DOCSLIB.ORG

Lordship Salvation by Pastor Kelly Sensenig

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Lordship Salvation by Pastor Kelly Sensenig “When anyone comes promising salvation to those ‘who make full surrender’ of all that they have to God, and who ‘pay the price of full salvation,’ he is preaching another gospel, for the price was paid on Calvary’s cross and the work that saves is finished. It was Christ Jesus who made the full surrender when He yielded His life on Calvary. It is His death that saves us, not our surrender in any way to Him.” Dr. Harry Ironside “Another Gospel” tract My summary of this paper: You do not believe by looking at works; you believe by looking at Christ. 2 Timothy 1:12 “For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” 1 Lordship Salvation By Pastor Kelly Sensenig When Mount Saint Helen’s erupted and spewed its ash and lava all over the place, many scientists were concerned about the long-range effects that it might have on our planet and atmosphere in particular. We might view the present subject that we our going to study as an erupting volcano which is emitting the smoke, fumes and lava of man-made heat all over the church today. One should be concerned how it will really affect the church in the long run. Like a volcano, the subject of Lordship Salvation never really becomes extinct. It is always lying dormant and ready to erupt once again. Many view this subject as a controversy. As always, the controversy is not with God or God’s Word. The controversy is with man and his understanding of God’s Word. Let us beware of making something a controversy that God does not. The title for this paper is merely designed to catch the reader’s attention and interest. I do not really believe there is any controversy with God or God’s Word on this issue. All the controversy is with man. Man makes an issue out of something that is not an issue with God. In these messages I want to dive into this issue with my sleeves rolled back. No, I am not ready to fight you. Rather, I want to lovingly clarify where the problems of misunderstanding are and try to make some good Biblical sense about this volcanic issue. Introduction Wading Through the Reformed Teachings and the Present Day Issue: (Please put on your hip boots. It will get rather deep at some points along the way!) The roots of Lordship Salvation primarily developed or grew out of the post- Reformation (the Reformed churches following the Reformation) and post-Calvinistic thought. Its basic ideas can be traced back to these days, specifically those days following the Reformation. Lordship Salvation can be readily seen in the English- speaking Puritan Theology of the past. The Puritans in one sense wanted to be known as the Reformers of the Reformers' writings. The Reformation did not take the Church of England where they thought it should be. Because of this, there was a vigorous revival in theological teaching and preaching so that the church could take strides forward in learning and understanding Biblical truth. I have many books by the old Puritan writers and can observe the trend that they followed. The Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England; hence, the term puritans was attached to them. In reality, this view of Lordship Salvation is the result of the Reformed Theology that grew out of Puritan teaching within the 2 English Reformation of the sixteenth century. Of course, Puritanism spread to America through the colonies. Puritan theologians, writers and laymen throughout the 16th and earlier 17th centuries spread this concept of salvation. The whole concept of Lordship Salvation was developed by the English Puritans and passed down to America. It was not the primary teaching of any prominent Reformers such as Calvin and Luther. However, Puritan Reformers dating back to William Tyndale, John Knox, to William Ames, William Perkins, John Preston, the theologian John Owen, Thomas Manton, Thomas Watson, Thomas Brooks, Richard Baxter, John Cotton, William Bradford, Matthew Poole, Oliver Cromwell, John Winthrop, David Clarkson, William Bates, John Gibbon, John Milton and John Bunyan were all well-known Puritans. Of course, the Puritan writers did magnify the grace of God. Who can forget the classic novel of John Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress? However, in most Puritan writers there seems to be a general shift away from the assurance of salvation through faith in the free offer of the grace of God. There was an increasing emphasis placed upon the issue of works with faith as the sole determining factor of salvation. A strange mixing of faith with works began to take shape through these Puritan years. Grace was no longer offered as free grace as it was in the earlier Reformation period. The need for surrender and commitment was tied in with grace. And faith was reworked as including works. The subtle shift had occurred in the Puritan era. Even the beloved Matthew Henry wrote this in the beginning of the 1700’s: “We are too apt to rest in a bare profession of faith, and think that this will save us; it is cheap and easy religion.” John Gill was the Baptist British minister who wrote in 1767: “…sanctification is to be seen in conversion, which is a turning of men from their iniquities: and that holiness which is begun in regeneration…” The later Bishop J.C. Ryle wrote these words over a century ago: “I doubt, indeed, whether we have any warrant for saying that a man can possibly be converted without being consecrated to God.” It is interesting to study the writings of Calvin and Luther. These two Reformation figures and others did not hold to the teaching of Lordship Salvation as the Puritans of England developed following the Reformation. The original Reformers like Calvin and Luther did stress the teaching of the perseverance of the saints. However, they did not teach the concept of Lordship Salvation, which is being taught today. Their teaching was that the faith, which actually brings a person to salvation, was simply one thing – faith. Faith itself did not include the idea of discipleship or submission. Both Calvin and Luther taught that assurance could be based upon a person’s faith that they place in 3 Christ. It was their elective faith in Christ that assured them of eternal salvation and not the submission or surrender of a person. John Calvin, the Swiss Reformer (1509–1564), wrote: “For, as regards justification, faith is something merely passive, bringing nothing of ours to the recovering of God’s favor but receiving from Christ what we lack … We compare faith to a kind of vessel; for unless we come empty and with the mouth of our soul open to seek Christ’s grace, we are not capable of receiving Christ.” Calvin also wrote this clear statement about faith: “It is a firm and sure knowledge of the divine favour toward us, founded on the truth of a free promise in Christ, and revealed to our minds, and sealed on our hearts, by the Holy Spirit.” Notice that Calvin bases faith upon a free promise. This is nothing more than the promise of the written word of God. Calvin’s view of faith did not include the mixture with works, obedience and discipleship. It was a faith rooted in the free promise of God’s Word concerning eternal life. This was truly faith alone in Christ alone. To Calvin, faith is not obedience or commitment. Obedience, in Calvin’s view, flows from faith and is part of the nature of the Christian life. Calvin wrote in his Institutes: “Doubtless, if we are to determine by our works in what way the Lord stands affected towards us, I admit that we cannot even get the length of a feeble conjecture: but since faith should accord with the free and simple promise, there is no room left for ambiguity. With what kind of confidence, pray, shall we be armed if we reason in this way – God is propitious to us, provided we deserve it by the purity of our lives.” Calving admitted that it was wrong to trust in works for our justification. Therefore, we should not trust in them for the assurance of our salvation. In his commentary on First Corinthians he said, “When the Christian looks at himself he can only have ground for anxiety, indeed despair.” Calvin taught that the perseverance of the saints was intended to be a secondary confirmation of a person’s salvation and not the sole ground of assurance for a person’s salvation. He taught that it would bring a secondary encouragement to the believer’s heart, which already had assurance in Christ alone through faith. He taught that we could only derive our assurance from our contemplation of Christ and His work done on our behalf. 4 Again Calvin writes in his Institutes: “Should they begin to estimate it (assurance of their salvation) by their good works, nothing will be weaker or more uncertain; works, when estimated by themselves, no less proving the divine displeasure by their imperfection, than His good-will by their incipient purity.” “Faith totters if it pays attention to works, since no one, even he most holy, will find there anything on which to rely.” In his commentary on Ephesians Calvin wrote: “But if we have been chosen in Him, we shall not find assurance of our election in ourselves; and not even in God the father, if we conceive Him as severed from His Son.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • On Faith-Healing New Secular Humanist Centers?
    New Secular More on Humanist Faith-Healing Centers? James Randi Paul Kurtz Gerald Larue Vern Bullough Henry Gordon Bob Wisne David Alexander Faith-healer Robert Roberts Also: Is Goldilocks Dangerous? • Pornography • The Supreme Court • Southern Baptists • Protestantism, Catholicism, and Unbelief in France 1n Its Tree _I FALL 1986, VOL. 6, NO. 4 ISSN 0272-0701 Contents 3 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 17 BIBLICAL SCORECARD 62 CLASSIFIED 12 ON THE BARRICADES 60 IN THE NAME OF GOD 6 EDITORIALS Is Goldilocks Dangerous? Paul Kurtz / Pornography, Censorship, and Freedom, Paul Kurtz I Reagan's Judiciary, Ronald A. Lindsay / Is Secularism Neutral? Richard J. Burke / Southern Baptists Betray Heritage, Robert S. Alley / The Holy-Rolling of America, Frank Johnson 14 HUMANIST CENTERS New Secular Humanist Centers, Paul Kurtz / The Need for Friendship Centers, Vern L. Bullough / Toward New Humanist Organizations, Bob Wisne THE EVIDENCE AGAINST REINCARNATION 18 Are Past-Life Regressions Evidence for Reincarnation? Melvin Harris 24 The Case Against Reincarnation (Part 1) Paul Edwards BELIEF AND UNBELIEF WORLDWIDE 35 Protestantism, Catholicism, and Unbelief in Present-Day France Jean Boussinesq MORE ON FAITH-HEALING 46 CS ER's Investigation Gerald A. Larue 46 An Answer to Peter Popoff James Randi 48 Popoff's TV Empire Declines .. David Alexander 49 Richard Roberts's Healing Crusade Henry Gordon IS SECULAR HUMANISM A RELIGION? 52 A Response to My Critics Paul Beattie 53 Diminishing Returns Joseph Fletcher 54 On Definition-Mongering Paul Kurtz BOOKS 55 The Other World of Shirley MacLaine Ring Lardner, Jr. 57 Saintly Starvation Bonnie Bullough VIEWPOINTS 58 Papal Pronouncements Delos B. McKown 59 Yahweh: A Morally Retarded God William Harwood Editor: Paul Kurtz Associate Editors: Doris Doyle, Steven L.
    [Show full text]
  • Religion of Science-Fantasy Cults Martin Gardner
    Summer 1987 Vol. 7, No. 3 .40,11 Was the Universe Created? Victor Stenger The New Religion of Science-Fantasy Cults Martin Gardner The Relativity of Biblical Ethics Joe Edward Barnhart Plus "Pearlygate" Morality • New Directions for Humanism • Personal Paths to Humanism with Joseph Fletcher, Anne Gaylor, Rita Mae Brown, Ashley Montagu, and Mario Bunge • Tyranny of the Creed by John Allegro _- FreeC SUMMER 1987, VOL. 7, NO. 3 ISSN 0272-0701 Contents 3 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 9 PERSPECTIVE 10 ON THE BARRICADES 61 IN THE NAME OF GOD 62 CLASSIFIED 6 EDITORIALS "Pearlygate" Morality Paul Kurtz / New Directions for Humanism / Catholic Consistency at Any Cost Tom Flynn 12 The Tyranny of the Creed John Allegro BELIEF AND UNBELIEF AROUND THE WORLD 14 Japan and Biblical Religion Richard L. Rubenstein 21 Letter to a Missionary Ronn Nadeau ARTICLES 22 The Relativity of Biblical Ethics Joe Edward Barnhart 25 Xenoglossy and Glossolalia Don Laycock 26 Was the Universe Created? Victor Stenger 31 Science-Fantasy Religious Cults Martin Gardner PERSONAL PATHS TO HUMANISM 36 A Secular Humanist Confession Joseph Fletcher 37 Free from Religion Anne Nicol Gay!or 38 Surrender to Life Rita Mae Brown 40 As if Living and Loving Were One Ashley Montagu 42 Growing Up Agnostic in Argentina Mario Bunge 46 The Case Against Reincarnation (Part 4) Paul Edwards BOOKS 54 The Cult of Objectivism Nathaniel Branden 55 Propaganda Before Education Gordon Stein 56 Critiquing the Old Unities Robert Basil Rita Mae Brown's and Ashler Montagu's articles are adapted by permission from The Courage of Conviction, edited by Philip Berman, published in hardcover by Dodd, Mead, and Company and in paperback by Ballantine Books.
    [Show full text]
  • POSTMODERN OR PROPOSITIONAL? Robert L
    TMSJ 18/1 (Spring 2007) 3-21 THE NATURE OF TRUTH: POSTMODERN OR PROPOSITIONAL? Robert L. Thomas Professor of New Testament Ernest R. Sandeen laid a foundation for a contemporary concept of truth that was unique among evangelicals with a high view of Scripture. He proposed that the concept of inerrancy based on a literal method of interpretation was late in coming during the Christian era, having its beginning among the Princeton theologians of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He ruled out their doctrines related to inspiration because they were based on rational thinking which he taught was absent from earlier Christian thought. Subsequent evaluations of Sandeen’s work have disproved his assumption that those doctrines were absent from Christianity prior to the Princeton era. Yet well-known Christian writers have since built on Sandeen’s foundation that excludes rationality and precision from an interpretation of Scripture. The Sandeenists criticize the Princetonians for overreacting in their response to modernism, for their use of literal principles of interpretation, for defining propositional truth derived from the Bible, and for excluding the Holy Spirit’s help in interpretation. All such criticisms have proven to be without foundation. The Princetonians were not without fault, but their utilization of common sense in biblical interpretation was their strong virtue. Unfortunately, even the Journal of the inerrantist Evangelical Theological Society has promoted some of the same errors as Sandeen. The divine element in inspiration is a guarantee of the rationality and precision of Scripture, because God, the ultimate author of Scripture, is quite rational and precise, as proven by Scripture itself.
    [Show full text]
  • Calvinism Or Arminianism? They Have Both Led to Confusion, Division and False Teaching
    Is Calvinism or Arminianism Biblical? A Biblical Explanation of the Doctrine of Election. By Cooper P. Abrams, III (*All rights reserved) [Comments from some who read this article] [Frequently Asked Questions About Calvinism] Is Calvinism or Arminianism Biblical? One of the most perplexing problems for the teacher of God's Word is to explain the relationship between the doctrine of election and the doctrine of salvation by grace. These two doctrines are widely debated by conservative Christians who divide themselves into two opposing camps, the "Calvinists" and the "Arminians." To understand the problem let us look at the various positions held, the terms used, a brief history of the matter, and then present a biblical solution that correctly addresses the issue and avoids the unbiblical extremes of both the Calvinists and the Arminians. Introduction to Calvinism John Calvin, the Swiss reformer (1509-1564) a theologian, drafted the system of Soteriology (study of salvation) that bears his name. The term "Calvinism" refers to doctrines and practices that stemmed from the works of John Calvin. The tenants of modern Calvinism are based on the works of Calvin that have been expanded by his followers. These beliefs became the distinguishing characteristics of the Reformed churches and some Baptists. Simply stated, this view claims that God predestined or elected some to be saved and others to be lost. Those elected to salvation are decreed by God to receive salvation and cannot "resist God's grace." However, those that God elected to be lost are born condemned eternally to the Lake of Fie and He will not allow them be saved.
    [Show full text]
  • Autumn 1995 NUMBER 15
    Journal of the GRACE EVANGELICAL SOCIETY "Faith Alone in Cbrist Alone" VOLUME 8 Autumn 1995 NUMBER 15 A Dangerous Book or a Faulty Review? A Rejoinder to Robert Vilkin's Critique of A House United? VILLIAM D. \TATKINS 3-23 A Surrejoinder to Villiam D. Vatkins's Rejoinder to My Critique of A House United? ROBERT N. \TILKIN 25-37 The Faith of Demons: James 2;19 JOHN F. HART 39-54 Soteriological Implications of Five-Point Calvinism PHILIP F. CONGDON 55-68 A Voice from the Past: The True Grace of God in Vhich You Stand J. N. DARBY 6e-73 Book Reviews 75-90 Periodical Reviews 9l-95 A Hymn of Grace: Rock of Ages FRANCES A. MOSHER 97-99 Books Received lO1-103 Journal of the GRACE EVANGELICAL SOCIETY Published Semiannuallv bv GES Editor Arthur L. Farstad Associate Editors Production Zane C. Hodges Cathy Beach Robert N. Vilkin Sue Broadwell Mark J. Farstad Manuscripts, periodical and book reviews, and other communi- cations should be addressed to Cathy Beach, GES, P.O. Box 167128, Irving, TX75016-7128. Journal subscriptions, renewals, and changes of address should be sent to the Grace Evangelical Society, P.O. Box 167128, Irving, TX 75016-71,28. Subscription Rates: single copy, $7.50 (U.S.); 1year,$tS.OO; 2 years, $zs.Oo; 3 years, $lf.oo; 4 years, $48.00. Members of GES receive the Journal at no additional charge beyond the membership dues of $ts.OO ($10.00 for active full-time student members). Purpose: The Grace Evangelical Society was formed "to promote the clear proclamation of God's free salvation through faith alone in Christ alone, which is properly correlated with and distinguished from issues related to discipleship." Statement of Faith: "Jesus Christ, God incarnate, paid the full penalty for man's sin when He died on the Cross of Calvary.
    [Show full text]
  • Key Bible Concepts Defining the Basic Terms of the Christian Faith
    Gooding and Lennox are exemplary guides to the deepest questions of life. — Justin Brierley Key Bible Concepts Defining the basic terms of the Christian faith David Gooding John Lennox Key Bible Concepts Myrtlefield Encounters Myrtlefield Encountersare complementary studies of bib- lical literature, Christian teaching and apologetics. The books in this series engage the minds of believers and sceptics. They show how God has spoken in the Bible to address the realities of life and its questions, problems, beauty and potential. Books in this series: Key Bible Concepts: Defining the Basic Terms of the Christian Faith Christianity: Opium or Truth?: Answering Thoughtful Objections to the Christian Faith The Definition of Christianity: Exploring the Original Meaning of the Christian Faith The Bible and Ethics: Finding the Moral Foundations of the Christian Faith Key Bible Concepts Defining the Basic Terms of the Christian Faith David Gooding John Lennox Myrtlefield Encounters David Gooding and John Lennox have asserted their rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Authors of this work. Copyright © The Myrtlefield Trust, 1997, 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, elec- tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher or a license permitting restricted copy- ing. In the UK such licenses are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd., Barnard’s Inn, 86 Fetter Lane, London, EC4A 1EN. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
    [Show full text]
  • 20 Timothy George: Luther Vs
    10 Questions: Greg Gilbert 7 / Q & A: Thomas Nettles 15 / Greg Forster: Joy of Calvinism 10 CredoVol. 2, Issue 3 - May 2012 Chosen by Grace 20 TIMOTHY GEORGE: Luther vs. Erasmus 27 PAUL HELM: Calvin vs. Bolsec 36 MATTHEW BARRETT: Unconditional Election 46 BRUCE WARE: Suffering and the Elect 55 FRED ZASPEL: Warfield and Predestination Timothy Paul Jones | KY Director of the Doctor of Education program We are Serious about the Gospel he Southern Seminary Doctor Our Ed.D. will provide a practical yet of Education degree will equip theologically-grounded curriculum that you to serve as a leader in can be completed in 30-months from Christian educational institutions or in anywhere. For more information see the educational ministries of the church. www.sbts.edu/edd Visit us at sbts.edu INTRODUCING the Reformation Commentary on Scripture from InterVarsity Press “ e Reformation Commentary on Scripture is a major publishing event—for those with historical interest in the founding convictions of Protestantism, but even more for those who care about understanding the Bible.” —Mark A. Noll, Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History, University of Notre Dame Ezekiel, Daniel Edited by Carl L. Beckwith Discover fi rsthand the Reformers’ also available innovative readings of the Old Testament prophets Ezekiel and Daniel. Familiar passages like Ezekiel’s vision of the wheels or Galatians, Daniel’s four beasts are revital- Ephesians ized as they take the stage at this Edited by Gerald L. Bray pivotal moment in history. 978-0-8308-2973-6, $50.00 978-0-8308-2962-0, $50.00 scan here for a video introduction to the rcs! For information on how you can subscribe to the Reformation Commentary on Scripture and be the fi rst to receive new volumes, visit ivpress.com/rcsad.
    [Show full text]
  • Contents THEME: Spiritual Leadership Editorial EVANGELICAL REVIEW of THEOLOGY Page 99 Lord Radstock and the St
    Contents THEME: Spiritual Leadership Editorial REVIEW OF THEOLOGY EVANGELICAL page 99 Lord Radstock and the St. Petersburg Revival ANDREY P. PUZYNIN page 100 David Livingstone’s Vision Revisited – Christianity, Commerce and Civilisation in the 21st Century SAS CONRADIE page 118 The Missional-Ecclesial Leadership Vision of the Early Church PERRY W.H. SHAW page 131 From ‘Grammatical-historical Exegesis’ to ‘Theological Exegesis’: Five Essential Practices HANK VOSS page 140 The Bible and our Postmodern World 37, NO 2, April 2013 VOLUME Articles and book reviews reflecting BILLY KRISTANTO global evangelical theology for the purpose page 153 of discerning the obedience of faith Bias and Conversion: An Evaluation of Spiritual Transformation BENSON OHIHON IGBOIN page 166 Reviews page 183 Volume 37 No. 2 April 2013 Evangelical Review of Theology GENERAL EDITOR: THOMAS SCHIRRMACHER Articles and book reviews reflecting global evangelical theology for the purpose of discerning the obedience of faith Published by for WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE Theological Commission Volume 37 No. 2 April 2013 Copyright © 2013 World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission Dr Thomas Schirrmacher, Germany Dr David Parker, Australia Executive Committee of the WEA Theological Commission Dr Thomas Schirrmacher, Germany, Executive Chair Dr James O. Nkansah, Kenya, Vice-Chair Dr Rosalee V. Ewell, Brasil, Executive Director The articles in the Evangelical Review of Theology reflect the opinions of the authors and reviewers and do not necessarily represent those of the Editor or the Publisher. should be addressed to the Editor Dr Thomas Schirrmacher, Friedrichstrasse 38, 53111 Bonn, Germany. The Editors welcome recommendations of original or published articles or book reviews that relate to forthcoming issues for inclusion in the Review.
    [Show full text]
  • Rejecting the Da Vinci Code
    REJECTING THE DA VINCI CODE REJECTING THE DA VINCI CODE How a Blasphemous Novel Brutally Attacks Our Lord and the Catholic Church by TFP Committee on American Issues THE AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR THE DEFENSE OF TRADITION, FAMILY AND PROPERTY — TFP SPRING GROVE, PENN. 17362 Cover illustration: Painting by Carl Bloch in St. Nicholas Church in Holbaek, Denmark Dedication page illustration: Statue of the Immaculate Conception in the Piazza di Spagna, Rome. Copyright © 2005 The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property®—TFP® 1358 Jefferson Road, Spring Grove, Penn. 17362–(866) 661-0272 www.tfp.org All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without prior written permission from The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property®—TFP® This book is being distributed as part of the TFP’s America Needs Fatima cam- paign. The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property®, TFP® and America Needs Fatima® are registered names of The Foundation for a Christian Civilization, Inc., a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. ISBN-13: 978-1-877905-34-6 ISBN-10: 1-877905-34-8 Library of Congress Control Number: 2005933168 Printed in Canada American TFP Archive This book is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States. We implore her to hasten the triumph of her Immaculate Heart promised at Fatima. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The publication of this book was made possible through the generosity of the TFP-America Needs Fatima Protectors of the Faith donors listed below: Distinguished Members George and Theresa Marie Chouquette Honored Members Mrs.
    [Show full text]
  • The Calvinism Debate
    The Calvinism Debate Updated January 27, 2009 (first published December 12, 2001) (David Cloud, Fundamental Baptist Information Service, http://www.wayoflife.org/database/calvinismdebate.html. Calvinism is a theology that was developed by John Calvin (1509-64) in the sixteenth century. He presented this theology in his Institutes of Christian Religion, which subsequently became the cor- nerstone of Presbyterian and Reformed theology. It is also called TULIP theology. Calvin himself did not use the term TULIP to describe his theology, but it is an accurate, though simplified, repre- sentation of his views, and every standard point of TULIP theology can be found in Calvin’s Insti- tutes. Calvinistic theology was summarized into five points during the debate over the teachings of Jaco- bus Arminius (1560-1609). Arminius studied under Theodore Beza, Calvin’s successor at Geneva, but he rejected Calvinism and taught his non-Calvinist theology in Holland. Arminius’ followers arranged his teaching under the following five points and began to distribute this theology among the Dutch churches in 1610: (1) Free will, or human ability, (2) Conditional election, (3) Universal Redemption, or General Atonement, (4) Resistible Grace, and (5) Insecure Faith. These points were rejected at the state-church Synod of Dort in Holland in 1618-1619 (attended as well by representa- tives from France, Germany, Switzerland, and Britain), and this Synod formulated the “five points of Calvinism” in resistance to Arminianism. Arminius’ followers were thereafter put out of their churches and persecuted by their Calvinist brethren. In the late 18th century, the five points of Calvinism were rearranged under the acronym TULIP as a memory aid.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nativist Prophets of Early Islamic Iran: Rural Revolt and Local
    The Nativist Prophets of Early Islamic Iran Patricia Crone’s latest book is about the Iranian response to the Muslim penetration of the Iranian countryside, the revolts triggered there, and the religious communities that these revolts revealed. The book also describes a complex of religious ideas that, however varied in space and unstable over time, has demonstrated a remarkable persistence in Iran across a period of two millennia. The central thesis is that this complex of ideas has been endemic to the mountain population of Iran and has occasionally become epidemic with major consequences for the country, most strikingly in the revolts examined here and in the rise of the Safavids who imposed Shˉı‘ism on Iran. This learned and engaging ˙ book by one of the most influential scholars of early Islamic history casts entirely new light on the nature of religion in pre-Islamic Iran, and on the persistence of Iranian religious beliefs both outside and inside Islam after the Arab conquest. Patricia Crone is Mellon Professor of Islamic History in the School of Historical Studies, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton. Her numerous publications include Slaves on Horses: The Evolution of the Islamic Polity (1980, 2003); God’s Caliph: Religious Authority in the First Centuries of Islam, co-authored with Martin Hinds (1986, 2003); Pre-Industrial Societies: Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World (1989, 2003); and Medieval Islamic Political Thought (2005). The Nativist Prophets of Early Islamic Iran Rural Revolt and Local Zoroastrianism PATRICIA CRONE Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Mexico City Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473, USA www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9781107018792 © Patricia Crone 2012 This publication is in copyright.
    [Show full text]
  • Reincarnation in Abrahamic Religions
    Leiden University Centre for the Study of Religion (LUCSoR) Master Thesis in Theology and Religious Studies Reincarnation in Abrahamic Religions Submitted by: S. Meysami-Azad Supervisor: Prof. dr. A.F. de Jong Second reader: Dr. E.M. de Boer 31 August 2017 Leiden ADAM ENOCH NOAH ABRAHAM MOSES DAVID ELIJAH JESUS MOHAMMAD 2 Table of Contents Foreword ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 1. Reincarnation; Terminology and Definition .......................................................................................... 7 2. Views of the Afterlife in Judaism ........................................................................................................ 11 2.1. General Views .................................................................................................................................. 12 2.2. The Belief in Reincarnation in Judaism ...................................................................................... 16 2.2.1. Early Period ............................................................................................................................... 16 2.2.2 In Kabbalistic Tradition .............................................................................................................. 19 3. Views of the Afterlife in Christianity ...................................................................................................... 21 3.1 General Views ..................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]