Journal: Conservative Theological Journal
Volume: CTJ 04:11 (Apr 2000)
Article: Book Notices
Author: Anonymous

Book Notices

A Biblical Theology Of The Church. Mal Couch, gen. ed., Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1999, 330 pp., Hardback, $ 17.99.

This book covers every aspect of the church one could inquire about. It looks at the church doctrinally and then in the practical sense. However, it does not try to address the issue of modern trends or fads that seem to come and go yearly. The book focuses on church polity and the important issue of the roles of elders and deacons. It is extremely biblical and textual and goes back to the roots of the church in the New Testament. Besides Couch, other contributors are: Thomas Figart, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, Thomas Ice, and Russell Penney.

Some important chapters are: “Gifts of the Spirit for the Church,” “The Apostasy of the Church,” “Doctrine of Biblical Elders,” “Choosing of Pastors-Teachers-Elders and Their Primary Task,” “Women in the Church,” “Discipline in the Church,” and “Pastoral Care.” A Scriptural and Subject Index helps for doing additional research.

The book is ideal for small groups. It is a must for pastors who want to strengthen the direction and purpose of their local church. The first chapter on Hermeneutics and Ecclesiology may be helpful in interpreting what the church is really all about. An important question is asked: “Which system best explains ecclesiology and the doctrine of the church, covenant theology or dispensational theology?” Dispensational hermeneutics seems best to explain the church as the unique organism it really is for this period in history. “Now, individual Jews and Gentiles who respond to the proclamation of the gospel are being added to this new ‘thing,’ the church.”

Finally, the prayer for the book is that “those who study these pages will experience a renewal, a fresh enthusiasm human strength. Those who are His cannot serve Him unless there is the flow of blessing from Christ who is the Head.”