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Special Revelation and Scripture
The doctrine of special revelation and the role of Holy Scripture have been central to the Christian faith for two thousand years. Yet, the nature, authority, and interpretation of the Bible continue to be discussed and debated. In their book Special Revelation and Scripture , David S. Dockery and Malcolm B. Yarnell III explore the fundamental elements of divine revelation, such as inspiration, reliability, and authority, and how these elements influence and shape the Christian's understanding of theological doctrines, ethical teachings, and matters concerning worldview.
Dockery and Yarnell begin by developing the doctrine of divine revelation that emphasizes the Bible as the revealed word of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They examine the relationship between the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, and sacred Scripture, highlighting their foundational connection. Furthermore, they explore the work of the Holy Spirit in inspiring the prophetic and apostolic writings and safeguarding them in the biblical canon.
The authors affirm the special nature of Scripture by highlighting its essential attributes of truthfulness, inerrancy, sufficiency, and authority. They conclude by emphasizing the Holy Spirit's role in illuminating Scripture for the development of theology and practice within the church.
Throughout the book, readers will encounter a deep and abiding conviction that God's special revelation is preserved and made accessible for all human beings in his inspired Word, the Holy Bible. Dockery and Yarnell's comprehensive exploration of divine revelation and Scripture will inspire readers to engage with the Word of God in a more meaningful and transformative way.
Recognizing that faithful theological study is an integrative task, the Theology for the People of God series uniquely combines biblical and systematic theology in dialogue with historical theology and with application to church and life. This series addresses classic doctrines of systematic theology and other relevant topics, pairing careful scholarship with the practical understanding that theology finds its focus within the context of the church. Together, the series' authors guide readers in developing a theologically informed way of seeing the world, a Christlike response to life, and Christian motivation for ministry.
Dockery and Yarnell begin by developing the doctrine of divine revelation that emphasizes the Bible as the revealed word of the triune God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They examine the relationship between the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ, and sacred Scripture, highlighting their foundational connection. Furthermore, they explore the work of the Holy Spirit in inspiring the prophetic and apostolic writings and safeguarding them in the biblical canon.
The authors affirm the special nature of Scripture by highlighting its essential attributes of truthfulness, inerrancy, sufficiency, and authority. They conclude by emphasizing the Holy Spirit's role in illuminating Scripture for the development of theology and practice within the church.
Throughout the book, readers will encounter a deep and abiding conviction that God's special revelation is preserved and made accessible for all human beings in his inspired Word, the Holy Bible. Dockery and Yarnell's comprehensive exploration of divine revelation and Scripture will inspire readers to engage with the Word of God in a more meaningful and transformative way.
Recognizing that faithful theological study is an integrative task, the Theology for the People of God series uniquely combines biblical and systematic theology in dialogue with historical theology and with application to church and life. This series addresses classic doctrines of systematic theology and other relevant topics, pairing careful scholarship with the practical understanding that theology finds its focus within the context of the church. Together, the series' authors guide readers in developing a theologically informed way of seeing the world, a Christlike response to life, and Christian motivation for ministry.
- GenresTheologyChristianity
512 pages, Hardcover
Published May 1, 2024
3 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
June 13, 2024
Check out my YouTube channel - Rev Reads if you want to know why I have this book 3 stars.
July 11, 2025
More good seminary stuff
February 18, 2024
Received an advanced PDF of this work as I'm considering using it for a classroom text. I was pleased with what I saw. This is a good introduction for a number of topics. As you might suspect from Yarnell and Dockery, it is quite Baptistic at some points, which will be received differently by some users. Yet, it felt like a fair, accessible, introduction to the doctrine of Scripture.
July 23, 2025
A decent, broad, and accesible introduction to revelation, particularly Scripture, from a Baptist perspective.
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The book covers a wide selection of related issues, mostly dipping toes in enough to know the major positions and voices, with a firm slant toward conservative Baptist stances. As such, this is a decent book for lay/college/pastor just to have something on the topic of special revelation, directing where to dive deeper if desired.
I particularly enjoyed the discussions on the nature of truth and theological inteperpretation, though I wish there was more discussion of clarity. However, you can tell the authors' area of expertise is revelation and Scripture, because any time they strayed (eg, metaphysics), it turned into a bit of word salad — decent ideas, but a little fuzzy and jumbled.
Lastly, there is a chapter on the Baptist perspective of Scripture throughout Baptist history, but it was drawn out, repetitive, and made no point — except to say, "See, Baptists have always held to a conservative doctrine of Scripture, except the ones who didn't." It also interrupted what would have been an easy trasition from interpretation to application, kind of robbing the book of momentum. Would have been better as an appendix, imo.
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As I said, fairly broad, but largely approachable, and very Baptist. I would recommend it to any student/minister who either (1) wants to know what theological issues float around on this topic, or (2) want a simple catch-all book to reference for this topic. Might would rate 3½ stars, but without halves, it's close enough to 4/5 stars.
•••
The book covers a wide selection of related issues, mostly dipping toes in enough to know the major positions and voices, with a firm slant toward conservative Baptist stances. As such, this is a decent book for lay/college/pastor just to have something on the topic of special revelation, directing where to dive deeper if desired.
I particularly enjoyed the discussions on the nature of truth and theological inteperpretation, though I wish there was more discussion of clarity. However, you can tell the authors' area of expertise is revelation and Scripture, because any time they strayed (eg, metaphysics), it turned into a bit of word salad — decent ideas, but a little fuzzy and jumbled.
Lastly, there is a chapter on the Baptist perspective of Scripture throughout Baptist history, but it was drawn out, repetitive, and made no point — except to say, "See, Baptists have always held to a conservative doctrine of Scripture, except the ones who didn't." It also interrupted what would have been an easy trasition from interpretation to application, kind of robbing the book of momentum. Would have been better as an appendix, imo.
•••
As I said, fairly broad, but largely approachable, and very Baptist. I would recommend it to any student/minister who either (1) wants to know what theological issues float around on this topic, or (2) want a simple catch-all book to reference for this topic. Might would rate 3½ stars, but without halves, it's close enough to 4/5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews