Systematic Adventist Theology (2023)

Peckham, John. God with Us: An Introduction to Adventist Theology. Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University Press, 2023. 800 pp.

“God with us.

They comprise, perhaps, the most profound assembly of three words in any language. They express the inexpressible sum of the Gospel. They describe the absolute foundational idea in the resolution of the great universal conflict between good and evil.

This is a book of theology—an accessible, thoughtful study of the God who is with us. And this is a book particularly of Seventh-day Adventist theology, a system which, by its very name, expresses two of the most profound illustrations of, and yearnings for, God’s presence with us in time (the Sabbath), and in physical reality in the certainty of His soon return (the second Advent).

In this highly readable and deeply thoughtful work, author John C. Peckham frames the matter this way: “The theme of divine presence that is so integral to Adventist theology is itself a central theme of the Bible. Indeed, the matter of God’s presence with us is so prominent in Scripture that some would even identify it as the main theme of Scripture. The story and teachings of Scripture revolve around the matter of divine presence, with God Himself becoming human in Christ—becoming ‘God with us’—standing at the pinnacle of the story of redemption. As we will see, God’s work of redemptions itself is the work of reconciling humans to Himself so that we can be with Him again in the special ways He intended from the beginning, temporarily ruptured by the entrance of evil.”

God with Us: An Introduction to Adventist Theology presents each element of foundational Seventh-day Adventist teaching as yet another illustration of the loving God who is truly with us in every one of those clear biblical teachings.

About the Author

John C. Peckham (PhD, Andrews University) is research professor of theology and Christian philosophy at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary, Andrews University. He is the author of numerous articles and books, including Divine Attributes: Knowing the Covenantal God of Scripture (Baker Academic), The Doctrine of God: Introducing the Big Questions (T&T Clark), Theodicy of Love: Cosmic Conflict and the Problem of Evil (Baker Academic), Canonical Theology (Eerdmans), and The Love of God: A Canonical Model (IVP Academic, and the winner of the 2015 IVP Readers’ Choice Award).”

Description from the publisher’s website.