Discontinuity to Continuity: A Survey of Dispensational and Covenantal Theologies

The question of how to relate the Old and New Testaments is as old as the Bible itself. While most Protestants are unified on the foundations, there are major disagreements on particular issues. Who should be baptized? Is the Christian obligated to obey the Law of Moses? Does the church supplant Israel? Who are the proper recipients of God’s promises to Israel? In Discontinuity to Continuity, Benjamin Merkle brings light to the debates between dispensational and covenantal theological systems. Merkle identifies how Christians have attempted to relate the Testaments, placing viewpoints along a spectrum of discontinuity to continuity. Each system’s concerns are sympathetically summarized and critically evaluated. Through his careful exposition of these frameworks, Merkle helps the reader understand the key issues in the debate. Providing more light than heat, Merkle’s book will help all readers better appreciate other perspectives and articulate their own.

Publisher: Lexham Press
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781683593874

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Benjamin L. Merkle (PhD, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He is coauthor of Going Deeper with New Testament Greek and Greek for Life.

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‘We all know that we understand specific verses better if we have a good understanding of the larger landscape and context of the Bible. But what larger perspective is correct? Ben Merkle takes us on a wonderfully instructive tour of six different theological systems. He describes objectively each view and then provides an assessment of each position. I believe this is one of the most useful books on the market today. Students, pastors, and professors will have a better grasp of various theological options that have proven convincing to evangelicals. A most important contribution!’ Thomas Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and Biblical Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, KY