A New History of Redemption - by Gerald R McDermott

About the Book

Taking inspiration from Jonathan Edwards, a widely-respected evangelical theologian traces the redeeming work of the Messiah in the Bible and in Church history up through the new heavens and new earth.

Book Synopsis

Southwestern Journal of Theology 2024 Book Award (Honorable Mention, Church History / Historical Theology / Biography)

Although Jesus's work of redemption is often viewed as a singular event, a careful examination of Scripture reveals that the Messiah began his redemptive work just after the fall and will continue it to the end of the world.

In the spirit of Jonathan Edwards's History of the Work of Redemption, distinguished theologian Gerald McDermott traces the progress of redemption throughout the Bible and Church history. This book connects the dots surrounding Israel, redemption by the Jewish Messiah, secular and sacred history, the world religions, and Jewish-Christian worship through liturgy and sacraments. It shows how Jesus as Messiah was redeeming throughout Old Testament history, and it carries that story up through the last two millennia.

McDermott contends that it is only through a historical examination of the Messiah's redemption amid the turmoil of the world and the worship of his people that one can best see God's beauty.

From the Back Cover

"A tour de force"

Taking inspiration from Jonathan Edwards, Gerald McDermott traces the redeeming work of the Messiah in the Bible and in Church history up through the new heavens and new earth.

"This is a book with a bold agenda--to complete and extend an unfinished masterpiece by America's greatest theologian. In these pages Jonathan Edwards comes alive in a new way, and we see how the drama of redemption informs all that he wrote--his history, theology, and exegesis. At once scholarly and edifying, this is a tour de force!"
--Timothy George, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

"McDermott is well known as a Jonathan Edwards scholar. Now he has stepped into the role of updating the great theologian's work by offering his own account of the history of redemption. But this is no mere rehash of Edwards. Instead, McDermott works to bring out the astounding beauty of redemption (a much-neglected category in Protestantism) for a new generation. A very encouraging volume."
--Carl R. Trueman, Grove City College

"Audacious, sweeping, magisterial, and highly distinctive--at a moment in history when understanding the global is essential, McDermott gives us both a deep history and a wide-ranging global view of God's restoration of the world that expands our minds and enriches our faith. Fascinating reading."
--Os Guinness, author of Magna Carta for Humanity

"McDermott's voice carefully unites the Reformed tradition with key Roman Catholic theologians to write an ecumenically compelling theology of God's redemption, from before creation to the end of time. He pays special attention to 'Israel' (both Jews who follow Jesus and those who do not) and to Israel's enduring role in salvation history. A genuine contribution to theology, ecclesiology, and Christian-Jewish relations."
--Gavin D'Costa, Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rome

"McDermott proves once again that he is one of the most well-grounded yet exciting and thought-provoking Christian theologians of our day. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in Christianity, the New Testament, or contemporary theology. From now on, serious Christian theology should take this formidable book into account."
--Rabbi Eugene Korn, Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation, Jerusalem

About the Author

Gerald R. McDermott (PhD, University of Iowa) teaches at Jerusalem Seminary and Reformed Episcopal Seminary (ACNA). He was Anglican Chair of Divinity at Beeson Divinity School for five years and taught at Roanoke College for twenty-six years. He is an Anglican priest who serves at an Anglican church in Crozet, Virginia. McDermott has written two dozen books and hundreds of articles on Jonathan Edwards, world religions, the meaning of Israel, and assorted other subjects such as race and stuttering. He has also written for Christianity Today, the Christian Century, and First Things.