EQ • 377 Reviews d i s c r e d i t W i l h i t e ’s a r g u m e n t , n o r d o t h e y m a k e s p r o p e r s e n s e o f th e w o rl d . G ra n tin g d e tr a c t fro m th a t th e s e a re re d u c tio n is t d e s c rip tio n s th e b o o k 's o v e r a ll u s e f u l­ n e s s . W ilh ite s a y s in h is in tr o d u c tio n t h a t o f fe re d f o r th e s a k e o f r e a d e r s u n f a m ilia r h e w a n te d to w r i t e f o r b o th s p e c ia lis ts w ith t h e is s u e s , F e s k o a r g u e s a v ie w t h a t a n d n o n - s p e c ia lis ts , w h ic h m e a n t a v o id ­ a p p r o p r i a t e s s tr e n g t h s fr o m b o th s id e s . in g a c a d e m ic d e b a te s , in c lu d in g w hat h is t o r ia n s w o u ld c o n s id e r to b e c o m m o n k n o w le d g e , a n d h a v in g e n d n o t e s r a t h e r t h a n f o o t n o t e s ( p . ix ). T h e p r e s e n c e o f t h e l a t t e r tw o m a k e th e b o o k m o r e a p p e a l­ in g to a p o p u l a r r e a d e r s h ip . H o w e v e r, th e b o o k w ill e s p e c ia lly b e n e f it s c h o la r s h ip because W ilh ite g iv e s are as fo r fu tu re r e s e a r c h a n d b e c a u s e h e c a lls fo r h is t o r i­ a n s to s tu d y N o rt h A fric a n th e o lo g ia n s a s m o r e d is tin c tly N o r th A fric a n . The a rg u m e n t o f th e b o o k is t h a t R e ­ f o r m e d a p p r o a c h e s to a p o lo g e ti c s s h o u ld (re )le a rn ‘b o o k to use a rg u m e n ts fro m th e o f n a t u r e ’. H e d e m o n s t r a t e s t h a t R e fo rm e d th e o lo g y G o d r e v e a le d t r u t h alw a y s ta u g h t th a t in n a t u r e , a n d th a t th e t r u t h s o f n a t u r e a r e a c c e s s ib le , e v e n w h e n s u p p r e s s e d , to t h o s e w h o a r e n o t C h r is tia n s . H e m a k e s a p o w e r f u l c a s e t h a t tr a d i tio n a l a p p r o a c h e s to d e f e n d in g th e fa it h a f f ir m e d b o th th e n e c e s s ity o f S c r ip ­ D. Forrest M ills The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky t u r e a n d a p p e a ls to c o m m o n n o tio n s t h a t a r e t a u g h t to a ll p e o p le th r o u g h n a tu r e . H e c o n s is te n tly d e n ie s th a t th is c re a te s sp a c e fo r a n y s e n s e o f a u to n o m o u s re a ­ s o n , a h a llm a r k o f s o m e R o m a n C a th o lic EQ 9 0 .4 [ 2 0 1 9 ) , 3 7 7 - 3 7 8 th o u g h t, b e c a u s e c o m m o n n o tio n s a r e s till Reforming Apologetics: Retrieving the Classic Reformed Approach to Defending the Faith p a r t o f G o d 's g e n e r a l r e v e l a t i o n . T h e y d o n o t e x is t in d e p e n d e n tly fro m G od, n o r c a n th e y b e p r o p e r ly u n d e r s to o d a p a r t fro m G o d , b u t th e y c a n in fa c t b e u n d e r s to o d b y ]. V. Fesko a ll p e o p le . T h e s e c o m m o n n o tio n s a r e o n e G r a n d R a p id s , M I: B a k e r A c a d e m i c , in s t r u m e n t in t h e a p o lo g e ti c s to o lb o x . 2 0 1 9 . 2 5 0 p p . p b . $ 2 4 . 9 9 , IS B N 9 7 8 - F esko d o e s a tre m e n d o u s a m o u n t o f h is ­ 0801098901 to r ic a l w o rk , lo o k in g a t th e f o u n d a tio n s J.V. F e s k o i s q u i c k l y b e c o m i n g a r e n a i s ­ a n d in te lle c tu a l c o n te x t f o r t h e d e v e lo p ­ s a n c e m a n . H e h a s p u b lis h e d w o r k s in m e n t o f t h e n o tio n s o f C h r is tia n w o r l d ­ c o n s tr u c tiv e th e o lo g y , h is to r ic a l th e o lo g y , v ie w s a n d th e p r e s u p p o s i tio n a l m e th o d . b ib lic a l c o m m e n ta r y , a n d d e v o tio n a l in ­ H e s h o w e d th a t, in m a n y w a y s , t h e p r e m ­ tr o d u c tio n s . It w a s lik e ly o n ly in e v ita b le is e s o f w o r ld v ie w t h a t h e w o u ld m a k e a f o ra y in to a p o lo g e t­ d e n ta l ic s . C e r t a in l y , t h i s w o r k i s n o t a n u n d e r ­ tio n a l s ta te d e n t r a n c e in to t h e to p ic . T h e d o m i­ id e a lis t p h ilo s o p h y s te m m in g fro m n a n t d is c u s s io n m a n u e l K a n t a n d G. W . F. H e g e l. T h a t d o e s in a p o lo g e ti c s , a t le a s t a rg u m e n ts , tr a n s c e n ­ a rg u m e n ts , a n d ap p ro a c h have th e ro o ts p re s u p p o s i­ in G erm an Im ­ w ith in c o n s e r v a ti v e R e fo rm e d c irc le s , h a s n o t in v a lid a te a ll th e c la im s o f th e s e w a y s b e e n b e t w e e n t h e 'c l a s s i c ' a p p r o a c h a n d o f th in k in g a b o u t a p o lo g e ti c s , b u t it d o e s th e m e a n t h a t th e y lin k to a c e r ta in s c h o o l o f 'p r e s u p p o s i t i o n a T a p p ro a ch . In in ­ c r e d ib ly b r o a d t e r m s , t h e c la s s ic a p p r o a c h p h ilo s o p h y . T h e p r o b le m h e r e is t h a t V an is c h a r a c t e r iz e d b y m a k in g u s e o f p h ilo ­ T il a n d o t h e r s w e r e s h a r p c r i t i c s o f ' s y n ­ s o p h ic a l a r g u m e n ts a n d a p p e a ls to n a t u r e t h e s i s ’ t h i n k i n g , m e a n i n g t h e y t h o u g h t i t is to d e m o n s tr a te t r u t h a b o u t G od a n d th e le s s th a n C h r is tia n to a p p r o p r i a t e in s i g h ts p r e s u p p o s itio n a l a p p ro a c h in s is ts th a t w e a n d p a r a d ig m s fro m u n b e lie v in g p h ilo s o ­ s t a r t w ith th e a s s u m p tio n o f th e T riu n e p h y a s a m e th o d to d e f e n d th e fa ith . F o r G o d a n d a r g u e t h a t o n ly t h a t a s s u m p tio n e x a m p le , th e y d is a p p ro v e d of T hom as 378 • EQ Reviews A quin as b e c a u se h e m ad e sig n ifican t u se o f A risto telian id eas. Yet, Fesko has sh o w n th a t th e s e p h ilo so p h e rs w h o w e re so critical o f sy n th e siz in g C hristian id eas w ith n o n -C h ristian o n es d id th e sam e th in g th e m se lv es w ith id e alist philosophy. Fesko d o es n o t sa y th a t th is u n d e rm in e s all o f th e ir p o in ts, as in fact h e se em s to a g re e th a t sc u ttlin g id e alist ca te g o rie s m ay b e one w ay to re fu te id ealists, b u t h e d o es p o in t o u t th a t th is o v ersig h t am o n g m an y p re su p p o sitio n a lists m e an s th a t th e ir a p p ro a c h is in fact n o t th e silver b u l­ le t a n s w e r to all o u r ap o lo g etic n e e d s th a t so m e h av e claim ed it is. T his b o o k w as an tic ip a te d b y m an y to be a full-force b la st a g a in st C orneliu s Van Til [1 8 9 5 -1 9 8 7 ), w h o w as th e su p p o se d p io ­ n e e r o f th e p re su p p o sitio n a l m eth o d . In reality, how ever, alth o u g h Fesko criticiz ed Van Til, h e still m a in ta in e d m an y o f Van T il’s fu n d a m e n ta l p rem ises. For exam ple, h e affirm s Van Til’s o w n la n g u ag e a b o u t categ o rizin g p eo p le episte m olo gic ally as e ith e r co v en an t k e e p e rs o r co v en an t b re a k e rs. He m a in ta in s th a t p eo p le w ill v ie w facts from th e ir b elieving o r u n b e ­ lieving a ssu m p tio n s. Yet, h e d e m u rs fro m Van Til b y affirm in g th a t th o se e p iste m o ­ logical categ o ries do n o t m e an th a t u n ­ b eliev e rs h av e no tru e k n o w led g e a b o u t anythin g. It m e an s th e y have no saving kn ow ledge. T he n o tio n th a t w e m isu n ­ d e rs ta n d e v e ry th in g in p a rtic u la r if w e do n o t in te rp re t it fro m th e rig h t p re s u p ­ p o sitio n com es fro m n in e te e n th -c e n tu ry sy stem s th in k in g th a t w a n te d to find o ne piv ota l id e a th a t ac co u n ted for ev ery fact in th e w orld. Fesko arg u es th a t th e w o rld is sim p ly m o re co m p licate d th a n th a t an d b rin g s fo rth sev eral ex egetical arg u m e n ts to pro v e th a t S crip tu re itself affirm s th a t u n b eliev e rs can k n o w m an y th in g s a b o u t th e w o rld rightly. In su m , th is b o o k is n o t so m u ch an inv ective ag a in st Van Til, as it is a d ee p ly critical e n g a g e m e n t w ith him. Fesko ta k es Van Til seriously, b u t also c o n sid e rs h is p ara d ig m in its h isto ric al an d in tellectu al co ntex t. In th a t resp ect, Fesko h as s ta rte d a co n v e rsatio n th a t can help p u rify an d u p d a te Van T ilian c a t­ eg o ries for o u r o w n tim e an d o w n issues, d isp a tc h in g w ith th e id e a list baggage, b u t also rec o v er classic R eform ed n o tio n s a b o u t th e im p o rta n c e o f n a tu re [God did m ak e it a fte r all) an d h o w w e can u se it in d efen d in g th e faith. Harrison Perkins London EQ 90.4 [2019), 3 7 8 -3 8 0 Jesus through the Old Testament: Transform your Bible Understanding Graeme Goldsworthy A bingdon: Bible R eadin g F ellow ship, 2 0 1 7 .1 3 9 pp. pb. £7.99, ISBN 9780857465672 T he Old T estam e n t is o ften n eg lected b o th in th e S unday m o rn in g g a th e rin g o f th e ch u rch an d in th e d ev o tio n al rea d in g of C h ristian s th ro u g h o u t th e w eek. S om e­ tim es th is is d o n e b e c a u se o f u n fam iliar­ ity o r d isc o m fo rt w ith th e Old T estam en t, o r th is m ay b e d o n e un in te n tio n ally . For th e s e rea so n s, an d ce rtain ly o th e rs, G rae­ m e G old sw orth y’s Jesus through the Old Testament is a w elco m e c o n trib u tio n to th e ch u rch th a t is accessib le to th e p e rso n in th e pew. G o ld sw o rth y ’s b o o k is p re s e n te d in tw o p arts. T he firs t p a r t is fo cuse d on issues o f p ro le g o m en a, th o u g h th a t w o rd is n o t u sed , an d is titled 'P a rt 1 W h e re ’s Jesu s’. T he se co n d p a r t is fo cu sed on lo okin g a t se ctio n s o f th e Old T e stam e n t a n d is titled ‘P art 2 W orking w ith th e T exts’. T he c h a p ­ te rs o f th e book, th e re a re tw elve in total, larg ely follow a sim ila r p a tte rn w h e re th e id eas o f th e c h a p te r a re laid out: th e c h a p te r w ill en d w ith a o n e-lin e su m m ary o f th e a rg u m e n t o f th e c h a p te r called a 'Key n o te ’, a sm all b u lle t-p o in te d sectio n of m ain id e as called ‘Take a m o m e n t an d reflect...’, a n d a ‘T ip’ th a t se rv e s as a useful g u id e w h e n stu d y in g w h a t th e Bible says Copyright of Evangelical Quarterly is the property of Paternoster Periodicals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.