The Last Things: Resurrection, Judgment, Glory (Christian Foundations, 7)

Rating:
Summary: Theology and Hope
Review: THE LAST THINGS is the seventh and final volume of Donald Bloesch's CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS series. As I've said before, this is a unique systematic theology. Most systematic theologies provide extensive discussions of biblical concepts and the history of theology. CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS is different in that, while the Bible is discussed, much of the work consists of the interaction by Prof. Bloesch with other thinkers and schools of thought. Prof. Bloesch is something of an evangelical centrist of a Reformed persuasion, so you can see how a centrist interacts with more liberal and more conservative thinkers.

THE LAST THINGS concerns what is often called general eschatology ("bible prophecy") and individual eschatology (what happens to people after they die). Prof. Bloesch is always interesting and irenic. For example, he takes the position that there is the opportunity for conversion after death, based on the passages in the Bible which describe Jesus preaching to the dead (such as I Peter 3 & Eph. 4). Of course, these verses are difficult to interpret (some take them to mean merely that Jesus preached to those who had since died or were "spiritually dead") and a one-volume work such as Donald Guthrie's NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY has a more in-depth discussion of these passages.

In spite of its limitations, Prof. Bloesch's CHRISTIAN FOUNDATIONS makes for rewarding reading, but is not a substitute for more "foundational" studies of Christian theology.

Rating:
Summary: The Last Volume is on the Last Things.
Review: This is another great contribution to Bloesch's theology of Word and Spirit. It is his last volume but certainly not his best. Divergent traditions are assessed for contributions they make and errors they espouse relating to the end times. The author surfaces some controversial areas at the beginning of the book, moves on to a discussion of supernatural powers (demons, angels), and then analyzes eschatological events like the day of the Lord, millennial views, (the rapture is rejected by Bloesch) and the resurrection. Many in the evangelical camp will be disappointed by Bloesch's emphasis upon the communion of saints, including the benefits of mutual communication by prayer, and the possibility of salvation after death. While not a Universalist, the author moves close to Barth and emphasized the ultimate triumph of God's grace beyond the grave. At times the book reads more like a polemic for his position on these areas than a theological discussion flavoring also the chapters on the Interim State and the Triumph of Grace.
Bloesch's binary perspective and explanation of issues continues in this volume. Familiarity with a multiplicity of traditions and scholars is a strength of Bloesch's work and this volume is no exception. Current trends including Open Theism are addressed and Bloesch is not afraid to state his own views clearly; points that make this book worth the read. In the end, Bloesch is strongest in matters Christological rather than eschatological.