Continuity and Discontinuity, John S Feinberg Editor

I read quite a lot.  At the suggest of our Pastor I am going to start reviewing the books I read in the hope that the reviews may be of benefit to my five or so readers.  This is the first installment in that series:

Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments, John S Feinberg Editor

If you are interested in exploring the difference between Covenant Theology and Dispensational Theology this is an excellent book. Six topics are chosen and a theologian from each side is given an opportunity to speak on the topic. These topics all deal with the issues of how we are to view the difference between the Old and New Testaments. It does not seek to be a complete discussion of the topic, but seeks to deal with some of the fundamental areas of disagreement. In particularly, how we are to interpret the Old and New Testaments in light of the other.

As someone who came to this discussion trying to decide which more accurately represents what Scripture teaches, I found it very helpful. My background spans both camps and perhaps two thirds of my library comes from the covenantal side though most do not deal with these topics. At the same time I am a member of a church who would clearly fall into the dispensational camp. I would say that this book gives a good representation of both sides.

Having said that, I don’t believe that the covenantal (continuity) writers did as good a job acquitting themselves, though they had many helpful points. Most of them seem to be talking to “their side” and did not engage the topic as well. In some cases they seem to just assume what they need to prove and don’t seem to recognize that the reader may not share some of their basic assumptions.

The Dispensational (discontinuity) writers seemed more lucid and engage the topic better with regard to the reader who may not share their assumptions.

In summary, I found the entire discussion very helpful and would recommend this book to someone trying to sort through this issue. While I was less impressed with the continuity side they did still offer helpful insights in many areas.  Both sides contributed well to the discussion.  It has definitely cleared up a number of thoughts on the subject, in my mind.