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Solid foundation for faith

Thursday, March 31, 2016
Avondale academic’s anthology validates biblical basis of Adventist beliefs
Grounds for Assurance and Hope

Grounds For Assurance and Hope: Selected Biblical and Historical Writings of Bryan W Ball (Avondale Academic Press, 2015)
Bryan W Ball and Robert McIver, Editors


This 338-page anthology is a celebration of Dr Bryan W Ball’s 80th birthday and brings together a substantial selection of his writings. It is a welcome book—Ball is one of Seventh-day Adventism’s thought leaders and scholars. The range of the selection reflects the significant areas of Ball’s work, from the biblical record of Creation to the return of Christ and much else between.

Ball, a former President of the Adventist Church in the South Pacific and now an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Avondale College of Higher Education, has researched and worked hard to validate the biblical basis of major Adventists beliefs. In pursuing this line of scholarship, he has demonstrated beyond doubt or criticism that Adventism is not a North American sect. Grounds For Assurance and Hope is a testimony to his success.

It is fair to say the primacy of scriptural authority underpins all of Ball’s work. In Scripture, God has made known His will and purpose in creation and redemption. From this source and no other rests the message of salvation.

Grounds For Assurance and Hope is arranged in three sections: Revelation and the Bible; Puritan history and belief; and redemption and eschatology. You find rich gems in each section, not least that dealing with Scripture. In an age of relativism, biblical scholars and Christians will find much here to provoke and encourage faith with solid evidence to confirm it.

Dealing with Puritan history is a strong feature in Ball’s writings. He has made a significant contribution in this area, including Apocalyptic thought, the history in England of Seventh-day Sabbatarianism and also of so-called conditionalism. The development of the latter in the faith of the nonconformists will be a revelation for many readers.

Two essays, in particular, are noteworthy. The first is the mandate of Jesus to the church of its obligation to keep mission foremost on its agenda. The second, the previously unpublished “The Decline of the West: Myth, or Reason for Hope?”, is an ambitious piece of writing that is not without challenges.

An unusual feature of Grounds For Assurance and Hope is the response from two of Ball’s colleagues.

Dr Steven Thompson, a Higher Degree Research Supervisor at Avondale, critiques the biblical and theological chapters. He recognises Ball is dealing with substantial issues at the core of Christian faith. He is fair but finds some points of contention. This is refreshing. He wonders if Ball’s “Christian metanarrative of salvation history” is as relevant to the contemporary world rather than a more personal interactive communication model for postmodernists.

Associate Professor Daniel Reynaud, Assistant Dean (Learning and Teaching) in the Faculty of Arts, Nursing and Theology at Avondale, responds as a historian. He has high praise for Ball’s focus on Puritan theology and thought, noting Ball has enlarged our understanding and appreciation of it. But it is the essay, “The Decline of the West,” that engages Reynaud. He questions its European and Christocentric worldview, suggesting the centre and relevance of Christian influence has moved to a larger stage and its communication requires a more comprehensive perspective and expression of the Christian message to meet a changing world.

These scholarly and objective critiques are stimulating and add greatly to the value of the book.

Grounds For Assurance and Hope has one outstanding and prominent virtue: it deals with the great issues of the Christian faith. It does this directly, clearly and with readability, a quality you do not always find in scholarly works. By the very nature of the areas it addresses, the book commends itself not only to members and thought leaders of the Adventist Church worldwide but also to all Christians who seek a solid foundation for their faith. Here the reader will discover again grounds for assurance and hope.

Grounds for Assurance and Hope

Grounds for Assurance and Hope: Selected Biblical and Historical Writings of Bryan W Ball is an 80th birthday commemorative selection reflecting Ball’s academic interests, including Puritan history and belief, the authority of the Bible and the history of English translations of the Bible, as well as theological topics such as redemption and eschatology. The book includes several previously unpublished chapters and contributions from other authors that provide a brief biography of Ball’s life and evaluations of his published works. Grounds for Assurance and Hope: Selected Biblical and Historical Writings of Bryan W Ball is available from Adventist Book Centres, the Avondale Online Store and Amazon.

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Patrick Boyle
Author

Patrick Boyle

Pr Patrick Boyle, now retired in Watford, England, is editor of The Pilgrim, a publication produced by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Britain for retirees. He is a former senior minister of the Stanborough Park Seventh-day Adventist Church.