PERFECT UNITY:
A guide for Christian doctrine and life
By Ralph Cunnington
P & R Publishing. 198 pages. £14.00
ISBN 978 1 629 958 552
In Perfect Unity, Ralph Cunnington has written a short yet persuasive, accessible, and wonderfully insightful, readable summary of Christian doctrine.
Thanks to his time studying under Dr Robert Letham, Cunnington cleverly uses the idea of ‘Distinct yet Inseparable’ to explain a number of tricky-to-get-your-mind-around things about the Christian life, faith and doctrine. For example, in his chapter tackling our redemption in Christ, he writes: ‘We needed a sacrifice that was distinct from humanity, in that God the Son is sinless, and yet inseparable from humanity, in that He is fully man’.
Whether you are relatively new to Christian things, a keen church historian or a seasoned pastor, this book is full of lucid and helpfully explained insights. I would recommend it to everyone who wants to continue growing in their understanding of their Christian faith.
The book has six parts: part one focuses on the Trinity; part two, the gospel; part three, the world; part four, what it means to be a Christian. Part five continues this by looking at how a Christian grows, and part six addresses the question ‘What is the church?’. The latter section opens with a helpful illustration surrounding a friend of his he calls Nick. Personally, I found the last three chapters particularly helpful and thought provoking, whether that be the risk of elevating word-ministry above other gifts like administration, helping and faith or not limiting it to just preaching.
In light of current debates, his chapter in this section on gender is timely. To quote him: ‘God has made men and women distinct but inseparable’. Finally, his critique of the ‘homogenous unit principle’ and discussion around ethnicity I found more thoughtful and pastorally sensitive than perhaps other White British men who love soccer (we call it football), even if they don’t hate oysters.
I am inclined to agree with Cunnington that Dr Letham was right. The three words ‘Distinct but Inseparable’ are indeed a safeguard against theological heterodoxy.
