James W. Skillen

Within evangelicalism there has been a tendency to downplay creation. Consequently, creation becomes identified with the beginning of the cosmos and not seen in a broader setting, the whole of the cosmos - institutions included. This has resulted in an emphasis on sin and salvation in personal, individual terms. As important as this is, it is not the whole gospel. This book by Skillen seeks to correct this misaligned perception of the gospel of the kingdom.

The book is split, like the creation week, into seven parts. In part 1 Skillen begins by looking at the opening chapters of Genesis. He does so by looking at it as God's story, a story that concludes with the sabbath, a day of rest.

Part 2 examines a pattern of doublets within the order of creation. These doublets are (almost) conveniently alliterative: honour and hospitality; Commission toward commendation; revelation in anticipation; and covenant for community.

Part 3 examines in detail the covenant and how God engages with the fallen creation, his ‘covenantal disclosure of reality’ (133) and how it points towards God's sabbath rest fulfilled.

Part 4 explores the relation of the first and second Adam. While Part 5 takes up the important theme of 'the already and not yet of the kingdom’.

Part 6 deals with the thorny relationship of the old and new covenants and the relationship between Israel and Jesus as the messiah - Romans 9-11 are the key passages examined here. Part 7 concludes with how all this opens up ‘the challenge of living faithfully in this age in service to God’.

To live at present as disciples of Christ does not mean waiting around to enter another world in the future while feeling alienated from this world

Skillen draws upon a wide range of sources, as the 12-page bibliography and 32-page index testifies, but in particular, he interacts most with Tom Wright, Juergen Moltmann and Abraham Kuyper. However, he is not afraid to disagree with them. For instance:

In contrast to Wright, Kuyper, and Moltmann, I believe the eschatological feast with God will take place as the fulfilment of this creation, the one and only seven-day creation of God. Therefore, the creation’s climax in God’s day of rest has everything to do with the responsibilities of God’s sixth-day servants throughout their generations. (144)

He views Kuyper's view of government as flawed:

"Thus, in many respects, Kuyper remains rooted in the Augustinian belief that God established government because of sin rather than as part of the creational responsibility of the image of God from the beginning."

Though he sees:

"Kuyper’s importance for us in this book is the attention he gave to the diverse responsibilities for which God made humans—the creatures who have been called to serve God and one another throughout their sixth-day generations."

This is a majestic book - it surveys a vast amount of material, it should be required reading for all Christians who take the call to follow God seriously. Grappling with the issues raised in this book will help Christians understand creation better, but more importantly, understand the God of creation that much better and thus our place in relation to him and his creation.… (más)

The Scattered Voice:
Christians At Odds in the Public Square
by James W. Skillen
The author explores seven political perspectives taken by American
Christians that mold their views of their relationship to government and their take on public life. They vary widely. He provides an in-depth description of each political perspective, its mindset, its leaders, its approaches. In his analysis he includes both the strengths and weaknesses of each perspective. His main purpose in doing so is to provide a tool for Christians of widely differing viewpoints to both understand where each other is coming from, and to provide a springboard for communication rather than contention. The seven perspectives he covers and some of the people associated with them are:

Pro-American conservatives (James Dobson, Tim LaHaye, Pat Robertson)
Cautious & critical conservatives (Charles Colson, Mark Amstutz)
Sophisticated neo-conservatives (Richard Neuhaus, Michael Novak)
Traditional and reflective liberals (American Catholicism, United Church of
Christ, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), Douglas Meeks, Max Stackhouse)
Civil rights reformers (Martin Luther King, Jr., Jesse Jackson, John Perkins)
Pro-justice activists (Jim Wallis, Ronald Sider)
Theonomic reconstructionists (Greg Bahnsen, James B. Jordan, Rousas John Rushdoony, etc.)
Though written before the rise of the "Tea Party" movement, it is still a very worthwhile book.

Carolyn Vance… (más)