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Book Review: Redemption and Genetic Manipulation: James C. Peterson, Changing Human Nature: Ecology, Ethics, Genes, and God

In James Durham (1622–1658) And the Gospel Offer in its Seventeenth-Century Context, Donald John MacLean examines how seventeenth-century theologians, who held to a particularist soteriology, understood the free offer of the Gospel. James Durham serves as a case study to illuminate how chapter 7:3 of the Westminster Confession of Faith was typically understood. The work is divided into five chapters. The first chapter sets out how the gospel offer was defined and understood by Reformed theologians and creeds prior to Durham. The second provides a biography of Durham and an overview of his theology. The third investigates Durham’s understanding of the Gospel offer. The fourth compares Durham’s understanding of the offer with those of four contemporary theologians. The final chapter examines three controversies regarding the free offer that developed between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. There is much to be commended in this study. MacLean handles the theological issues discussed with clarity and demonstrates that Durham and his contemporaries understood the gospel offer as a divine invitation and not simply as a presentation of facts. Furthermore, he convincingly shows that Durham’s teaching on the gospel offer was in harmony with that of earlier reformed theologians and creeds. However, readers seeking a comprehensive overview of Durham’s life and ministry are likely to be disappointed: MacLean’s biography of Durham accounts for less than ten pages and could have benefited from further historical detail. Nevertheless, MacLean’s examination of the Gospel offer in its seventeenth-century context is most enlightening and perhaps the greatest use of this study will be to challenge the preconceptions of those who believe that reformed soteriology is inherently incompatible with a free Gospel offer.