What is New Covenant Theology? An Introduction

My new book, What is New Covenant Theology: An Introduction is now available from Amazon and New Covenant Media. I am really excited about this little book. I hope it serves to introduce many to the core of New Covenant Theology. I worked hard to keep it short and accessible.

Here is the Table of Contents:

• Introduction 

• Chapter 1 – One Plan of God Centered in Jesus Christ
  
• Chapter 2 – The Old Testament Should Be Interpreted in Light of the New Testament 

• Chapter 3 – The Old Covenant Was Temporary by Divine Design 

• Chapter 4 – The Law Is a Unit 

• Chapter 5 – Christians Are Not Under the Law of Moses, but the ‘Law’ of Christ 

• Chapter 6 – All Members of the New Covenant Community Have the Holy Spirit 

• Chapter 7 – The Church Is the Eschatological Israel 

• Conclusion 

• Recommended Reading

Here are the endorsements:


“This small book is a doctrinal pamphlet packed with straight-forward, palatable teaching on New Covenant Theology (NCT) distinctives regarding seven major Christ-centered doctrinal areas. It will surely provide a valuable service to those church members for whom it was intended, written by a gifted scholar. Although small, it is an important work that explains the essence and basis for a more accurate biblical and theological hermeneutical system. It is purposely designed in clear, succinct language to provide its target audience with what NCT is about in furtherance of the gospel. Pastors and teachers are encouraged to promote this fine, articulate work.”

Gary D. Long, Th.D., Faculty President, Providence Theological Seminary, Colorado Springs, CO



“Blake White has written a wonderfully accessible primer on new covenant theology. Some think the only options out there are dispensationalism or covenant theology and have not even heard of new covenant theology. This is the ideal book to give to someone who wants a brief and convincing exposition of new covenant thought. I recommend this work gladly.”

Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky



“In a very readable, accurate, and succinct manner, Blake White covers the basics of New Covenant Theology. He nicely distinguishes NCT from dispensational and covenant theology by showing NCT's distinctives but in a way that is not complicated or difficult to understand. In addition, for those who often misunderstand NCT, this work also clearly teaches what is at the heart of NCT and how it seeks to understand the whole counsel of God in a way that is true to the Bible's own storyline and which is centered in Christ. I highly recommend this work for those who want to know more about NCT, for those who want to think through how "to put the Bible together," and mostly for those who want to rejoice in Jesus Christ our Lord, our glorious mediator and head of the new covenant.”

Stephen J. Wellum, Professor of Christian Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary



“Blake White has given us another concise treatment on New Covenant Theology. His approach is "big brush strokes." This makes the work to be extremely useful for someone just becoming acquainted with New Covenant Theology. The author states his purpose at the beginning: ‘In this book, I want to lay out the core concepts of New Covenant Theology . . . . . my aim is to make the essentials of New Covenant Theology available in an accessible way for church members.’ I am sure the reader will quickly realize the author has attained is goal.”

John G. Reisinger, Evangelist and Author



“A. Blake White’s book, An Introduction to New Covenant Theology, is exactly what it says! In clear, simple language White shows how this relatively new theological formulation tracks God’s unfolding plan of redemption through the Bible to its culmination in Jesus Christ. All that God has done in Christ is truly amazing and apprehending these truths opens up new vistas of adoration, understanding, and direction in living a life pleasing to God. If you want to better understand the Bible’s own way of presenting the gospel, this book is highly recommended.”

Kirk M. Wellum, Principal, Toronto Baptist Seminary



“What attracts me to this way of seeing Scripture is its determination to use Bible words for Bible concepts, its commitment to following the progressive development of God’s revelation, and its clear view of promise and fulfillment in the central figure of all revelation, Jesus Christ. I have friends and heroes on all sides of the discussion, but after years of Bible study on this subject, I have arrived where the author has arrived. I’m so thankful Blake White has put his studies into our hands and recommend this book as a useful introductory guide to comprehending the aim of the Bible. I’ll use it often.”

Jim Elliff, President, Christian Communicators Worldwide



“Blake White has done us a great service in making clear the basic ideas of New Covenant Theology. By reducing it to these basics it will make it easier to criticize and correct. So much controversy among Christians is due to not understanding the basic principles of the thing being argued about. For this reason I commend it to my fellow Christians. Also I commend it because I think it is right!”

Tom Wells, Author of The Christian and the Sabbath, The Priority of Jesus Christ, and many other books. He is also co-author of New Covenant Theology.



“This book gets to the heart of the debate over New Covenant Theology. I commend the book for how concise and clear it is on key issues and I am especially excited by its irenic tone. May the Lord use it to move the discussion forward.”

Jason C. Meyer, Associate Professor of New Testament, Bethlehem College and Seminary



“If you want a book that gets to the core of New Covenant Theology, this is it. When someone asks you to explain NCT, you now have a concise resource to put in their hands. Blake White has composed a helpful map for navigating the three major interpretive approaches to the Bible. Don't just read it, give copies to those who need to be reminded that Christ is all in all.”

Douglas Goodin, President, Cross to Crown Ministries, Colorado Springs, CO



“Blake has given us a basic primer on New Covenant Theology that lays out the fundamental truths of this system of biblical truth. The book is easy to read and follow. The strength of the book is its clear explanation of the difference between the old covenant and the new covenant. This difference between the two covenants describes the essence of what is New Covenant Theology and why it is so different from Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism.”

Geoff Volker, Director of In-Depth Studies, Temple, AZ

Holy Land

"The early Christians possessed no territorial theology. Early Christian preaching is utterly uninterested in a Jewish eschatology devoted to the restoration of the land. The kingdom of Christ began in Judea and is historically anchored there but it is not tethered to a political realization of that kingdom in the Holy Land."

Gary Burge, Jesus and the Land, 59.

Dr. Wellum's Faculty Address: Extent of Atonement & Ecclesiology

SBTS PhD student John Meade writes,

Southern Seminary has a wonderful tradition of having select faculty members give formal addresses to the faculty and seminary community at large. This semester Dr. Wellum gave an address entitled “What does the Extent of the Atonement have to do with Baptist Ecclesiology: an Experience of Doing Theology.” This address embodies what systematic theology should be and it is a great example of sound theological method. I encourage all to listen to it here.

I couldn't agree more! Listen and share with friends.

My 2 Year Old & Original Sin

As has been said, there is at least one empirically verifiable doctrine: original sin. Those who claim that human nature is basically pure and good are either deluded or have never had kids. I love my 2 year old to death, but the lil' dude clearly has a hard heart. As Luther would say, he is curved in on himself.

We recently went to the doctor for his 2 year check up, and they distributed paperwork that outlined various things we should be experiencing and other things we should expect. Here is a sample:

Emotional Development 

• Gets upset and impatient easily. 
• Shows anger by crying or striking out. 
• Gets frustrated when not understood. 
• Wants own way. 
• May assert self by saying “no”. 
• Goes back to acting like a baby at times. 
• Is upset when daily routine changes. 
• Has sharp mood changes. 

Social Development

• Does not share. 
• Claims everything is “mine”. 
• May scratch, hit bite, and push other children.

Mental Development  

•  “Likes to “do-it-myself”. 
• Cannot be reasoned with much of the time.

If we are honest, we all share these attitudes all too often.

2012 Providence Theological Seminary Conference

The Providence Theological Seminary Doctrinal Conference will be on July 24-27 this year. If interested in New Covenant Theology, and specifically the NT use of the OT, you may be interested in coming. I will be giving a talk on the Abrahamic Covenant in the letter to the Galatians. Here is the registration info. Here is the schedule with the list of speakers.

Neither Jew nor Gentile

"This is why, for the new covenant apostles, Jew-Gentile unity is pivotal to the early church. It is about more than human relational harmony. Instead, it acknowledges that God's kingdom purposes are in Christ. He is the last man and the true Israel, the bearer of the Spirit. A Jewish person who clings to the tribal markings of the old covenant acts as though the eschaton has not arrived, as though one were still waiting for the promised seed. Both Jews and Gentiles must instead see their identities not in themselves or in the flesh but in Jesus Christ and in him alone. Jesus is the descendant of Abraham, the one who deserves the throne of David. He is the obedient Israel who inherits the blessings of the Mosaic covenant. He is the propitiation of God's wrath. He is the firstborn from the dead, the resurrection and the life.

Those who are in Christ - whether Jew or Gentile - receive with him all the eschatological blessings that are due to him. In him, they are all, whether Jew or Gentiles, sons of God - not only in terms of relationship with the Father but also in terms of promised inheritance (Rom. 8:12-17). In Christ, they all - whether Jew or Gentile - are sons of Abraham, the true circumcision, the holy nation, and the household and commonwealth of God (Gal. 3:23-4:7; Eph. 2-3; Col 2:6-15; 3:3-11; 1 Pet. 2:9-10)."

Russell Moore, "Personal and Cosmic Eschatology," in A Theology for the Church, 867-68.

Keller at John Stott's US Memorial

Replacement Theology?

 ESV  Matthew 8:11-12 - "I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.""

 ESV  Matthew 21:43 - "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits."

-Jesus

Christological Trilemma

"Christ either deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or he was himself deluded and self-deceived, or he was Divine. There is no getting out of this trilemma. It is inexorable."

-John Duncan (1871)

Good Lookin' Out: Exalted

My friend Doug Goodin (President of Cross to Crown Ministries) has recently published his first book, Exalted: Putting Jesus in His Place (also available on Kindle). If is full of Christ-centered thoughts on a host of topics. A book like this is much needed.

Here is the Table of Contents:

Part One: Thinking Jesus First

1. Why Did God Make the World? ...............1

2. Firstborn...................................................3

3. Gospel....................................................17

4. Inheritance..............................................31

5. Mystery...................................................39

6. Kingdom.................................................49

7. Consummation.......................................57

Part Two: Living Jesus First

8. Prayer ....................................................69

9. Preaching...............................................79

10.Family.....................................................89

11.Mission...................................................99

12.Love.....................................................105

13.Why Did I Write This Book?....................115

You can read the first chapter here.