Dr. Timothy Trumper Interview
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Together for Adoption Interview with Dr. Tim J. R. Trumper Dr. Tim J. R. Trumper (Ph.D., University of Edinburgh) is Senior Minister of Seventh Reformed Church, Grand Rapids, Michigan. A native of Wales, he has preached internationally, taught systematic theology at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia, and pastored in south-east Pennsylvania. One of your desires for the church is that she soteriology did not become a subject of would recover the doctrine of adoption. You’ve sustained investigation until the Reformation. The written elsewhere that adoption has not major concerns of the early church were received its due attention within the history of Trinitarian and Christological. The protracted the church. Why do you believe that adoption Roman Catholic/Protestant disputes over has been overshadowed by other doctrines? justification ensured that soteriology came into its own as a major discussion point of the Christian Yes, that’s right Dan. The recovery of adoption is church. Ironically, the interest in justification that a passionate desire of mine, and has been for created possibilities for the development of the some fifteen years now. Surprisingly, there have doctrine of adoption became the chief reason it been real challenges in persuading Christian folk continued to be neglected. Simply put, adoption that this recovery is necessary. A number of became thoroughly overshadowed by the factors have obscured the neglect of adoption. controversies over justification. I’m thinking especially of: Calvin’s interest in adoption stands out as a 1. The prevalence of the language of adoption in notable exception (note, for example, his claim prayer (note in this regard that every true that, “the gift of adoption bestows salvation believer possesses the Spirit of adoption entire”). Few, however, have recognized Calvin’s [Rom. 8: 15; cf. Gal. 4:6]) and in hymnody fondness for the adoption motif. Several reasons (notably that of the Methodists and the account for this: 1. The intensity and protraction Brethren). of the general preoccupation with justification. Recall how the Reformation was followed by the 2. The inclusion of the biblical word for adoption Counter or Catholic Reformation. The Decrees of (huiothesia: Rom. 8:15, 23; 9:4; Gal. 4:5; Eph. the Council of Trent (1545-63), which 1:5) in published lexicons and theological anathematized Protestants for their views, dictionaries. ensured the continuation of the theological preoccupation with justification. 2. The impact of If you look more broadly, however, you’ll find that the historic neglect of adoption on the study of adoption is conspicuous by either its absence Calvin. Readers of Calvin have simply not been from or its scant attention in the theological texts, looking for his thought on the doctrine. 3. The the creeds and the confessions of the church. manner in which Calvin discusses adoption in his Contrast its treatment with that of its neighboring Institutes. While eight chapters are devoted to doctrines. How seismic and mature have been justification none are allotted to adoption. Thus the treatments of justification and sanctification Calvin’s readers have found little encouragement by comparison! in the Institutes to look at what he says of adoption. What has passed them by, however, is Perhaps the major proof of the neglect of the fact that doctrines of wide-ranging adoption is the availability of reasons that explain significance, such as union with Christ and it. Note for a start how adoption has suffered in adoption, receive no chapter in The Institutes connection with the broader neglect of the precisely because their lessons cannot be doctrine of salvation (soteriology). By and large it confined to one, two or more chapters. is true to say that with the exception of the interest of Anselm of Canterbury (1033-1109), Little changed with the subsiding of the battles of gospel at the expense of its relational (or the Reformation. Before long, challenges to the specifically familial) elements. Perhaps the classic Protestant understanding of justification clearest single evidence of this change within began to develop within Protestantism itself. Calvinism is found in the claim of the late- These challenges, which included Deism, nineteenth/early-twentieth century Southern Arianism and Socinianism, Neonomianism and Presbyterian Robert A. Webb that “Calvin wrote Arminianism, and, surprisingly the influence of nothing whatsoever on adoption”! (The Reformed Wesley, ensured that justification remained the Doctrine of Adoption, Eerdmans, 1947). This preoccupation of Protestant soteriology. I’ll spare claim tells us far more of the post-Westminster you their details — they can be read of in my Assembly development of Calvinism than it does doctoral dissertation, “An Historical Study of the of the theology of Calvin. Doctrine of Adoption in the Calvinistic Tradition” [University of Edinburgh, 2001, ch. 6] A backlash against the lopsidedness of and in ch. 1 of my forthcoming book When Westminster Calvinism was bound to occur at History Teaches Us Nothing [Wipf and Stock]) — some point. When it did, it was led by two sufficient to say that they became an effective unlikely rebels: Scotsmen Thomas Erskine of disincentive to the sort of creative orthodoxy Linlathen (1788-1870) and John McLeod necessary for the inclusion of adoption within Campbell (1800-72). Whereas Erskine’s protests Protestant discussions of the doctrine of led him eventually into Universalism, Campbell salvation. Note, for example, what appears to adopted (excuse the pun!) such a novel doctrine have been the deliberate action of John Wesley in of atonement that it became impossible for eradicating every mention of adoption from his Evangelicals within the Church of Scotland to revision of the Westminster Assembly’s Shorter take to heart his protest against the Calvinism of Catechism (notwithstanding the emphasis his day (at least, that which he experienced in eighteenth-century Methodists placed on the Scotland). Quite the contrary, his contribution to possession of the Spirit of adoption). This the development of Victorian liberalism meant astonishing action is explained best, in all that his promising emphases on the Fatherhood likelihood, by the close connection between of God and Christian sonship became linked ever adoption and predestination (see Eph. 1:4-5 after with a liberal view of theology, and were thus especially). ignored. Even today, conservative Presbyterians, in writing off McLeod Campbell’s protest, Accordingly, between c.1650-1830 adoption overlook its kernel of truth; namely his gradually became lost to view. Many individual highlighting of the need to balance the Puritans wrote pieces on adoption, as Joel Beeke retrospective/prospective elements of atonement has recently shown (“Transforming Power and and the jusridical/familial aspects of the gospel. Comfort: The Puritans on Adoption” in The Faith Once Delivered, edited by Anthony T. Selvaggio This fear of Victorian liberalism has, more [P&R]), but after the Westminster Assembly the recently, been supplemented by a fear of doctrine ceased to occupy the place it enjoys in Charismatic influences. The Charismatic stress the theology of Calvin and in the Westminster on the relational (especially familial) elements of Standards. Part of the reason for this was that the the gospel makes it difficult for the more Westminster commissioners — who produced the suspicious type of mind to embrace what, in first confession of faith to include a chapter on actuality, are New Testament themes. Ironically, adoption — did little to weave the doctrine’s not all Charismatics perceive themselves the way implications throughout them. Thus, instead of the Reformed perceive them. I think of leading working to improve the tradition’s reflection of the Charismatic theologian Thomas Smail for theological emphases and tone of the New instance, who, in his book The Forgotten Father, Testament, the subsequent tradition allowed the asks whether Charismatics have in fact Fatherhood of God and adoption to fade from the emphasized the Spirit at the expense of the everyday discussion of the theology of Calvinism. Father. Well, it’s not for me to answer that. In consequence of this, Calvinism came to express the retrospective aspects of the All I am trying to say here is that there are atonement (what we are saved from) at the sufficient lessons from church history to suggest expense of its prospective aspects (what we are that adoption has been neglected, and that it is saved to), and the juridical (legal) aspects of the high time we recovered it. Reformed Christians have less excuse than anyone else in not This more balanced approach to the expression participating in this recovery, for no tradition of of the Bible’s doctrine of salvation promises theology has, to my knowledge, done as much dividends for the level of joy among our ranks. with the doctrine in the Reformation and post- Remember, it was the experience of joylessness Reformation eras. among McLeod Campbell’s parishioners that first spawned his early-nineteenth century protest Some progress has been made in recent years. against Westminster Calvinism — a protest We now have available a study of the fortunes of repeated recently along more orthodox lines by the doctrine of adoption covering the course of Jack Miller (I refer to World Harvest Mission’s the last two millennia, with special reference to Sonship Discipleship Course). Whatever we think the Calvinistic tradition. There are also more of these initiatives, they share an important widely available the publication of biblical studies nugget of truth; namely, that the recovery of across a range of theological traditions, which adoptive sonship is relevant to our reflection of studies afford us an opportunity to understand the victory of the gospel. We are, says Paul, better the biblical data. A more mature hyper-conquerors through Christ who loved us! understanding of this data and its application to The apostle’s language of adoption helps us the multiple issues surrounding the doctrine will express this.