Book Review: Recovering the Lost Doctrine of the Kingdom of God by Stan Moody
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Stan Moody had a background in engineering and law before he acquired an MA in Theological Studies and a Ph.D. in Theology from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has researched multiple views of the Second Coming of Christ and, in this book, seeks to find areas of agreement on a topic with multiple perspectives.
This book contains technical language, theological terms, and concepts not likely to be familiar to many lay people. Enthusiasts who are already familiar with multiple theological perspectives on the return of Christ will appreciate the author’s efforts to draw out the areas of agreement and importance from the different camps.
“The most coherent synthesis, the chapter concludes, is to understand Parousia as a unified reality expressed in stages – arrival, ongoing presence, and final appearance – rather than an either/or event (p252).”
“This final chapter concludes by framing all of the redemptive history (past, present, and future) as ‘Kingdom of God time,’ a continuous movement of God’s reign that cannot ignore the decisive significance of A.D. 70 yet also cannot be reduced to either preterist finality or futurist delay (p263).” “Rather than leaving the Church age as a period of passive waiting, this view calls believers into active Kingdom participation, deeper holiness, cultural engagement, and a renewed sense of ambassadorship shaped by urgency and willingness to suffer (p263).”
Final Thoughts
This book lands firmly outside my area of expertise or interest, and it was not an easy read, yet I think it is important to learn and grow, so I’m glad to have read the book. I ponder how effective the evangelicals, and the broader Christian community, with its many denominations that have differing views, can be at describing the future, especially when so many are unable to harmonize their theology with current, well-understood phenomena, i.e., modern science (climate change, evolution, Big Bang Cosmology, vaccines, etc.). But I deeply appreciate the desire to find common agreement from various theological points of view. Others with a keener interest in the doctrines about Jesus’ return will find this book insightful.
Full review on Substack here:
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