Review Roundup: Covenant Theology (Part 2)

by on March 6, 2025 | Comment

Richard P. Belcher Jr., The Fulfillment of the Promises of God: An Explanation of Covenant Theology (Fearn, Ross-Shire, UK: Mentor, 2020)

This book is a biblical-theological survey of the covenants from the Reformed perspective. It also includes chapters assessing different paradigms of covenant theology. Belcher’s work on Baptist covenant theology is especially helpful. My review first appeared at Modern Reformation.1

Daniel I. Block, Covenant: The Framework of God’s Grand Plan of Redemption (Ada, MI: Baker Academic, 2021)

Block outlines his proposal for the biblical-theological development of the covenant theme as a biblical scholar in the generic evangelical perspective. My review originally appeared in the Confessional Presbyterian.2

J. V. Fesko, The Covenant of Redemption: Origins, Development, and Reception (Göttingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2016)

This is a first-of-its-kind work looking at how the doctrine of the covenant of redemption developed historically in the Reformed tradition. My review originally appeared in the Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology.3

J. V. Fesko, The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption (Fearn, Ross-Shire, UK: Mentor, 2016)

This is a great exploration of the covenant of redemption from historical, exegetical, and theological vantage points. My review originally appeared in the Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology.4

J. V. Fesko, The Covenant of Works: Origins, Development, and Reception (New York: Oxford University Press, 2020)

This book is a profound survey of the ideas behind the covenant of works throughout history, especially in Reformed theology. My review appears in Journal of Theological Studies.5

Peter J. Gentry, Kingdom Through Covenant: A Biblical Theology of the Covenants, 2nd ed. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2018)

Gentry presents progressive covenantalism in this work. Progressive covenantalism is a major development in Baptist theology and articulates the most sophisticated Baptistic take on the covenants. My Heidelblog review is available here.6

Pierrick Hildebrand, The Zurich Origins of Reformed Covenant Theology, Oxford Studies in Historical Theology (New York: Oxford University Press, 2024)

Pierrick Hildebrand’s work is an historical treatment of continental covenant theology arguing that the Reformed tradition’s covenantal emphases began in Zurich with Ulrich Zwingli. My review appeared in the Journal of Theological Studies.7

A. T. B. McGowan, Adam, Christ and Covenant: Exploring Headship Theology (London: Apollos/Inter-Varsity Press, 2016)

McGowan’s is a provocative work trying to reformulate how the headship of Adam and Christ work while denying the reality of God’s covenant of works with Adam. My review originally appeared in Unio cum Christo.8

Stephen G. Myers, Scottish Federalism and Covenantalism in Transition: The Theology of Ebenezer Erskine (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2015)

Myers’ work insightfully explores how Ebenezer Erskine used covenant theology in various debates in Scottish history. My review originally appeared in the Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology.9

Brent E. Parker and Richard J. Lucas eds., Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies: Four Views on the Continuity of Scripture (London: IVP Academic, 2022)

This book is part of IVP Academic’s Spectrum Multiview Books. It collects interactive essays from theologians representing classical covenant theology, progressive covenantalism, classic dispensationalism, and progressive dispensationalism. My Heidelblog review is available in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 and aims to interact with various aspects of the book rather than simply summarize and comment on it.10 My briefer review is available in New Horizons.11

Robert J. D. Wainwright, Early Reformation Covenant Theology: English Reception of Swiss Reformed Thought, 1520–1555 (Phillipsburg NJ: P&R Publishing, 2020)

Wainwright examines covenant theology concerning how Swiss formulations were received by English theologians. His emphasis is on how they understood the conditions of the covenant. The book is interesting but lacks categorical precision in analyzing some key concepts. My review originally appeared in Church History 90 no 1 (March 2021): 194–96.

Guy Prentiss Waters, J. Nicholas Reid, and John R. Muether eds., Covenant Theology: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Perspectives (Wheaton IL: Crossway, 2020)

This massive collection of essays from RTS faculty treats covenant from nearly every angle. The bibliography is extensive and comments on the contribution of a lot of sources about covenant theology. The weak spot in this volume is that it is light on truly systematic perspective for covenant theology. My review appeared at Modern Reformation.13

Notes

  1. Harrison Perkins, “‘The Fulfillment of the Promises of God: An Explanation of Covenant Theology’ by Richard P. Belcher Jr.,” Modern Reformation, August 11, 2010.
  2. Harrison Perkins, “Review of Daniel I Block ‘Covenant: The Framework of God’s Grand Plan of Redemption,’” Confessional Presbyterian 17 (2021): 175­–77
  3. Harrison Perkins, “Review of J.V. Fesko ‘The Covenant of Redemption: Origins, Reception, and Development,’” Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 35, no 1 (Spring 2017): 120–23.
  4. Harrison Perkins, “Review of J.V. Fesko ‘The Trinity and the Covenant of Redemption,’” Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 35, no 1 (Spring 2017): 120–23.
  5. Harrison Perkins, “The Covenant of Works: The Origins, Development, and Reception of the Doctrine. By J. V. Fesko,” Journal of Theological Studies 72, no. 2 (October 2021): 1037–38.
  6. Harrison Perkins, “Kingdom Through Covenant—Round Two,” Heidelblog, August 10, 2021.
  7. Harrison Perkins, “The Zurich Origins of Reformed Covenant Theology. By Pierrick Hildebrand,” Journal of Theological Studies (February 2024).
  8. Harrison Perkins, “Review of A.T.B. McGowan ‘Adam, Christ, and Covenant: Exploring Headship Theology,’” Unio cum Christo 3, no 1 (April 2017): 276–79.
  9. Harrison Perkins, “Review of Stephen Myers ‘Scottish Federalism and Covenantalism in Transition: The Theology of Ebenezer Erskine,’” Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology 35, no 2 (2018): 224–25.
  10. See Harrison Perkins, “A Response to Brent E. Parker and Richard J. Lucas (eds.), Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies: Four Views on the Continuity of Scripture (Part 1),” Heidelblog, January 16, 2023; “A Response to Brent E. Parker and Richard J. Lucas (eds.), Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies: Four Views on the Continuity of Scripture (Part 2),” Heidelblog, January 17, 2023; “A Response to Brent E. Parker and Richard J. Lucas (eds.), Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies: Four Views on the Continuity of Scripture (Part 3),” Heidelblog, January 18, 2023.
  11. Harrison Perkins, “Covenantal and Dispensational Theologies: Four Views on the Continuity of Scripture,” New Horizons 44, no. 4 (April 2023): 21–23.
  12. Harrison Perkins, “Early Reformation Covenant Theology: English Reception of Swiss Reformed Thought, 1520–1555. By Robert J. D. Wainwright. Reformed Academic Dissertations. Phillipsburg, N.J.: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing, 2020. 432 pp. $59.00 paper.,” Church History 90 no 1 (March 2021): 194–96.
  13. Harrison Perkins, “‘Covenant Theology: Biblical, Theological, and Historical Perspectives,’ edited by Guy Prentiss Waters, J. Nicholas Reid, and John R. Muether,” Modern Reformation, December 8, 2020.

©Harrison Perkins. All Rights Reserved.

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