The Banner of Truth has republished Louis Berkhof’s Systematic Theology in 2021. This is now an expanded edition which includes Berkhof’s Introductory Volume to Systematic Theology.
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Systematic Theology (by Louis Berkhof)
Berkhof’s Systematic Theology is a standard text for Reformed Christians. He is known as a theologian who is among the best at articulating doctrine in an understandable way. He is not writing about anything novel or ground-breaking; he is instead teaching what has already been taught throughout the history of the church about doctrine. This makes him an excellent systematic and historical theologian! This is why he is so widely read even in the 21st century. But, he ought to be even more widely read, and for this reason, I am very grateful that Banner of Truth has published this volume for us.
In typical Banner fashion, the book itself is beautiful! It’s a black cloth-bound hardcover book with a very simple, elegant white and red dust jacket. The font and font size of the book are perfect (not too big, not too small).
As mentioned above, the first part of this book is Berhkof’s Introductory Volume to Systematic Theology. This consists of about 200 pages that deals with the history, idea, and principia of dogmatic theology. I think that people have a habit of passing over this volume, but I hope that readers will take the time to benefit from Berhkof’s mature thinking on these topics. It lays an excellent foundation for the study of systematic theology. With that being said, I must admit that Berkhof’s second section in this volume, Systematic Theology, is indeed much more satisfying of a read. Berkhof is absolutely masterful at expressing what the whole Bible teaches us about a given topic. And somehow he does so in a very concise manner. It would take me much more space to cover what Berkhof covers in a paragraph. He packs a powerful punch in every sentence. He doesn’t mince words, as they say. Not only that, but Berkhof is a phenomenal historical theologian. He often presents different views for the topic that he is presenting. You’ll often read about the Lutheran, Catholic, and Reformed view of many of the subjects. This is such a huge asset to this book that I think many contemporary systematic theologies lack.
Berkhof’s Systematic Theology was instrumental in my journey from credobaptism to paedobaptism. It wasn’t just his excellent section on baptism itself. It was also his section on the covenant of grace. Just reading part IV of his section “Man in the Covenant of Grace” is probably enough to, at the least, get many Christians to seriously consider the nature of the church and why children of professing believers should still receive the promises of the covenant (i.e. baptism). His ability to communicate deep truths in pithy ways is such a rare gift.
This book will continue to be a go-to resource for Reformed Christians for many years to come. This Banner of Truth edition is the best out there. I truly can’t recommend it highly enough! Tolle lege! Take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Banner of Truth for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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