Reconsidering Arminius: Beyond the Reformed and Wesleyan Divide - Softcover

Stanglin, Keith D.; Bilby, Mark G.; Mann, Mark H.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1426796544 ISBN 13: 9781426796548

Verlag: Kingswood Books, 2014

Inhaltsangabe

The theology of Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius has been misinterpreted and caricatured in both Reformed and Wesleyan circles. By revisiting Arminius’s theology, the book hopes to be a constructive voice in the discourse between so-called Calvinists and Arminians. Traditionally, Arminius has been treated as a divisive figure in evangelical theology. Indeed, one might be able to describe classic evangelical theology up into the twentieth century in relation to his work: one was either an Arminian and accepted his theology or one was a Calvinist and rejected his theology. Although various other movements within evangelicalism have provided additional contour to the movement (fundamentalism, Pentecostalism, etc.), the Calvinist-Arminian 'divide' remains a significant one. What this book seeks to correct is the misinterpretation of Arminius as one whose theology provides a stark contrast to the Reformed tradition as a whole. Indeed, this book will demonstrate instead that Arminius is far more in line with Reformed orthodoxy than popularly believed and show that what emerges as Arminianism in the theology of the Remonstrants and Wesleyan movements was in fact not the theology of Arminius but a development of and sometimes departure from it. This book also brings Arminius into conversation with modern theology. To this end, it includes essays on the relationship between Arminius's theology and open theism and Neo-Reformed theology. In this way, this book fulfills the promise of the title by showing ways in which Arminius's theology—once properly understood—can serve as a resource of evangelical Wesleyans and Calvinists doing theology together today.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorinnen und Autoren

Keith D. Stanglin is associate professor of scripture and historical theology at Austin Graduate School of Theology in Austin, Texas.

Mark G. Bilby completed his PhD in 2012 at the University of Virginia. His recently published dissertation explores the early Christian interpretation of Luke 23:39-43, the story of the two co-crucified criminals. At present he works as the reference librarian at the Claremont School of Theology.

Mark H. Mann is Associate Professor of Theology and Director of the Wesleyan Center at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California.

W. Stephen Gunter is President of Young Harris College - Young Harris, GA.

Ted A. Campbell is Professor of Church History at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University and has authored the following books for Abingdon Press: Methodist Doctrine, Wesley and the Quadrilateral, Wesleyan Essentials in a Multicultural Society, and John Wesley and Christian Antiquity. He lives in Dallas, Texas.

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Reconsidering Arminius

Beyond the Reformed and Wesleyan Divide

By Keith D. Stanglin, Mark G. Bilby, Mark H. Mann

Abingdon Press

Copyright © 2014 Abingdon Press
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4267-9654-8

Contents

"Abbreviations", 
"Introduction" Reconsidering Arminius: Recasting the Legacy Mark H. Mann and Mark G. Bilby, 
"Chapter 1" Consecrated through Suffering: The Office of Christ inthe Theology of Jacob Arminius Richard A. Muller, 
"Chapter 2" Was Arminius an Unwitting Determinist? Another Look at Arminius's Modal Logic Thomas H. McCall, 
"Chapter 3" Beyond Luther, beyond Calvin, beyond Arminius: The Pilgrims and the Remonstrants in Leiden, 1609-1620 Jeremy Dupertuis Bangs, 
"Chapter 4" The Loss of Arminius in Wesleyan-Arminian Theology W. Stephen Gunter, 
"Chapter 5" Jacob Arminius and Jonathan Edwards on the Doctrine of Creation Oliver D. Crisp, 
"Chapter 6" Convergence in the "Reformed" Theologies of T. F. Torrance and Jacob Arminius E. Jerome Van Kuiken, 
"Chapter 7" Was Arminius an Open Theist? Meticulous Providence in the Theology of Jacob Arminius John Mark Hicks, 
"Conclusion" Arminius Reconsidered: Thoughts on Arminius and Contemporary Theological Discourse for the Church Today Keith D. Stanglin, 
"Contributors", 

CHAPTER 1

Consecrated through Suffering: The Office of Christ in the Theology of Jacob Arminius

Richard A. Muller

Arminius's Approach to the Office of Christ: Issues and Contexts

The doctrine of Christ's threefold office was not a matter of major debate among Protestant theologians of the early modern era, even though various more or less subordinate topics such as the extent of Christ's satisfaction received intense scrutiny. Although its basic formulation and subsequent prominence as a doctrinal topic in the Loci communes, gathered Disputationes, and theological Institutiones of the era can probably be traced to the final edition of Calvin's Institutes, the concept of Christ's office and even the distribution of the office under the titles of prophet, priest, and king was not original to Calvin and, indeed, had a long history in the thought of the church, extending back as far as Eusebius of Caesarea in the early fourth century. Arminius's doctrine of the threefold office fits well into this post-Reformation development, and it also provides a basis for shedding some light on the perennial question of Armini-us's relationship to the Reformed tradition.

The Office of Christ: Arminius's Basic Assumptions

The Nature of Religion, Covenant, and the Office of Christ

Arminius's understanding of the doctrine of Christ's threefold office was largely uncontroversial. The sole exception is the hint of subordination of the Son to the Father in Arminius's statements concerning the imposition of Christ's office and his consecration to the office, although neither Arminius's oration on Christ's priestly office nor his disputations on the office of Christ caused the debate—nor were they referenced in it. More significant than the potentially controversial element, however, are the connections drawn by Arminius among the fundamental relationship between God and human beings that is constitutive of religion, the foundational identification of true religion as covenantal, and the basic functions of covenantal religion—the kingly, prophetic, and priestly—as adumbrating both the necessity of Christ's mediation and the threefold form of Christ's office as prophet, priest, and king. This rather prominent covenantal aspect of Arminius's Christology is evident both in his Oration on the Priesthood of Christ and in his Public Disputation on Christ's offices. It places him in a significant relation to developments in the Reformed theology of his time, specifically to the development of the doctrine of the pactum salutis or eternal covenant of redemption between the Father and the Son, a relationship noted by William Ames and Herman Witsius, among others.

The oration on Christ's priestly office begins with a set of general observations that Arminius identifies as necessary to the understanding of Christ's office as such and that provide the basis for understanding aspects of the office—notably the kingship and priesthood of Christ. The relationships that subsist between God and human beings all begin with a divine act that involves something bestowed by God and received by human beings. What is also required, however, for there to be a full relationship between God and human beings is human response—specifically an act that has its "beginning" (initium) in human beings and its end in God. The language here reflects the standard definition of religion found in the Protestant theology of Arminius's day, namely, the bond between God and human beings consisting in true knowledge and worship, and Arminius's own summary statement that "religion is the duty of a human being toward God" as defined by God's word and as exercised in worship.

Human beings ought, in other words, to acknowledge the divine act and respond with gratitude. Such gratitude is a debt owed to God, to be paid as demanded and determined by God as the giver of the gift. Yet God has also, in kindness and generosity (benignitas) established this relationship of act and response as a "mutual covenant." The covenant is such that God first manifests God's obligation to humanity before human beings begin to consider themselves as obligated to God.

Here again, in addition to the significant parallels and commonalities between Arminius's thought on covenant and the developing Reformed theologies of his time, we may have a hint of arguments that would later separate Arminius's theology from that of his Reformed colleagues. Where the larger number of Reformed writers would declare that, given both the divine omnipotence and the utter freedom of God in conferring the good being on his creatures, God is under no obligation to creation and certainly does not find God's power limited by the existence of the created order, Arminius disagreed, perhaps reflecting an understanding of the traditional language of "ordained power" (potentia ordinata) and arguing that the act of creating was a self-limiting act and that the divine right over creatures was defined and delimited by the act of creation. The act of creation, in turn, is the basis of God's right to require religion of human beings, and this religion, rightly understood, takes the form of covenant.

Still, Arminius's basic definition of covenant is quite conformable to the Reformed approaches of the era. Arminius argues that all covenants made between God and human beings have two fundamental parts or elements. There is the "prior promise of God, by which [God] obliges himself to perform a duty (officium) and the acts corresponding to it for human beings," and there is the "subsequent prescription of the duty (officium) which is stipulated in return for human beings and through which human beings respond mutually to God." The stipulation or obligation is that those to whom the covenant is proposed become God's people, live according to God's commandments, and expect to receive God's blessings. The divine promise is that God will be both God and king to the people, will properly "discharge the duties" of their king, and will bestow blessings on those who have obeyed the commandments.

Associated with the divine rule, relating to the duties of the king and to the...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Kingswood Books
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1426796544
• ISBN 13: 9781426796548
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 190
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: GPSR Kontakt; gpsr@libri.de; ; Europaallee 1; Bad Hersfeld; 36244; Deutschland