Of all the secondary texts I've used in the classroom, Creation and Covenant remains the best, and the favorite of my students. By positioning contemporary disputes in the long history of Christian reflection, Roberts provides students with an example and tools with to engage in the moderating and enlivening practice of thinking historically. The range of thinkers discussed is helpful, and the level of reflection is robust, but still clear and accessible. Highly recommended for the classroom.
The question of the significance of sexual difference is at the heart of many divisions within contemporary society. It is producing hurtful tensions within all of the major Christian Churches....Roberts' contribution to the debate is forceful and scholarly, while always charitable. This powerfully argued case for the abiding importance of our sexual identity shows how rich can be the contribution of the Christian tradition to our society's present search to understand the meaning of our lives. Even those who do not accept all of the author's conclusions should be grateful for this beautifully written and profound book. It will help us all in our journey towards understanding who we are in Christ.
With this book, Roberts has tried to raise the standard of theological argument about same-sex unions, and in this he succeeds admirably.
Creation and Covenant is clear, concise, and written with great respect for both the Christian orthodoxy on this subject and its contemporary opponents. It wears its scholarship lightly and is a major, thoughtful contribution to our thinking on men, women, and the relationship between our created bodies and our redeemed lives.
Roberts makes the best argument I know for a traditional Christian perspective on gender difference and marriage. He is a compelling and fluid reader of scripture, of Karl Barth, and of our bodies. His opponents had better be at least this biblical, this clear, and this gracious with their interlocutors.
In Creation and Covenant, Christopher Roberts has done both church and society a great service.
Christopher Roberts explores with clarity and precision of argument... an important contribution to present debates... done with care but critical sharpness...I am very grateful for this book, for its positive argument which will make any reader think again. It is a first class work of strong theology.
Roberts's analysis of the theological status of sexual difference addresses arguments about same-sex-partnerships that range well beyond academic boundaries.
This book is.…a vital contribution to our contemporary debates about same-sex relationships….well-written and quite accessible to a generally educated reader….a model of scholarship done with respect for tradition and yet with an honesty and charity that lead the author not to claim more than can be claimed regarding tradition…..
This is a brave and welcome publication….The book is written in an accessible and interesting style. Its tone is sensitive and balanced. The real strength of this study lies in the kind of questions it asks and in the author's commitment to finding out 'facts' before offering answers - it is an example of honest and valuable scholarship.
