The Need for a Regular Baptist Commentary Series

This is worthy goal, and I pledge to buy and review the first volume when it’s released. This is very good news!

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

What are the “closest” fits to what RBC wants—something premillenial dispensational, “essentially literal” hermeneutic, and “distinctively baptist” polity? I would guess that MacArthur’s would come fairly close to that target, no? Baker’s? Expositor’s?

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.

Who will be the contributors to this series, and for which books? A list of this information will be very helpful in preliminary promotions and fundraising.

Also, will this be something like Expositor’s? Or perhaps like Holman commentary? Or perhaps like the New American commentary?

Thomas Overmiller
Pastor | StudyGodsWord.com
Blog | ShepherdThoughts.com

First, my bona fides. I grew up in one of the historic GARBC churches where Robert Ketcham was my mom’s pastor during her teen years. I graduated from a GARBC College and Seminary and pastored two GARBC churches. I am grateful for that heritage.

However, is there a continuing compelling rationale for the GARBC today? Has their primary reason for existence become to promote dispensational premillennialism? Does the fact that a small association of baptist churches has a “unique theological perspective” concern anyone? A church that believes as T. T. Shields did, or Spurgeon, can not be a part of the GARBC.

Perhaps a bit of theological triage is in order. Eschatology is a test of fellowship, but soteriology (the Doctrines of Grace) — eh, believe what you want.

If this series is unique, as advertised, they will spend a lot of money to produce volumes that will sell by the dozens.

Donn R Arms

[TOvermiller]

Who will be the contributors to this series, and for which books? A list of this information will be very helpful in preliminary promotions and fundraising.

Dan Davey from Virginia Beach Theological Seminary is doing Romans.

I’m excited about this because a sane fundamentalist association is putting out some resources for its people. It’s producing theological work. Fundamentalists haven’t done very much of this. This is a good project, and I have to believe RBP is making a go of it because they think it can be a success.

What will this commentary series bring to the table?

  • I hope its exegetical and not popular. That is, I hope it at least aims for the NAC or EBC level.
  • I hope it’s not a weak series, like the 21st Century Commentary Series is
  • MacArthur has a corner on the dispensational, premillennial, Reformed-ish market. I suspect this commentary series will bring a more muted Calvinism (ala 1833 NHCF vice 1689 LBCF) and a Baptist ecclesiology; something MacArthur certainly doesn’t have.

Will it be worth it? I think it will. I’ll buy the first volume on faith!

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

[Donn R Arms]

First, my bona fides. I grew up in one of the historic GARBC churches where Robert Ketcham was my mom’s pastor during her teen years. I graduated from a GARBC College and Seminary and pastored two GARBC churches. I am grateful for that heritage.

However, is there a continuing compelling rationale for the GARBC today? Has their primary reason for existence become to promote dispensational premillennialism? Does the fact that a small association of baptist churches has a “unique theological perspective” concern anyone? A church that believes as T. T. Shields did, or Spurgeon, can not be a part of the GARBC.

Perhaps a bit of theological triage is in order. Eschatology is a test of fellowship, but soteriology (the Doctrines of Grace) — eh, believe what you want.

If this series is unique, as advertised, they will spend a lot of money to produce volumes that will sell by the dozens.

I don’t have the bona fides. But I do wonder what it might add to biblical scholarship with all the series already available. I also wonder how many of the authors have already produced serious scholarly works. This is not the place to start. It will be interesting to see who the contributors are.

Will it be worth it? I think it will. I’ll buy the first volume on faith!

Will you buy it on faith or because God predestined you to buy it?

;)

"Our task today is to tell people — who no longer know what sin is...no longer see themselves as sinners, and no longer have room for these categories — that Christ died for sins of which they do not think they’re guilty." - David Wells

I’m a compatibilist, so I’ll say that I’ll freely choose to buy it but, in a manner I can’t ever understand, God will be channeling my innate desire for His own positive ends = I’ll buy the commentary.

Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.

I would be interested in a Regular Baptist Commentary series.

Southern Baptists now have the conservative New American Commentary. I’ve found it very useful. I also like expositional, popular commentaries like those by Warren Wiersbe and J. Vernon McGee. I think every pastor should have them all.

As to the extent of the atonement – Why not present both views in the Regular Baptist Commentary?

Downside – Something in them will likely make most everyone unhappy.

David R. Brumbelow