Description: A cohesive and comprehensive guide to understanding the nature and purpose of the church from biblical-theological, historical, and systematic angles and addressing practical concerns about the life and ministry of the church today, such as worship, spiritual gifts, and the relationship between church and state.
Brief description: Guy Prentiss Waters is the James M. Baird Jr. Professor of New Testament and academic dean at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Mississippi. He is the author of The Sabbath as Rest and Hope for the People of God, The Lord's Supper as the Sign and Meal of the New Covenant, and How Jesus Runs the Church.
Review Quotes:
"We're told that biblical studies and systematic theology should be totally separate. But then comes along Guy Waters, a New Testament scholar and a superb systematic theologian. There has never been a greater need for a biblical doctrine of the church. I hope this is read widely for the health of every church not only in the US but in the Majority World."
--Michael Horton, professor of theology and apologetics, Westminster Seminary California
"Guy Prentiss Waters provides an insightful, precise, readable, and thorough doctrinal account of ecclesiology . His masterful work encompasses biblical revelation, doctrinal matters, and practical wisdom. While there is much with which I agree, there is one significant point of difference: in contrast to a traditional Reformed continuity perspective, I place the church's inauguration on the day of Pentecost, representing a baptistic discontinuity viewpoint; that is, there is one people of God with two expressions: old covenant Israel (which was not the church) and the new covenant church. However, Waters's clarity in discussing these matters prompts me to use his book when I teach ecclesiology, to serve as a different yet well-articulated and argued position. Highly recommended!"
--Gregg R. Allison, professor of Christian theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Kentucky
"In his typically warm and readable style, Dr. Guy Prentiss Waters presents a rich gift to the church. In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, he invites us into a sweeping (biblico-theological) survey of the church through Old and New Testaments, and then, while fearlessly probing the perennial questions (including such topics as government, worship, discipline, mission, and church/state relations), draws summary (systematic-theological) conclusions about Christ-honoring principles for the church's life and practice. In this welcome work about the church, Waters has produced a new go-to resource for the church ."
--David B. Garner, chief academic officer, vice president of global ministries, and Charles Krahe Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster Theological Seminary, Glenside, Pennsylvania
"We welcome another volume in the We Believe series of books edited by Murray J. Smith and John McClean, this one by Guy Prentiss Waters on one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. This volume displays the interests of the series (in promoting exegetical theology, biblical theology, systematic theology, and history of dogma) while also displaying the special interest Dr. Waters has taken over the years in the areas of ecclesiology and worship. Dr. Waters has consistently and winsomely promoted worship that is regulated by Scripture (i.e. Reformed worship) and he has done so again in this interesting and thorough volume."
--T. David Gordon, professor emeritus of Greek and Biblical Studies, Grove City College, Pennsylvania
"As a Baptist seminary professor, I want my students to read the best from other traditions, which is why I assign Guy Waters's first ecclesiology book on Presbyterian polity, How Jesus Runs the Church. Yet now they'll get his full ecclesiology: holy, catholic, and apostolic. In this eminently readable volume, Waters both provides a fuller biblical theology than most ecclesiologies offer. Then he draws on the best of the Reformed tradition to give a straightforward treatment of the traditional systematic categories for a doctrine of the church. It's faithful, reliable, biblical, and, frankly, a joy to read, even if I as a Baptist don't make all the same theological judgments as him."
--Jonathan Leeman, editorial director, 9Marks
"Guy Waters embodies a rare combination of being a sharp biblical scholar, excellent theologian, and clear writer. This addition to what is proving to be an excellent series on the Nicene Creed, develops the doctrine of the church biblically, systematically, and practically. Filled with a robust array of post-Reformation, Scottish, and American sources, he showcases the best of Presbyterian ecclesiology and polity, achieving in a short volume what many authors have taken a long time to say. Summarizing the book's primary arguments with seven theses on the church at the close of the book, Waters presents his material with characteristic clarity and exceptional usefulness ."
--Ryan M. McGraw, Morton H. Smith Professor of Systematic Theology, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary
"Guy Waters is one of the most reputable names in Reformed theology for good reason, which this book puts on display in application to ecclesiology. Building further than his previous work about church polity, this book is a more comprehensive statement of the church's origins, calling, attributes, mission, and ordering . Certainly, this volume will enrich its readers. What an honor to commend it!"
--Harrison Perkins, pastor at Oakland Hills Community Church (OPC); author of Reformed Covenant Theology: A Systematic Introduction
"This wonderfully wide-ranging and astute study draws on discussion from throughout church history. Waters situates the rise and constitution of the church in God's Old Testament redemptive plan as well as in the work of Jesus and the apostles. He does justice to the church's doctrinal construction, its mission, and its place relative to the state. Students, pastors, and scholars alike will profit from Waters's Christ-centered and Scripture-normed survey and synthetic proposals."
--Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri