Book Review: “Reformed Covenant Theology: A Systematic Introduction,” Harrison Perkins
Often when people begin to enter the world of reformed theology, they come in through the front door of Calvinism. But eventually, if you hang around for long, you're going to have to grapple with covenant theology too, and this often presents challenges for people steeped in broad evangelical or Baptist theology. The basic continuity or sameness of the flow of redemptive history from Old Covenant to New is a strange idea for some. And yet reformed folks would say you can't fully grasp the fullness of the Gospel without a grasp of this covenantal approach. That's why this book by Harrison Perkins is such a helpful addition to the discussion..
Other books might be preferred as a brief introduction to covenant theology, but if you want to think more deeply about the distinctions and nuances, this is the book for you. Perkins is extremely thorough in his explanations of the covenant of works, the covenant of grace, the relationship between the persons of the Trinity and the covenants, and the way the covenants relate to the sacraments and practical godly living.
Most helpful is that Perkins is intentional about providing simple illustrations to clarify some of these difficult abstract concepts. For instance, he compares the different administrations of the covenant to a trip to the ice cream shop. Whether you choose a cup or a cone, you always get ice cream. Similarly, whether we are talking about the Abrahamic covenant or the Davidic covenant, Christ is always the substance being delivered, even though we receive him in different ways. (p.274).
Or, while it is true that an envelope is not as important as the letter it contains, the envelope is nonetheless important because it is the means the Postal Service has appointed to carry our letters. In the same way, sacraments are not as important as the gospel, but they are the means God uses to "carry" grace. (p.285).
Or, Adam functions as humanity's covenantal representative in a way similar to how an Olympian represents his nation. Even if the athlete wins the gold medal long before you were born, you will still tend to say "we won” when referring to your nation’s accomplishment, including yourself in the victory. "Their victory or loss is credited to me even though I did not yet exist because they represented the group of people to which I belong." (p.94). In the same way, Adam's sin made us all sinners because he was our representative.
My only critique is that Perkins can tend to spin his wheels sometimes, using lots of words to hammer home a point, meaning this book could have probably been shorter. But again, given the difficulty of the topic, and the common misunderstandings that come with it, I can understand why he thought this was necessary.
This is a substantial, thoughtful, challenging book that will reward careful reading. And it has a great front cover too.
