Robert Wilkin Reviews The Race Set Before Us

A few years ago Robert Wilkin, founder and president of The Grace Evangelical Society drafted an extensive review of The Race Set Before Us. Before he published it in his journal, The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society, Bob corresponded with Tom Schreiner and me. Despite considerable efforts, we failed to assist Bob to understand the nature of salvation as entailing both already and not yet realities. Failure to understand this results in a general failure to apprehend the remainder of our beliefs concerning perseverance and assurance. This is evident in Bob's review. For example, consider this statement: Whereas many authors appear to be a bit reluctant to come out and call eternal salvation a prize to be won by endurance in obedience, Schreiner and Caneday do not share this reservation. I found it refreshing to see someone clearly admit they believe that eternal salvation is a prize won by ardent effort. While it grieves me to see someone garble the gospel in that way, I am happy that they at least do so openly.

Bob does say some nice things about our book. In sharp contrast to some of his reviews of other books, Bob states, I appreciated the tone of this book. Schreiner and Caneday are not vitriolic. There is almost no bombast here. Strangely, the one thing that Bob identifies as bombast is not that at all.

Find Bob Wilkin's review at "Striving for the Prize of Eternal Salvation: A Review of Schreiner and Caneday's The Race Set Before Us" in The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society 15(Spring 2002).