Journal: Journal of the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies
Volume: JIRBS 09:1 (NA 2024)
Article: In Defense Of Classical Theism A Review Article Of Jeffrey Johnson’s "The Revealed God"
Author: Drew Sparks

JIRBS 9 (2024) p. 49

In Defense Of Classical Theism
A Review Article Of Jeffrey Johnson’s The Revealed God

Drew Sparks*

*Drew Sparks, Ph.D., is pastor at Trinity Reformed Baptist Church in Terre Haute, IN. He is also Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at Ivy Tech Community College.

in The Revealed God: An Introduction to Biblical Classical Theism,1 Jeffrey D. Johnson addresses a host of theological and philosophical concerns as he calls Christians to forsake pagan philosophies and know the God of biblical classical theism. The influence of Thomas Aquinas and the related rise of philosophical classical theism concern Johnson. Philosophical classical theism imbibes the pagan philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, risks denying that God is personal, cannot account for creation ex nihilo, and abandons the foundations of a biblical worldview. For Johnson, nothing less than the sufficiency of Scripture is at stake (217–28). Christians must affirm the sufficiency of Scripture and reject philosophical ideas that contradict its teaching. Here, I agree with Johnson. Attacks against Scripture’s sufficiency and the influence of philosophical ideas that undermine Scripture’s teaching raise their head throughout the history of the church and will do so until Christ returns. Until then, pastors of all ages defend the faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3). Johnson takes up his pastoral pen to warn the church and protect Christ’s bride. However, I disagree with the particular arguments put forth

JIRBS 9 (2024) p. 50

by Johnson. I hope to ease the concerns he presents in his work and answer objections in this article which serves as a review of and response to The Revealed God. It comes in three sections. In the first section, I analyze Johnson’s book and present his arguments. The second section contains minor criticisms. The third section responds to Johnson’s arguments regarding simplicity, analogical language, and the chain of being.

Analysis

The Revealed God consists of four parts, plus an Introduction. In the Introduction, Johnson puts forth six models of God, each of which considers God’s nature and relation to the universe (11). The six models include deism, classical theism, open theism, process theism, panentheism, and pantheism. These models exist on a sliding scale of transcendence and immanence. He speaks of transcendence in terms of “degrees” and discusses “mediating models” that “uphold some type of balance” (15) as they manage “tension” (14). Johnson places transcendence and immanence in competition without explaining why they are opposite sides of an extrem...