Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 35:2 (Spring 2021)
Article: Book Review "Systematic Theology: An Introduction To Biblical Doctrine" By Wayne Grudem (2nd Ed., Zondervan Academic, 2020)
Author: Allison M. Quient

PP 35:1 (Winter 2021) p. 19

Book Review
Systematic Theology: An Introduction To Biblical Doctrine
By Wayne Grudem (2nd Ed., Zondervan Academic, 2020)

Allison Quient

and

Nicholas Quient

Allison M. Quient is a PhD candidate in Divinity at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, specializing in Systematic Theology and New Testament. She was the recipient of The Jack and Phyllis Middleton Memorial Award for Excellence in Bible and Theology for her article “Eve Christology” in The Canadian-American Theological Review, and has contributed to Priscilla Papers and Mutuality.

Rev. Nicholas Rudolph Quient is a PhD candidate in New Testament at Ridley College in Melbourne, Australia. He has published in The Evangelical Review of Theology and Priscilla Papers, and is the author of The Perfection of Our Faithful Wills (Wipf & Stock, 2019). He is ordained in the American Baptist Churches USA.

One cannot ignore the impact of Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology upon conservative evangelicalism, especially as it relates to the evangelical gender debate. As co-founder of The Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood1 and a significant face behind the complementarian-leaning English Standard Version, Grudem’s second edition (ST2 hereafter) merits a review in Priscilla Papers.

Although much remains unchanged in ST2 regarding critical issues within the gender debate, there are some differences. Of note, Grudem (and Bruce Ware2) have adjusted their understanding of the Trinity to include Eternal Generation,3 also known as Eternal Procession. Eternal Generation holds that the Son is eternally begotten by the Father. To use creedal language, the Son is Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten not made. Not surprisingly, Grudem attempts to link this ancient doctrine with his views on gender hierarchy.

Although Grudem demonstrates awareness of some recent egalitarian scholarship from Philip Payne and Cynthia Westfall, he lacks the substantive engagement one might expect when updating such a massive and influential work. Aside from some minor corrections and updated bibliography at the end of each section, there is little else new in ST2 concerning the evangelical gender debate. This is unfortunate because there have been numerous exegetical, textual, and theological advances within the broader egalitarian conversation.

In this review article, two areas will be critiqued: 1) Grudem’s use of Eternal Generation to support eternal functi...