Christian Dogmatics
An Introduction
Cornelis van der Kooi and Gijsbert van den Brink
Translated by Reinder Bruinsma with James D. Bratt
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans
Hbk, 820pp, £34.99
ISBN 978-0-8028-7265-4

Publisher's website here

In their Preface, van der Kooi and van den Brink pose the question: ‘Who in their right mind would consider publishing a book with this title?’ Fortunately, Eerdmans have.

The book is extremely well laid out and each chapter follows a similar well-framed structure:

Aim
Making Connections
The main text
List of references

The aim highlights what each chapter attempts to do and serves as the skeleton of the discussion. Making connections poses some questions that will aid understanding of the subsequent chapter, they also provide opportunities for self-reflection. These would make excellent seminar materials for students studying the book. Each chapter is concluded by one or two pages of references - this supplements the surprisingly brief bibliography at the end of the book.

Van der Kooi and den Brink write from a Dutch Reformed perspective and this provides a refreshing approach. Kuyper, Dooyeweerd, sphere sovereignty, common grace and the cultural mandate all get a mention. As well as the usual topics of the Trinity, the attributes of God, the doctrine of revelation, the doctrine of creation, anthropology, sin and evil, the covenant, Christology, Soteriology, pneumatology, the doctrine of scripture, ecclesiology and eschatology.

If you can afford only one book on Christian Dogmatics or Systematic theology then this is the one to get.

Below (see http://stevebishop.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/review-of-christian-dogmatics-by-van.html) I have provided a tabular comparison with Michael Bird’s Evangelical Theology and Grudem’s rather dated Systematic Theology. My original comparison was here - I’ve since updated it with rows on 'Kuyper mentions' and 'views of common grace'.