

By Phil Gons on March 5, 2011 in Books, Interviews

Justin Taylor interviewed Fred Zaspel about his new book, The Theology of B. B. Warfield: A Systematic Summary.

Here’s what he asked him:

How would you rank Warfield among the theological giants of church history?
I suspect that a number of readers who know of Warfield will know almost nothing about Warfield the person. Can you get us a little insight into Warfield the man?
If you could sum up the essence, the heartbeat, of Warfield’s theology, how would you define it?
Was there anything that surprised you in working through all of Warfield’s materials?
For those who want to read Warfield, what are some works to begin with?

Read the interview.