Jacob LETT and Jonathan M. PLATTER, editors. Sanctifying Theology: At the Intersection of Wesleyan Theology, Dogmatics, and Practice. A Festschrift in Honour of Thomas A. Noble. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2023. 253 pp., $36 paperback. ISBN: 9781666791297. Reviewed by Steve LEMKE, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

Thomas Noble is one of the best-known theologians in the Church of the Nazarene. His first interaction with the Wesleyan Holiness perspective was through his upbringing at Parkhead Church of the Nazarene in Glasgow, Scotland, the “mother” church of the Nazarene denomination in the UK. His schooling at the University of Glasgow, and particularly his study under Thomas Torrance at the New College in Edinburgh, shaped his theological perspective. His theological teaching career was at two institutions, Nazarene Theological College in Manchester, and Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City. His engagement in the multidenominational scholarly Tyndale Fellowship further enriched his theology.

The articles in this festschrift, written by students or colleagues of Noble, address many of the topics that Noble addressed in his own writings, such as the theology of Torrance, Wesley, and the early church fathers. However, these theological concepts are also applied to worship, the arts, and pastoral ministry. The articles do address Noble’s perspective on these issues, but are primarily focused on expanding and applying Noble’s concepts in new areas. As the book’s title suggests, the major theme of the book is “entire sanctification,” a key doctrine in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition.

This is a rich collection of articles, each one of which deserves attention. However, the following articles are representative of the quality of the entire collection. “Gestating, Birthing, and Nurturing Grace: Reframing Wesleyan Systematics,” by Glen O’Brien, “Transpositions: Notes of the Church in Trinitarian and Wesleyan Keys, “ by Jerome Van Kuiken; “Worship: The Context for Sanctification,” by Sandra Brower; “John Wesley’s Theology of Worship and a Pendulum,” by Steve Johnson; “Incarnation, Creation, and New Creation: T. F. Torrance and a Theological Re-visioning of the Arts,” by Jeremy S. Begbie; “Israel’s Highland Beginnings: Land, Family, Community, Statecraft, and God’s Non-coercive Nature,” by Joseph Coleson; “Pre-Programmed Computer or Free Agent: A Wesleyan Reflection on Human Freedom and Its Implications for the Doctrine of Entire Sanctification in the Light of Current Neuroscience,” by Daved McEwan, and “Evangelism in the Fourth Century: A Cappadocian Model,” by Carla Sunberg.

As one easily notes by looking at the titles of these representative articles, the book addresses very specific issues within rather diverse topics. Each article was written with scholarly excellence. Since I am not in the Wesleyan Holiness tradition personally, the book offered me a very helpful introduction to that theological perspective. This volume is most valuable for advocates of Wesleyan theology, but it offers well-researched and well-articulated articles that are well worth reading for anyone with theological interests.