Review of "God Dwells Among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth" by G.K. Beale and Mitchell Kim

Beale, G.K. and Mitchell Kim. God Dwells Among Us: Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth. Downers Grove: InterVasity Press, 2014. 215 pp. $17.

In a recent PhD class on Old Testament Theology I had a discussion about the difficulty of bridging the gap between the academics found in seminaries and the laymen in our pews.  It is the same gap present between computer engineers and the everyday Facebook user.  The person on Facebook, and other popular web pages, is not interested in the lines upon lines of computer codes that it takes to build a website and yet both (the engineer and the Facebook user) are needed.

The goal of Mitchell Kim and G.K. Beale in God Dwells Among Us is to bridge the gap between a very academic work (in G.K. Beale's The Temple and the Church's Mission: A Biblical Theology of the Dwelling Place of God) and how it can be received by local church members (in this case how it can be preached in local churches).  Mitchell Kim takes the thesis of Beale's larger work and uses a pastoral approach to drive home how it applies to our lives.

The goal or purpose of the book is clearly stated "to strengthen the biblical conviction for sacrificial mission" (14). To achieve their goal the authors briefly walk through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation.  In looking closely and Genesis 1-3 and Revelations 21-22 the authors take a bookend approach in tracing the themes of Eden and Expansion through the Bible.  As Adam was called to to be fruitful a multiply and yet failed (Genesis 1-3). Jesus obeys the Father and, through the church, fills the new heavens and new earth with a new Jerusalem (Revelation 21-22).

In chapters 1-2 the foundational information in given from Genesis 1-3.  Chapters 3-4 follow the Patriarchs through the Tabernacle.  Chapter 5 looks into the prophets and promise for a new 'expanded' Eden, while chapter 6 looks into the gospels and how eden will be rebuilt.  Chapters 8-10 deal with the church as the new temple, the role as priests that Christians are called to, and the reality of Eden completed and expanded in Revelation 21-22.  The book concludes with two helpful chapters of application and summary.

The positives: This book is very accessible. Each chapter is filled with great insights and build upon each other. Kim provides wonderful illustrations in a very pastoral manner to help his reader grasp the points that are being made. Essentially, Kim and Beale desire to give a 'big picture' of the Bible. The benefits of reading such a work is that the Bible as a whole becomes easier and more desirable to read. As one reads the Scriptures more their view of God increases and as their view of God increase so does their obedience to what He says. As Kim says "The history of kingdom breakthrough is a history of faithful submission to God's Word over time in difficult places" (54). Part of that submission is a willingness suffer for the advancement of the gospel.

For those who have read Beale's work: this is a wonderful refresher.  I wondered early on if I would get bored with the book because I have read Beale's work but it was a rather quick and refreshing read.  I especially like Kim's remark on the parallels between Chronicles and Matthew and the possibility that Matthew structures his book with the same structure fun in Chronicles (96). Kim's work is also helpful in seeing how the process of bringing academic work to laymen's terms works.  Which leads to a fews negative remarks.

The negatives: The book, while accessible, is still very academic. I do not know if there is any other way around trying to explain and argue what Kim and Beale both argue.  The basic argument is understandable: understanding the mission of God from Genesis to Revelation leads to sacrificial mission. And Kim has moments of being very accessible and contextual with his illustrations...but in the end each chapter reverts back to an academic line of thinking.  This leads back to my original paragraph.  It is very hard to balance academics with everyday Christianity.  That does not mean attempts do not need to be made.  On the contrary, more attempts and better attempts need to be made by scholars and pastors.  1 Corinthian 12 and Romans 12 describe the need for prophets and teachers.  The church needs sound theologians to wrestle with very difficult task on languages, theology, and etc.  But in order for the church to benefit there must be a bridge between the scholar and the person in the pew.  In my ind that bridge is the pulpit and a 'pastor as scholar.'

Another point of criticism is the neglect of the covenants by Kim and Beale.  While creation and new creation are indeed bookends of the Bible the covenants are the how we get from creation to new creation.  Kim and Beale do not state whether there is one or two covenants in Genesis 1-3 (though it appears they only argue for one). They also discuss how Abraham, Sinai, and the Prophets speak to issues about the temple/new temple but not about how the covenants found within those passages (and also the Davidic covenant in 2 Sam 7) help move the story from creation to new creation.

Conclusion: Overall this book is very helpful.  Helpful in introducing biblical theology, typology (which chapter 10 unpacks) and making it easier to see how connected the Scriptures really are.  Even more, I am encouraged to read the Scriptures and share the message of the gospel no matter the cost.  To this end, Kim and Beale achieve their goal.  This book will make the pew sitter, the pastor, and the professor hungry to know God more through His revealed Word.  Therefore I recommend it to everyone, though especially pastors who are tasked with bridging the gap between academics and the pulpit. May the church awaken from its slumber and live sacrificially until the glory of the Lord covers the dry lands as the waters cover the seas (Hab 2:14), Amen.