Active Theology

Brandon Crowe’s The Last Adam is a deep exploration of Jesus as the new Adam who redeems all of creation through his life and death. Crowe argues that understanding Christ as the “Last Adam” is crucial for grasping the gospel message. His book is packed with careful exegesis that draws a long list of connections between the Old and New Testaments.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its depth of biblical knowledge. Crowe weaves together Scripture, showing how Jesus succeeds where Adam failed and how Jesus fulfills the role of a true covenant representative. He unpacks key theological themes such as sonship, obedience, and eschatology, demonstrating how they come to fulfilment in Christ’s life and work. Crowe does an excellent job making his case through biblical exposition, but he also expounds on beliefs that have been held throughout church history. I appreciated Crowe bringing up these points in church history because it further emphasized Jesus’ identity as the Last Adam, even if it was not based on Scripture. It demonstrated how important this theological idea was and how this “Last Adam” identity is crucial to understanding Jesus. 

But The Last Adam is not an easy read. Crowe writes for those willing to go deep with theological terms, biblical scholarship, and biblical languages. At times, the density of the material can feel overwhelming, especially for those new to biblical theology. The book is filled with references to biblical texts, and while depth is a strength here, it also means that readers unfamiliar with covenant theology or systematic theology may find themselves needing to slow down to process each chapter. While the writing itself is clear, there were numerous times I found myself looking up the definitions of words. 

• Seriously – recalcitrance, logion, infelicitous, concomitantly…? *cue http://www.merriam-webster.com

For pastors, seminary students, and serious Bible readers, The Last Adam is an excellent resource that provides a fuller understanding of Jesus’ role in salvation. It helped me to read the gospels in a fresh way and see how Jesus’ life and death are more tightly connected to the entire narrative of Scripture.

Those willing to press through will find their understanding of Christ deepened and their appreciation for Scripture expanded. Crowe’s work reminds us that knowing Jesus is not just about understanding isolated events in his life but about seeing how he stands at the center of the biblical narrative.

Verdict: A theologically rich and rewarding book, but best suited for those ready for an in-depth study (with dictionary in hand).

Craig is a worship pastor at Wallula Christian Church and the creator of Active Theology. He loves coffee dates with his wife, reading, and riding his bike. A few of his favorite things are third wave coffee, vanilla ice cream, and plain t-shirts.