Systematic Theology (4 Volumes) (Norman R. Gulley)

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• Volume 1: Prolegomena (2003)
  What is the foundation of theology? In this monumental work—the “first things” of a multi-volume, comprehensive theological system—Norman R. Gulley argues pervasively and persuasively that Scripture, and Scripture alone, must be the sole foundation of authentic evangelical Christian faith.According to Gulley, theology should not depend on philosophy, science, reason, tradition or experience but on Scripture alone. His argument stands in contrast to recent influential evangelical theologians who consider Scripture only a witness to revelation, and not revelation itself. According to Gulley, God is thus removed from His Word in the same way others have removed Him from His world. He argues that this emptying of Scripture of its propositional, cognitive revelation deconstructs the basis of the evangelical movement.Gulley’s view of sola scriptura drives his detailed, sweeping and balanced critique of the major underlying themes, issues and philosophies that have informed some other theological systems. From Parmenides and the timeless view of God in ancient Greece to a detailed analysis of 21st-century dispensational theology, Gulley ranges easily over millennia, showing how different concepts and philosophies have affected the premise of sola scriptura for good or ill.Aptly subtitled Prolegomena, this ambitious work functions as an excellent introduction to theological thought. It is designed for general use and for the serious student of theology who will appreciate the opening summary of each chapter’s contents, and the concluding study questions. It also serves as an introduction to the next volume which unfolds Gulley’s system within the biblical cosmic controversy worldview.

• Volume 2: God as Trinity (2011)
  What is theology all about? In this long-awaited second volume of a multi-volume comprehensive theological system, Norman R. Gulley addresses the foundational question about theology: Who is God? The author starts with the premise that theology is, ultimately, about the essential character of God. What kind of God is He? Is He a good God or a bad One? Gulley’s biblical “cosmic controversy” worldview undergirds his answers to the most fundamental questions of what the Bible teaches about God.Working steadfastly from the platform of sola scriptura established in his Prolegomena, Gulley takes the serious reader on a wide-ranging and insightful tour of the many facets of the Doctrine of God. His approach first presents his biblical argument on a given topic, and then provides a helpful survey and summary critique of other views throughout the history of theological and philosophical thought.Beginning with God as relational Trinity, Gulley addresses many other vital questions posed over time, including arguments about timelessness, immutability, and impassability; old and new covenants; God’s revelation through the biblical Sanctuary; His ultimate plan of mediation; redemption and restoration; process and openness theology; predestination; and other topics. As in the first volume, Gulley ranges easily over millennia in showing how different concepts and philosophies have affected our understanding of the character of God.This ambitious work is designed for both the committed student of theology and the general reader who will appreciate each chapter’s opening summary, concise conclusion, and helpful set of study questions. This volume provides the fundamental basis of the rest of the system, and is a paradigm shift from many traditional views about God.

• Volume 3: Creation, Christ, Salvation (2012)
  Is it all really about Christ? Yes, says Norman R. Gulley resoundingly, in this third volume of his Systematic Theology. In another sweeping and yet incisive evaluation of Christian theology, this time focusing on the doctrines of creation, Christ, and salvation, Gulley drives home his overarching theme that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Heb. 13:8), which impacts creation and re-creation (salvation). If we give up the supernatural reality of creation, what right have we to accept the other supernatural events throughout Scripture?This focus on Christ has profound implications for our understanding of origins and our relationship to the Word of God. As Gulley notes, “The written Word of God is as unchangeable and authentic as the living Word of God. Belief in supernatural creation is as important as belief in supernatural Incarnation and supernatural salvation.” For the biblically grounded Christian, it is impossible to accept the latter two without the first.Thus, as Gulley says in the preface, this volume evaluates evolutionary theory as primarily a contemporary assumption that has led traditional theology to accept non-biblical ideas that are incompatible with the relational Trinity and with the biblical creation narrative.As creation was in a specified time, so Christ came in time and in flesh as God’s revelation to humanity. The salvation He embodies for humanity occurs in time—in His life, His death, His resurrection and ascension, and His ministry now in the heavenly sanctuary.Throughout, as in the previous volumes, Gulley engages deeply and thoughtfully with other views on all these topics, and critiques them always against his basic credo of tota, prima, and sola scriptura.
• Volume 4: The Church and the Last Things (2016)
  Who are we and where are we going? What is a Christian Church? How will the church survive? How will Jesus return? How will the Cosmic Conflict end? These questions and more are ardently probed in light of scriptural revelation in this fourth and final volume of Norman Gulley’s Systematic Theology. Here he culminates this work of a lifetime by examining the doctrines of ecclesiology and eschatology within the theological framework of the cosmic controversy between Christ and Satan.This volume examines controversial questions about God’s church: Who is its Head? Who is its Vicar? How does it receive God’s grace? Who has ultimate authority? Gulley both examines and critiques some of the traditional answers by his interpretive framework of Scripture enunciated in his system. The Reformation is not finished, and there is thus a need for increasing clarity.The Bible refers to a coming tribulation, and this work examines how it can be understood and survived. The books of Daniel and Revelation play a pivotal role here, as Gulley surveys and critically examines various approaches to prophetic eschatology that have been held throughout Christian history—preterism, futurism, historicism, and idealism—including their related views regarding the return of Christ. He builds his eschatological outlook on a historicist approach, with biblical prophecy fulfilled throughout Christian history, as well as in the present and the future. The foundational principle employed is that which Gulley began in his Prolegomena—sola scriptura. This final volume of the immense and wide-ranging Systematic Theology thus culminates where the first began with the primacy of Scripture in the cosmic conflict worldview. And it fittingly climaxes with the final resolution of that conflict—the Second Coming of Christ and the final judgment.