God's Glory Alone - The Majestic Heart of Christian Faith and Life
What the Reformers Taught...and Why It Still Matters
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Renowned scholar David VanDrunen tracks the historical and biblical roots of the idea that all glory belongs exclusively to God. God's Glory Alone is a beautiful reflection on how commitment to God's glory alone fortifies us to live godly lives in this present age.
Reinvigorating one of the five great declarations of the Reformation—soli Deo gloria—VanDrunen:
Examines the development of this theme in the Reformation, in subsequent Reformed theology and confessions, and in contemporary theologians who continue to be inspired by the conviction that all glory belongs to God.
Turns to the biblical story of God's glory, beginning with the pillar of cloud and fire revealed to Israel, continuing through the incarnation, death, and exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and culminating in Christ's Second Coming and the glorification of his people.
Addresses several of today's great cultural challenges and temptations that attempt to draw us away from a God-centered instead of self-centered way of life.
This book leads you into a renewed sense of awe and adoration for our Creator and Redeemer as it mines deeply into the biblical and theological truths about God's glory that stand at the center of the Christian faith.
Series
Featured Series
2 primary books3 released booksThe Five Solas
The Five Solas is a 3-book series with 3 released primary works first released in 2015 with contributions by Stephen J. Wellum, Thomas R. Schreiner, and David VanDrunen.
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This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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VanDrunen begins by discussing the Reformers' emphasis on the Glory of God and the way that impacted the movement, its concerns, goals and means. I don't recall being struck by any particular insights here, but it was a pretty worthwhile overview.
The strongest section was Part 2, where VanDrunen considered the Biblical teachings on God's glory. How God's glory was manifested in the cloud during the Exodus and following, then how the Incarnation of the Son displayed His glory. Finally, he considered the glorification of God's saints and how that leads to God being glorified. This part could have been more detailed and more extended to greater effect and use if you ask me, but it was a good start to one's own investigation to the topic.
In Part 3, “Living for God's Glory Today,” VanDrunen seeks to apply these thoughts to our daily lives – which sadly, was the weakest part of the book. He had a lot to say about the way that smartphones/social media/the Internet is affecting our minds/attention spans and therefore the way we act in worship/respond to the preached Word, etc. – and on the whole, his comments were probably sound, but the way he 1. presented his case, 2. dwelt on it, 3. kept beating this equine after it had expired made him seem like a cranky Luddite rather than a thoughtful teacher with pastoral concerns.
He did however, use Rebecca Konyndyk DeYoung's material on Vainglory from her book, Glittering Vices (and her book on Vainglory in particular) in a much more interesting way than she did – so that's a plus.
In the end, it really didn't do much for me, but was solid enough to recommend. A pretty easy, if sometimes dry, read (hard to imagine that this subject would lend itself to a dry book). I'm still planning on getting the rest of the series, hoping the other authors give something more engaging.
