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From Eden To The New Jerusalem: An Introduction To Biblical Theology (2009)

by T. Desmond Alexander(Favorite Author)

4.3 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0825420156 (ISBN13: 9780825420153)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

Kregel Academic & Professional

review 1: [Special thanks to Penny Glover and IVP UK for providing a review copy of this book. Read full review at mydigitalseminary.wordpress.com]T. Desmond Alexander has provided the church with a magnificent work of Biblical Theology that is both accessible and scholarly.From Eden to the New Jerusalem attempts to give a big picture (meta-narrative) of God’s plan for creation by tracing six central themes throughout the Bible. With this thesis, Alexander hopes to address an area of neglect that he sees in Biblical scholarship, showing how the Biblical storyline works as a whole.The first theme is the presence of God on earth, which others are built upon. As a result this chapter proves to be the most substantial (61 pages out of 193 total), which is welcome considering the conce... morept being foreign to many. … It is heavily grounded in Scripture and very persuasively argued. Unfortunately, Christ as the temple is only briefly touched on, which seems to me a significant oversight since Christ is not only the hero of our story, but also because He and His work are the hinge on which God’s presence turns from being limited to a holy building to indwelling a now-holy people. …The final chapter was a little confusing as no clear overarching thesis could be discerned. An interesting comparison of Babylon to the New Jerusalem quickly morphed into a mini-‘sermon’ against capitalism. While this is natural in discussing Babylon, it felt like a misstep and distraction from the book’s overall purpose.My most significant issues with the book are a) the neglect that Christ receives in some chapters rather than being central, and b) a lack of discussion about the role that heaven plays as a temporary waiting place for the New Creation.However, I must praise this tremendous book highly. It is amazingly concise given the Scriptural wealth found within. Alexander sets a great example in his very clear writing, bringing sometimes-complicated truths down to earth for the rest of us in this thoroughly eye opening and Biblical book.I would eagerly recommend this to both new and seasoned Christians, as I believe both would benefit greatly from this book.
review 2: Author T. Desmond Alexander has provided us with an outstanding work on biblical theology. In his book, Alexander traces the principal story line of the Bible, or meta-story, from Genesis through Revelation. That meta-story describes God’s original plan for both mankind and the earth, then how that that plan was derailed when Adam and Eve sinned, forfeiting their position as vice-regents and giving dominion over the earth to Satan. Alexander reveals how God has been working ever since to reclaim the earth and its people from Satan’s power. In reclaiming the earth, God is seeking to dwell with his people. So Alexander walks us through the role of the tabernacle, the temple and the church in this grand meta-story. All of this will lead to a day when God will reign uncontested in the New Jerusalem. Alexander provides us with a scholarly work that is nevertheless easy to read. Only occasionally one comes across a book that is paradigm-shifting; this is one of those books. I wholeheartedly recommend this book. If I could, I would give it six stars. I would also suggest readers consider another good book that deals somewhat with this meta-story, and that is “Dominion and Dynasty” by Stephen Dempster. less

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