An accidental blog

"If God is sovereign, then his lordship must extend over all of life, and it cannot be restricted to the walls of the church or within the Christian orbit." Abraham Kuyper Common Grace 1.1.

Friday, 23 October 2020

Review of Toxel’s What is Man?


What is Man?
Basics of the Faith
A. Craig Troxel
Philipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing
Pbk, 36pp, £3.99
ISBN 978-1-59638-166-7



This is a brief introduction to biblical anthropology and is part of the rapidly increasing series on the Basics of Faith from P&R Publishing. Troxel is a professor of systematic theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and is the author of a fuller book on the subject With all Your Heart. 

The strength of this book is that it begins with humans made in the image of God. He sees humans as a unity of body and soul and espouses a holistic dualism. He provides good arguments for the rejection of the trichotomous views (ie body, soul and spirit). 

He then moves in briefly to discuss the heart: “the Bible’s principal word to describe humanity’ inner self”. 

The central core of the booklet then utilises Thomas Manton’s notion of the fourfold state of man: man in a state of innocence, in the state of sin, in the state of grace, and in the state of glory. 

This is a useful introduction to a holistic dualism - even if I don’t fully agree with some of his points. I look forward to reading his fuller treatment of the human heart.





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