There is no question that we live in an age of weak theology and casual Christianity. We have substituted intuition for truth, feeling for belief and immediate gratification for enduring hope. Evangelicalism desperately needs to return to the doctrines that once before reformed the world: radical depravity, unconditional election, particular redemption, efficacious grace and persevering grace.

James Boice and Philip Ryken not only provide a compelling exposition on these doctrines of grace, but also look briefly at their historical impact. The authors leave no doubt that the church suffers when these foundational truths are neglected and that she must return to a Christianity that is practical-minded, kind-hearted, and most importantly, biblically based.

I have often wondered how my ministry would change if I were to hear a prognosis from my physician that I had a terminal disease and only months or weeks left to live. Would I retire from active ministry to care solely for my own needs? Would I try to continue ministry with a renewed sense of urgency? Would my messages be more bold?

I don't know the answers to these questions. But I do know what Jim Boice did when the above scenario became real to him. From the day he learned he was dying of cancer to his actual demise, the span of time was a mere six weeks. Forty-two days. The last two of those weeks he was bedridden and extremely weak. While the virulent disease was sapping his strength daily, Dr. Boice called upon a reservoir of strength in his own soul, a strength quickened and sustained by the grace of God, to continue writing hymns and this present volume. He did not live long enough to see this work completed but was encouraged by the assurance that his colleague Dr. Philip Ryken would complete it for him.

As familiar as I am with Jim Boice's style and content, on a first reading I could not detect where Jim's writing ended and Phil's began. Of one thing I was sure: Jim did not write the last chapter. Yet in an earlier draft of chapter 2, in the midst of a treatment of Abraham Kuyper, reference was made to Kuyper's famous Stone Lectures at Princeton University in 1898. This reference was followed by the comment: "We shall return to the subject of these lectures in our final chapter." When I read this comment I wondered to whom the "we" and "our" referred? Was the plural used as a result of editing that occurred after Dr. Boice's death, indicating the joint project with Dr. Ryken? Or was this merely a case of Dr. Boice employing the editorial "we"? If it was the latter, then it was a case of Homer nodding by forgetting to add the classic D.V. for Deo Volente. Because in the event, it was not God's will for Jim to pen the chapter promised.

It is no surprise to me that this final work from Jim Boice, who wrote literally scores of books over the course of his ministry, should focus on the doctrines of grace. Here was a man who not only believed in the doctrines of grace but also loved those doctrines and had fire in his bones about propagating them. I knew Jim Boice for more than thirty years and never saw that fire diminish. His soul was held captive by the doctrines of grace. His ministry was an ongoing doxology to the doctrines of grace because they so clearly manifest the God of that grace.

In this book Drs. Boice and Ryken not only provide a lucid and compelling exposition of the doctrines of grace but also provide a historical framework for their development. The book traces the historical impact of these biblical truths. It also makes bare the sad state of affairs that afflicts the church when these doctrines are denied or neglected.

In our day there remain many who still confess their belief in the doctrines of grace in particular and Reformed theology in general. Indeed, I think there are more academic institutions in America today that embrace Reformed Theology than at any time in our nation's history. However, there are few that have a zeal and passion to propagate that faith.

James Montgomery Boice was not merely an adherent of Reformed Theology or an admirer of the magisterial Reformers; he was himself a Reformer. His ministry at Tenth Presbyterian Church; the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology; his writing ministry; his care for the inner city of Philadelphia; his statesmanship as a national Christian leader; all of these expressions of service flowed out of his love for the Reformed Faith.

It is not surprising that the last literary work of James Boice would focus on his first love, the doctrines of grace. This work is not simply a tribute to Dr. Boice and his ministry--it is, at its core, a tribute to the grace of God, to whom belongs all the glory for our redemption. As Dr. Boice now enjoys the felicity of his eternal rest, we are left to work for the recovery of the Reformed Faith in our time.

R. C. Sproul
Lent, 2001
Orlando, Florida

James Boice liked to finish what he started, so it is not surprising that in his final months he was working to complete two major projects. One was a book of Hymns for a Modern Reformation. The other was the present volume—a biblical, theological, historical, and practical presentation of the doctrines of grace.

When it became apparent that Dr. Boice would be unable to complete either of these projects himself, he entrusted them to colleagues on the staff of Philadelphia's Tenth Presbyterian Church. Dr. Paul Jones had written the music for the hymns, so it was natural for him to prepare the hymnal for publication. Then, during our last staff meeting together at the church before his death in June of 2000, Dr. Boice asked me to finish writing The Doctrines of Grace.

Fortunately, the volume was already half written. Not only had Dr. Boice prepared a complete outline for the book and determined the thesis for each chapter, but he had also written a full draft of the five chapters on the Five Points of Calvinism. These chapters form the middle section of the book (chapters 3 through 7). Here my only contributions have been some light stylistic editing and several small additions that integrate this section with the rest of the book.

Dr. Boice and I only had time for one brief discussion about the chapters that remained to be written. However, I was delighted to discover that for each of these chapters he had left behind notes containing ideas that he wanted to emphasize, quotations he hoped to use, books he intended to consult, and so forth. I have used as much of this material as possible, incorporating it into the overall flow of the book.

Chapter 1 is an introduction to the doctrines of grace. The sections entitled "The Doctrines of Grace," "The Five Points of Arminianism," and "The Five Points of Calvinism," are partly adapted from material Dr. Boice prepared for the New Members class at Tenth Church. As indicated in the text itself, "Today's False Gospel" is a summary of his argument in Whatever Happened to the Gospel of Grace? which was published by Crossway in 2001.

The main thesis of chapter 2 is the one that Dr. Boice wanted to advance, namely, that Calvinism is good for the church, and that its abandonment generally leads to liberalism. Also, the examples given are the ones that he intended to use: Calvin, Edwards, and Kuyper. In keeping with a suggestion I made to him in an earlier conversation, I have added a section on the Puritans. The closing analysis of current trends in evangelical theology is entirely my own, although I believe it is thoroughly consonant with Dr. Boice's views.

In some ways chapter 8 is the most important chapter in the book. James Boice wanted to portray the kind of Christianity that, in my view, he so ably represented: biblically-based, theologically rigorous Calvinism, that is also practically-minded and kindly-hearted. In accordance with the notes that were left for me, the chapter's basic outline comes from Al Martin's booklet The Practical Implications of Calvinism. I have done my best to convey what Dr. Boice so earnestly wanted to convey: the warmth and vitality of true Reformed spirituality.

The notes for chapter 9 were less extensive. Dr. Boice planned to draw from Kuyper's Lectures on Calvinism, but it was left for me to develop the implications of Reformed theology for church and culture. However, the final appeal to make a personal response to the doctrines of grace comes from Dr. Boice himself.

Readers will find that this is a polemical book. By this I mean that it argues for a theological position—Calvinism as set over against Arminianism. It is our conviction that evangelicalism is in desperate need of the best kind of Calvinism. It was Dr. Boice's intention for this book to mount a vigorous defense of Reformed theology while at the same time maintaining the highest standards of Christian charity. This has also been my intention. Readers will have to judge for themselves how well we have succeeded, which leads me to emphasize that while I wish to give my late colleague full acknowledgment for his part in writing this book, I also accept full responsibility for all of its shortcomings.

Many friends helped to complete this project. Randall Grossman, Michael Horton, Mark Noll, Richard Phillips, Jonathan Rockey, Leland Ryken, and R. C. Sproul reviewed the manuscript and made helpful suggestions for its improvement. Dr. Boice's personal assistant, Mary Beth McGreevy, made corrections for style, and Patricia Russell helped prepare the indexes. I am grateful to the session of Tenth Presbyterian Church for allowing sufficient study time to complete the book during the month prior to my installation as senior minister. I also thank Greg and Mary Berzinsky for providing a place for me to work free from distraction. Finally, here I express publicly what I communicated to James Montgomery Boice privately: thanksgiving to God for the extraordinary privilege of sharing with him in the preaching ministry of Tenth Church and of joining him in the defense of biblical orthodoxy.

Earlier I mentioned that Dr. Boice wrote Hymns for a Modern Reformation. Appropriate stanzas from these hymns appear at the beginning of each chapter. The complete hymns have been published by Tenth Presbyterian Church; hymnals and recordings may be ordered through the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals at www.AllianceNet.org.

Philip Graham Ryken
Memorial Day, 2001
Philadelphia

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