John Saltmarsh and the Mystery of Redemption

Studies in Puritanism and Piety Journal, 2021

The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 2019

aesthetics, headed respectively by Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough, held conflicting views on painting. The divergence of Whitefield and Wesley within Evangelicalism is presented as an analogue, though by no means crudely. The two evangelists are not identified with the two artists, but Hindmarsh suggests that the Calvinists aligned with Whitefield admired the sublime while the followers of the Arminian Wesley made the motif of struggle central in their outlook. This observation is by no means implausible, for it coincides with the view of B. L. Manning in his brilliant study of The hymns of Wesley and Watts (), where the cosmic range of Watts's Calvinist verse is contrasted with the personal quest for salvation in the hymns of Charles Wesley. Contemporary art, as well as science and law, is shown to have affinities with Evangelical preoccupations. Despite the vast range of themes covered in Hindmarsh's book, there is little to criticise. One portion that is a little doubtful is the treatment of natural law. It is said that natural law became more prominent during the eighteenth century (p. ), whereas its decay at that time is a standard theme in histories of political thought. By the phrase, however, the author is referring to his organising theme of the rise of the 'non-supernatural', not the tradition of classical/Christian thought running down to the eighteenth century from the Stoics through Aquinas and the continuing scholastics of the post-Reformation period. That is a pity because a great desideratum is a study of the relationship of the thinking of the early Evangelicals to natural law in this sense. How far did they suppose that the light of nature, independent of the Bible, was a sanction for institutions and behaviour? That we do not find in this volume. Otherwise the only discernible flaw is a tendency to misspell British place names-'Sterling' (p. ), 'Litchfield' (p. ), 'Guilford' (p. ). What we possess in this book is therefore an extraordinarily rich account of the heartbeat of the Evangelical movement in its infancy. The engagement with recent scholarship in many fields of eighteenth-century studies is exemplary, but equally welcome is the concentration on spirituality, which enables the author to capture the movement's essence. In the conclusion Hindmarsh gently protests against the reductionism of E. P. Thompson's account of Methodist devotion. If readers want to understand what really motivated Evangelicals in the eighteenth century and even the early nineteenth century, they should turn to this book. DAVID BEBBINGTON UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING Jansenism and England. Moral rigorism across the confessions. By Thomas Palmer. (Oxford Theology and Religion Monographs.) Pp. x + . Oxford-New York: Oxford University Press, . £.      JEH () ; doi:./S Jansenism has a complex history, and one which is dominated by perspective. From that of the Catholic Church it was the teaching of a troubling heretical sect which contained a political dimension that dangerously challenged the authority of the papacy. From the perspective of Protestants, the Jansenist challenge to the Catholic Counter-Reformation seemed to establish an interpretation of the doctrine of grace with which it was in sympathy. It elevated grace as a mean of salvation for a depraved humanity and endorsed Calvinist ideas of predestination. However

Nova et Vetera, 2019

Church History, 2020

2018

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind, but now I see. T"was grace that taught my heart to fear. And grace, my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed. Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come; "tis grace that brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home. The Lord has promised good to me. His word my hope secures. He will my shield and portion be, as long as life endures. Yea when this flesh and heart shall fail, and mortal life shall cease, I shall possess within the veil, a life of joy and peace. When we"ve been there ten thousand years bright shining as the sun. We"ve no less days to sing God"s praise than when we"ve first begun. (Newton, 1779) Despite its age, Newton"s Amazing Grace has not at all lost its vogue and has fittingly become an anthem of Christian churches. Its impact has been monumental, influencing not only church liturgy but also crossing over to secular music. Its classicality and restorative message, however passé its rhythm may be, have catapulted it to become a soulful icon of Christianity. Although it may have been revised and covered by musicians from across different genres in keeping with modern music, and multiple versions have sprung from it, it may be said that its central message remains to be as powerful as when it was first written. Parallel to this, while the doctrine of God"s amazing grace may be preached in different traditions, diverse approaches and dynamic flairs to catch the attention of an audience, its truth and fundamental message ought not to be altered in any way for the mere purpose of pleasing the crowd, its message should not be bent to the whims of human desire, it should not be influenced by what is deemed to be vogue by the changing society, rather, biblical doctrines shall transform humanity. Instead of reshaping the grace doctrine, we ought to allow the truth to shape us so that we may come to the knowledge of who God is. We ought to construe it irrespective of our own prejudices so that it may usher us to that novel purpose in our Christian life. iii This paper is about the amazing grace of God and its cosmic role in the lives of Christians who come to know of its truth. God marks eternity. He never changes, so is His grace to us human beings. It is safe to conclude that God"s grace and its truth is constant in its nature and unchanging in its message despite of the inconstant and fickle penchant of humanity. This study shall aid a potential reader to comprehend the unrelenting debate on the doctrine of grace through a comparative analysis of the different faith-views on the doctrine; its ultimate purpose is for the reader to realize how amazing God"s grace is, then and even now. The grace debate is broad and sporadic; however, this paper generally assumes a debate between two parties, which is merely in fact a component of the debatebetween the Arminians who advocate libertarian human free, which is also the prevailing view in contemporary Christianity; and the Calvinists who advocate compatibilist freedom in the name of God"s sovereignty, which generally describes the belief of traditional Christianity. This paper aims to incite a deeper appreciation of God"s grace, so that it may not be a mere doctrine used meaninglessly as a scapegoat to evade metaphysical punishment. Calvin toiled to present his appreciation of this grace through his many prolific writings. Luther expressed his deep resent against those who refitted the doctrine for greed in his Ninety-five Theses. Paul emphasized on it in his gospel writings and even suffered imprisonment and other kinds of persecutions for the sake of the gospel truth of grace. Ultimately, God"s grace was revealed and demonstrated in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. This paper aims at no loftiness than to bring all glory to our God and shift focus on why God had sent His only begotten Son in that specific period in history for the salvation of the past, present, and future generations. It can only be said that Jesus" death on the cross, the grace of God Himself, is our assurance of His love and mercy towards us and the necessary justification for all loose questions in the debate. It may be said that in the quest for the answer to theological inquiry, Jesus Himself is the perfect apologetic.

In this paper, I will incorporate the theological and historical aspect of sin and free will by elucidating theological tension between the three parties on early medieval Christianity, 9th century Christianity and the reformation era. Through this historical theological investigation, I will conclude the controversy about sin and human freedom could unifying through appreciative interpretations of grace.

2020

The early modern question of the salvation of pagans was more than a confrontation between a Renaissance concern for the moral probity of the ancients versus a refusal to include non-believers on the part of the orthodox. The question also concerned the relation between philosophy and theology and, in its specific sixteenth- and seventeenth-century forms, the question of their commensurability. If, in hindsight, Spinoza simply identified religious grace with philosophical beatitude, this does not mean that the theological notion of grace had been unambiguously applied or rejected in philosophical discourse in the two hundred years of theological history which preceded. This chapter distinguishes between dogmatic interpretations of faith and their anthropological underpinnings on the one hand, and the question of the applicability of divine assistance on the other. It also offers an inventory of some of the positions put forward by major theologians and philosophers between 1500 and ...

Irish Theological Quarterly, 2001

The first part of this study (the second and third parts are to appear in the next two issues of the ITQ) concentrates on a review of the interpretation of the doctrine of grace since the Reformation. ... This three-part study examines the doctrine of grace in the light of the main