Endorsements

“The structure of this book contributes to its appeal. The nine chapters cover the theological meat of the theme, the five excursuses address such sidebars as the meaning of Genesis 6:1–4 and how to test the spirits, and the three appendices survey adjacent but highly relevant themes (how these themes are treated in Islam on the one hand, and in various Christian creeds on the other). The book is comprehensive and edifying—and more important than one might initially think, in a culture that wants to be touched by an angel.”
D. A. Carson, Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; Cofounder, The Gospel Coalition

“In a modern secular age, it is all too easy for Christians to overlook the major source of conflict in the drama of redemption: the devilish powers of darkness that seek to seduce hearts away from the truth of the gospel with glittering images and empty promises. Graham Cole rightly reminds us that, while angels and demons are not at the heart of biblical revelation, to ignore them is to risk being blindsided. Against the Darkness is a model of how to judiciously read Scripture and formulate Christian doctrine on matters that are both peripheral and essential to the Bible’s main storyline. This is theology for the twenty-first-century church, and Cole helpfully draws out the pastoral implications of angelology and demonology—all the while never losing sight of the centrality of Jesus Christ and his lordship over the angelic and earthly realms.”
Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Research Professor of Systematic Theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School; author, The Drama of Doctrine; Hearers and Doers; Biblical Authority after Babel; and Faith Speaking Understanding

“We live in a culture that pretends the spiritual realm does not exist. Reducing that which is real to that which can be seen and touched, our culture catechizes its pupils in a worldview that dismisses angels and demons. It laughs at those who believe in the devil and his hell. So when we act disinterested in angels, Satan, and demons, we invite this secular outlook to control the biblical narrative. Although we profess faith in a God who has overcome the evil one, in reality our indifference reveals us to be practical atheists. Graham Cole exposes this blind spot, demonstrating that our theology of angels, Satan, and demons is not irrelevant but takes us to the center of the gospel itself. For if Christ has suffered for our sins and risen for our justification, then Satan no longer has power and victory over us. Read Against the Darkness and discover how God has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.”
Matthew Barrett, Associate Professor of Christian Theology, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; Executive Editor, Credo Magazine; editor, Reformation Theology

Table of Contents