No One Like Him: The Doctrine of God

Foundations of Evangelical Theology

by John S. Feinberg

Book by

Genres: Theology, Christian, Reference, Christianity, Religion, Christian Non Fiction, Christian Living

879 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2001

About the author

John S. Feinberg (PhD, University of Chicago) is department chair and professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of Ethics for a Brave New World (with Paul D. Feinberg) and is general editor of Crossway’s Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.

Reviews

[Brian Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a hefty (800-plus pages) volume on the Doctrine of God, or what traditionally is called Theology Proper. Feinberg approaches the study of God from an evangelical perspective, upholding the inerrancy of Scripture. But he frames his discussion in the light of more recent theological systems, including process theology and open theism. He believes that some people are drawn to those theologies because they present a view of a God who is more responsive to human beings. He believes that an orthodox view of God needs to be sensitive to the ways in which Scripture portrays God as responding to his people's prayers and needs. Therefore, Feinberg produces a picture of God as the king who cares.

Major sections of the book are devoted to God's being, attributes, and interaction with the world. Feinberg provides a more nuanced look at God's attributes. The overall picture of God is what might be called a modified Calvinism, in which God is completely sovereign (decreeing and in control of all events in history) and people are compatibilistically free.

I found this book to be challenging but also very thorough. It's rather philosophical, which makes it a unique book of theology. I would highly recommend it, though the length and complexity of the book will likely turn off many readers.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melted my brain at times. This book was extremely thorough and thought-provoking. I am confident I will re-visit this book from time to time in order to get a more firm grasp on some of the concepts discussed.

[Alexandru Croitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great work of Systematic Theology regarding Theology Proper; I would give more than 5 stars for the biblical case for compatibilism and also his chapters on Divine Providence and Human Responsibility.
However, he was rather unconvincing for the modified classical theist model he presented. His interaction with Process Theology and Open Theism made it more 'easily' to see how 'not so far away' he is positioned in regard to classical theism tho.

Overall, a great read ( especially on providence and soft determinism!!)

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

800+ pages on Theology Proper by a noted Evangelical scholar. Recommended.

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic evangelical tome on theology proper by Trinity Evangelical Divinity School's John S. Feinberg. The material is rich, spanning historical theology to contemporary theological discourse. Albeit I didn't agree with all of Feinberg's conclusions, this book was wonderful to go through and will make a fantastic resource henceforth. Feinberg writes from a Reformed perspective, albeit he affirms God's middle knowledge and hence draws a comparabilist scheme that is near akin to Molinism. He rejects Patristic doctrines such as divine simplicity (with good reasons) and also classical doctrines like divine impassibility (perchance with not very good reasons). He also sees God's atemporality as problematic. In sum, "No One Like Him" is a wonderful piece of work, one that sets the tempo for evangelical system of theology proper for the 21st century and is definitely worth the read.
-b

[David Saxon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enormously helpful book in evaluating the classical conception of an atemporal, philosophically immutable (in the sense of having no ability to experience relationships) God. Feinberg bravely (and meticulously) modifies that picture, while decisively rejecting the process or open theist views of God that also react against the classical conception. I'm not smart enough to know if Feinberg succeeds, but I found the resolutions compelling.

Four stars rather than five because the discussion is so meticulous that it often bogs down, and at times it is philosophically dense (or, maybe, I was too dense to follow it). It was a challenge to wade through 855 pages of it, but I'm glad at the end that I did so.

[Brian Chilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Feinberg gives a masterful overview of the core issues pertaining to the doctrine of God. While this reader did not share some of Feinberg's conclusions, his precision in systematizing his theology was impeccable. Feinberg advocates a mild-Calvinism with a Molinist twist that greatly resembles the congruist position of Millard Erickson. Especially powerful were the attributes of God listed by Feinberg and the section on the problem of evil, which was masterfully portrayed. This 800+ page book is a difficult read in some areas, but well worth the investment.

[Becky Hintz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply excellent. Though it can be used as a reference book and is known for certain brilliant strands, reading it cover-to-cover gives access to the whole fabric of Feinberg's vision of God--and it is breathtaking. That said, certain portions were especially strong: the chapter on God, time and eternity, and the final chapters addressing predestination, freedom, foreknowledge, and the problem of evil. Reading this book was an incredibly rich and sanctifying experience for me, and I'll be sure to keep on hand for future reference.

[Joe Valenti · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most comprehensive volumes that I have ever encountered in any subject. This is truly as masterful work by Feinberg. Trinity, creation, attributes...it's all there. What I really love about this book, however, is the fact that Feinberg deals with all of the opposing views surrounding the varying doctrinal issues. This enables to reader to understand the fullness of the conversation and have all of the information needed to draw biblical conclusions.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually a sort of dense read. Feinburg is a theologian and philosopher and as such goes into great detail into the logical ends of certain trains of thought. Overall a good book that took me a while to get used to reading. His case for a compatabilistic specific sovereignty model is good.

For the serious reader only.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly one of the most academic reads in the area of Theology Proper. If Knowing God is for everyone, this is for those in advanced studies.

[Ron Sharp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of the theology of God and the doctrine of God without getting bogged down in areas of speculation.

[Kevin Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just because something is new doesn't mean it's better. That is the attitude of this book as it sets on stage the classical view of the Doctrine of God.

[David Goetz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clunky writing, but Feinberg brings refreshing analytical rigor to the task of theology.

[Yuri Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed major sections of this book. For a class on doctrine of God I read significant portions of this book. I had already been in it several months prior because an older friend in the world of analytic theology told me it was basically the best doctrine of God book around.

Feinberg will be a slog to read through especially his first couple chapters, but eventually you realize you can knock out a chapter at a time and get through it. It’s around 600 pages.

I think this is probably the best doctrine of God book to get into serious analytic theology. I would follow this book with Doctrine of God by John Peckham which engages some of the same ideas but from a much more contemporary angle as it’s quite a bit newer.

[Sam Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is the purpose of the author to obfuscate like John MacArthur says (N.T. Wright) does on purpose, or he just too smart for the general person?

The classical orthodox view of Christianity is widely acceptable, because it is widely tested over time.

R.C. Sproul was very smart too. He said regularly the test of how well you understand & teach is: can you explain it simply as if you were teaching a child.


Blessings,

Sam
(Eph. 2:1-10)







Sam
(Rom. 3:9-28)

[Aaron Hixson · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow. I mean... wow. yeah.

[Ryan Geer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure this is a very good book but for me it was too much philosophy and quite confusing...

[Skylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't finish everything

[Melody Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A super exciting textbook!!

Says no one ever.

He was hard to understand at the beginning but like wine it grew on you.

[G Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

A hefty book... from the broader evangelical world (and a baptistic flavored version at that) this is a good book. Compared to Grudem or Erickson, this book is much better... refreshing... etc. But still suffers from the deficiencies of being broadly or generically evangelical.

[Eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing wealth of carefully thought through information. An excellent and much needed work on the doctrine of God that mediates between the Classical view of God and the Process and Open views of God. Feinberg ably points us to the King who cares.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit philosophically heavy and is therefore helpful in some places but overly pedantic in others.

[Aidan Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feinberg does a great job of explaining various theological issues and making a concise case for them all while exploring a great deal of other sources, and most importantly, the Bible.