In this 1937 work, scholar (and founder of Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia) J. Gresham Machen discusses the Bible's view of man. He begins with God and His works (creation, providence, miracles). Machen also looks at man's freedom, predestination, God's creation of (and image in) man, the covenant of life, how man fell, the nature of sin, and its consequences.
I have mixed feelings about this book. Theologically, I agree with Machen completely (or near enough). And this looks at foundational concepts about God and man, so the subject couldn't be more important. But much of the book is spent criticizing false views and bemoaning the trends of the current world, and I would have preferred more focus and elaboration on correct doctrine. Additionally, it's common for Machen to make statements like "[x] is so pervasive in Scripture that we need not provide examples" or "just run through the Bible in your mind and you'll find [x] to be true." That gave me the impression that the author was 'preaching to the choir'- after all, providing examples is necessary to skeptics, especially when you've just used examples in disproving other views. I almost put this down . . . but some chapters are absolute gold (his discussion of the fall of man is excellent), and I learned a few things about Scripture I hadn't realized prior. Overall, this is okay, but there are better treatments out there.
Rating: B+
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