DOCSLIB.ORG

Ashland Theological Seminary

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

ASHLAND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY A RESOURCE FOR CHRISTIANS TO CONSIDER GOD’S POTENTIAL PURPOSES FOR ETERNAL PUNISHMENT A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF ASHLAND THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF MINISTRY BY DON ELIJAH ECKHART ASHLAND, OHIO NOVEMBER 22, 2020 Copyright @ 2020, by Don Elijah Eckhart All rights reserved ii To the participants who gave of their time to read the resource and complete the survey iii Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 NIV) iv APPROVAL PAGE Accepted by the faculty and the final demonstration examining committee of Ashland Theological Seminary, Ashland, Ohio, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Ministry degree. ______________________________ _______________ Academic Advisor Date ______________________________ _______________ Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program Date v ABSTRACT The purpose of this project was to create a biblical theological resource that provides a plausible interpretation of Scripture about eternal punishment as an alternative to the Augustinian viewpoint which has prevailed in the Western Church since the sixth century. God wants everyone to be saved (1 Tim 2:3-4). Still, some people will go to eternal punishment (Matt 25:46). Both statements are true. The Greek word aionios, often translated eternal, can mean age or eon. Therefore, it is plausible that God can purify and save people in the afterlife. In a survey, mainline Protestant pastors agreed with this interpretation, whereas certain other pastors disagreed. vi CONTENTS ABSTRACT . vi CONTENTS . vii LIST OF TABLES . viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ix Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT OVERVIEW . 1 2. BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL, AND HISTORICAL FOUNDATIONS . 24 3. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE . 64 4. DESIGN, PROCEDURE, AND ASSESSMENT . 101 5. REPORTING THE RESULTS . 114 6. SUMMARY AND REFLECTIONS . 138 Appendix 1. PROPOSAL . 164 2. ASSESSMENT TOOL . 189 REFERENCES . 195 vii LIST OF TABLES . Page Table 1. Goal #5: Jesus as the Mediator . 116 Table 2. Goal #1: Revelations from the Holy Spirit Prompting Study . 119 Table 3. Goal #6: Disobedient To Be Purified in the Afterlife . 122 Table 4. Goal #8: Teaching Alternative to Augustine’s Theology . 124 Table 5. Goal #2: Scriptural Interpretation of Eternal Punishment . 126 Table 6. Goal #3: Biblical Theological Resource . 129 Table 7. Goal #4: God’s Desire for People in the Afterlife . 132 Table 8. Goal #7: Eternal Destiny of Loved Ones . 134 Table 9. Goal #9: Biblical Theology for Christian Organizations . 136 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation has benefited from the contributions of many people. I am grateful to those cited below, as well as many others. To my parents Melvin Eckhart and Elizabeth Eckhart (both deceased) for faithful spiritual guidance through the years. To my brother Pastor Dale Eckhart and his wife Edith. He and his friends read and commented on my book, which became the resource for this project. To my wife Sue Ellen Eckhart for her patience while I pursued this goal. To our son Nathan, who works in missions with a church in Columbus. To our son Greg and his wife Kim. To Dr. Dawn Morton, Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program. To Dr. Russell Morton for serving as adviser for the dissertation. To James Goetz for serving as field consultant for the dissertation and as developmental editor for my book (resource). To Dr. Brenda B. Colijn for her guidance in preparing my book. To Dr. JoAnn Ford Watson for her endorsement of my book. To Rev. Thomas A. Snyder for his endorsement of my book. To the Cascade Home Group of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Grove City, Ohio, for participating in two Bible study sessions on the resource. To Jesus Christ the Savior and Everlasting Hope of Humankind. ix CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND PROJECT OVERVIEW “If I examine myself seriously, I find that I have to say; I myself am not a universalist, but God may be one” (Moltmann 1994, 143). Jürgen Moltmann’s statement is both perplexing and profound. In this dissertation, we will strive to accomplish the purpose of providing a plausible interpretation of Scripture about eternal punishment as an alternative to the Augustinian viewpoint. At the same time, we must always recognize that God makes the ultimate decisions about salvation. Purpose Statement and Research Question The purpose of this project was to create a biblical theological resource that provides a plausible interpretation of Scripture about eternal punishment as an alternative to the Augustinian viewpoint which has prevailed in the Western Church since the sixth century. The research question follows: To what extent did the biblical theological resource provide a plausible interpretation of Scripture about eternal punishment as an alternative to the Augustinian viewpoint which has prevailed in the Western Church since the sixth century? The Augustinian viewpoint of eternal punishment is everlasting conscious torment. Augustine probably derived his view by reading Scripture in Old Latin, rather than in Greek, and by his belief in predestination. Still, variations of his viewpoint are evidenced in most church denominations today. This project examined biblical studies and theological views that demonstrate a plausible interpretation of Scripture as an alternative to the Augustinian viewpoint. 1 Conclusions The project concludes that God can save persons in the afterlife. As a result, universal salvation is also a feasible alternative. It is up to God to decide. The survey shows that three mainline Protestant pastors plus one similar scoring nondenominational pastor agreed with the project’s biblical theology that God can save persons in the afterlife, whereas three Baptist pastors and two Pentecostal pastors disagreed with the biblical theology. Two other nondenominational pastors did not have the same intensity of views as the previous pastors. However, if each is included with its nearest group, five pastors (i.e., about half of the eleven pastors) agreed with the project’s biblical theology, and six pastors (i.e., about half) disagreed with the biblical theology. Overview The resource resulted from a study of the Bible about God’s desire that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Augustine’s interpretation has been the predominant view for about fifteen centuries; it holds that people who are lost (implicitly most people) will face endless conscious torment in the afterlife. However, the Church Fathers before the time of Augustine held diverse views on this topic. Some adhered to a view of universal restoration, whereby God could restore lost souls in the afterlife. The resource examined the dilemma of God’s desire that all be saved as contrasted with the theology promoted by Augustine and many other theologians up to today. The resource looked at this dilemma by researching what the Bible says and building upon the work of scholars and theologians. 2 The research project surveyed pastors of denominational and independent churches to obtain their responses to the resource. Their input was valuable as review of the resource and suggested ideas of how this study can progress. This feedback can be important for me or for others to develop the concepts further. Foundations How many Christians are saddened, even distraught, by the thought that their deceased parents or grandparents will face an existence of endless conscious torment? This sorrow is very real and personal to first-generation Christians, especially in areas where Christianity is growing (e.g., Africa, Asia, and Latin America). While these new Christians believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, many of them have been taught a theology that those who died without knowing of and believing in Jesus Christ are doomed forever. From another perspective, how many Christians agonize over the eternal destiny of their children and grandchildren who show no interest in the church or in following Jesus Christ? This concern is more pronounced in areas where Christianity is declining, such as America and even more so Europe. What can the Church say to these people, as well as to the world? The resource for this project asserts that there is much that the Church can say to Christians and to the world on these questions. It is a positive message about the God we serve and about God’s desire for people. Prompted by a vision from the Holy Spirit, I engaged in a thorough examination of Scripture, theology, historical views and church history, and contemporary perspectives on this subject. I believe that Christians will be surprised and encouraged to learn 3 that traditional theology of everlasting conscious punishment for the lost is just that; it is a theological interpretation, not the one and only way in which the Bible must be read. This resource presents a biblical theology which is more plausible than traditional theology, which has been prevalent since about the 6th century. Personal Foundation With the tune of the old hymn “Beneath the Cross of Jesus” playing in my head, new words came to my mind in the early morning of April 3, 1999. I got out of bed and wrote down these words. It was the first time I had heard them, and I knew they were from God, not me. Adding to the assurance that this was a revelation, I had seen visions earlier that morning. The Lord called me and has led me in examining the biblical basis for the ideas in this revelation. 1. Beyond the cross of Jesus, I cannot bear to see, The sight of that dear dying man Who gave His life for me; And when the picture quickly fades, I see the risen Christ, The One for Whom I’ll die myself...greets me saying “arise!” 2. Upon the cross of Jesus, for sin His blood was poured; His love a sacrifice for all, Christ is my Living Lord; So as my life has grown with Him, the story to be told; The One for Whom I’ve died myself...the first for me to hold.
Recommended publications
  • Contributions of John Dewey and Louise M

    Contributions of John Dewey and Louise M

    THE EMERGING PARADIGM OF READER-TEXT TRANSACTION: CONTRIBUTIONS OF JOHN DEWEY AND LOUISE M. ROSENBLATT, WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATORS by Elizabeth H. Roth Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum and Instruction Jim Garrison, Chair Patricia P. Kelly Jan Nespor Warren P. Self Robert C. Small, Jr. December 4, 1998 Blacksburg, Virginia Key words: philosophy of education, teaching of literature, literary theory, John Dewey, Louise M. Rosenblatt The Emerging Paradigm of Reader-Text Transaction: Contributions of John Dewey and Louise M. Rosenblatt, With Implications for Educators Elizabeth H. Roth (ABSTRACT) This dissertation will trace the emerging paradigm of transaction as a model for the dynamics of the reading process. The paradigm of transaction, implicit in John Dewey's writings as early as 1896 in "The Reflex Arc Concept in Psychology," was originally described in terms of "interaction" between organism and environment. Only in 1949, in the twilight of his career, did Dewey definitively distinguish between "transaction" and "interaction," ascribing a mutually transformative character to the former process. In Knowing and the Known, Dewey and co-author Arthur F. Bentley (1949) proposed adoption of a wholly new "transactional vocabulary" as a precision tool for a new mode of scientific inquiry, whereby inquiry itself was recognized as a species of transaction between inquirer and observed phenomena. Even before the publication of Knowing and the Known, literary theorist Louise M. Rosenblatt had applied an implicitly transactional model of the relationship between organism and environment to the relationship between reader and text.
  • Reconciling Universal Salvation and Freedom of Choice in Origen of Alexandria

    Reconciling Universal Salvation and Freedom of Choice in Origen of Alexandria

    Marquette University e-Publications@Marquette Dissertations, Theses, and Professional Dissertations (1934 -) Projects Reconciling Universal Salvation and Freedom of Choice in Origen of Alexandria Lee W. Sytsma Marquette University Follow this and additional works at: https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu Part of the Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Sytsma, Lee W., "Reconciling Universal Salvation and Freedom of Choice in Origen of Alexandria" (2018). Dissertations (1934 -). 769. https://epublications.marquette.edu/dissertations_mu/769 RECONCILING UNIVERSAL SALVATION AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN ORIGEN OF ALEXANDRIA by Lee W. Sytsma, B.A., M.T.S. A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School, Marquette University, in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Milwaukee, Wisconsin May 2018 ABSTRACT RECONCILING UNIVERSAL SALVATION AND FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN ORIGEN OF ALEXANDRIA Lee W. Sytsma, B.A., M.T.S. Marquette University, 2018 Origen has traditionally been famous for his universalism, but many scholars now express doubt that Origen believed in a universal and permanent apocatastasis. This is because many scholars are convinced that Origen’s teaching on moral autonomy (or freedom of choice) is logically incompatible with the notion that God foreordains every soul’s future destiny. Those few scholars who do argue that Origen believed in both moral autonomy and universal salvation either do not know how to reconcile these two views in Origen’s theology, or their proposed “solutions” are not convincing. In this dissertation I make two preliminary arguments which allow the question of logical compatibility to come into focus.
  • Social Epistemology and Online Knowledge Exchange

    Social Epistemology and Online Knowledge Exchange

    Social Epistemology and Online Knowledge Exchange Paul Daniel Matthews A statement submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of the West of England, Bristol for the degree of DPhil Faculty of Environment and Technology, University of the West of England, Bristol October 2015 Abstract This document summarises the submitted research, which has investigated online knowledge exchange and related it to the philosophical field of social epistemology. The broad aims have been: firstly to investigate what social epistemology theory can offer in the way of guidance and evaluative frameworks for the design of knowledge systems; and secondly, to determine what the empirical study of knowledge exchange platforms can tell us about knowledge as emerging from online practice. The submitted work consists of six papers that are a mixture of review/position papers and reports of empirical investigation. These have been published in information science journals and conference proceedings. However, following the established tradition of information science, the work is positioned as being cross-disciplinary in ambition. After introducing the submitted papers and the inspiration for the research, the main theoretical positions of the research are outlined and justified. These were a naturalised social epistemological position, inspired by Alvin Goldman, but widened to a situated and systems-oriented view. The naturalised view of epistemology allows for consideration of evidence from psychology, and here some key theories in social and cognitive psychology are outlined. Finally, as the subject is human- computer-human interaction, the sociotechnical setting is established. Further, the main platforms of study in the empirical work — social question answering systems — are introduced and described.
  • Eternal Damnation in the Fragments of Clement of Alexandria? Daniel J

    Eternal Damnation in the Fragments of Clement of Alexandria? Daniel J

    Bryn Mawr College Scholarship, Research, and Creative Work at Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Students 2017 The yT ranny of Authority: Eternal Damnation in the Fragments of Clement of Alexandria? Daniel J. Crosby Bryn Mawr College, [email protected] Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy . Follow this and additional works at: http://repository.brynmawr.edu/gsas_pubs Part of the Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Ancient Philosophy Commons, Christianity Commons, History of Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Citation Crosby, Daniel J., "The yT ranny of Authority: Eternal Damnation in the Fragments of Clement of Alexandria?" (2017). Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. 4. http://repository.brynmawr.edu/gsas_pubs/4 This paper is posted at Scholarship, Research, and Creative Work at Bryn Mawr College. http://repository.brynmawr.edu/gsas_pubs/4 For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Tyranny of Authority: Eternal Damnation in the Fragments of Clement of Alexandria? In the year 1715, John Potter published the most comprehensive edition of the extant writings of the Clement of Alexandria, the second-century Church Father who is most famous for his apologetic Protrepticus and intensely philosophical Stromata. Potter’s edition includes a collection of fragments, and among these fragments, this one is conspicuous: Ἀθάνατοι πᾶσαι αἱ ψυχαὶ, καὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν, αἷς ἄμεινον ἦν μὴ ἀφθάρτους εἶναι. Κολαζόμεναι γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀσβέτου πυρὸς ἀπεράντῳ τιμωρίᾳ καὶ μὴ θνήσκουσαι, ἐπὶ κακῷ τῷ ἑαυτῶν τέλος λαβεῖν οὐκ ἔχουσιν.1 All souls are immortal, even those of the wicked, for whom it is better that they were not deathless.
  • Methodological Transactionalism and the Sociology of Education Daniel A

    Methodological Transactionalism and the Sociology of Education Daniel A

    Methodological Transactionalism and the Sociology of Education Daniel A. McFarland, David Diehl and Craig Rawlings (Stanford University) Abstract: The development and spread of research methods in sociology can be understood as a story about the increasing sophistication of tools in order to better answer fundamental disciplinary questions. In this chapter we argue that recent developments, related to both increased computing power and data collection ability along with broader cultural shifts emphasizing interdependencies, have positioned Social Network Analysis (SNA) as a powerful tool for empirically studying the dynamic and processual view of schooling that is at the heart of educational theory. More specifically, we explore how SNA can help us both better understand as well as reconceptualize two central topics in the sociology of education: classroom interaction and status attainment. We conclude with a brief discussion about possible future directions network analysis may take in educational research, positing that it will become an increasingly valuable research approach because our ability to collect streaming behavioral and transactional data is growing rapidly. INTRODUCTION In recent years Social Network Analysis (SNA) has become increasingly common in numerous sociological sub-disciplines, the result being a host of innovative research that tackles old and new problems alike. Students of the sociology of knowledge, for example, use networks of journal co-citations as a novel method for tracking the diffusion of new ideas through the academy (e.g., Hargens 2000; Moody 2004). Political sociologists are drawing on SNA to understand the dynamics of collective action (Diani 1995; Tarrow 1994). Organizational sociologists use formal and informal work networks to study organizational learning (Hansen 1999; Rawlings et.al.
  • From the Garden of Eden to the New Creation in Christ : a Theological Investigation Into the Significance and Function of the Ol

    From the Garden of Eden to the New Creation in Christ : a Theological Investigation Into the Significance and Function of the Ol

    The University of Notre Dame Australia ResearchOnline@ND Theses 2017 From the Garden of Eden to the new creation in Christ : A theological investigation into the significance and function of the Old estamentT imagery of Eden within the New Testament James Cregan The University of Notre Dame Australia Follow this and additional works at: https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses Part of the Religion Commons COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA Copyright Regulations 1969 WARNING The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further copying or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act. Do not remove this notice. Publication Details Cregan, J. (2017). From the Garden of Eden to the new creation in Christ : A theological investigation into the significance and function of the Old Testament imagery of Eden within the New Testament (Doctor of Philosophy (College of Philosophy and Theology)). University of Notre Dame Australia. https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/theses/181 This dissertation/thesis is brought to you by ResearchOnline@ND. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses by an authorized administrator of ResearchOnline@ND. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FROM THE GARDEN OF EDEN TO THE NEW CREATION IN CHRIST: A THEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION INTO THE SIGNIFICANCE AND FUNCTION OF OLD TESTAMENT IMAGERY OF EDEN WITHIN THE NEW TESTAMENT. James M. Cregan A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, Australia. School of Philosophy and Theology, Fremantle. November 2017 “It is thus that the bridge of eternity does its spanning for us: from the starry heaven of the promise which arches over that moment of revelation whence sprang the river of our eternal life, into the limitless sands of the promise washed by the sea into which that river empties, the sea out of which will rise the Star of Redemption when once the earth froths over, like its flood tides, with the knowledge of the Lord.
  • Universal Salvation and the Problem of Hell John R

    Universal Salvation and the Problem of Hell John R

    Theological Studies 52 (1991) CURRENT ESCHATOLOGY: UNIVERSAL SALVATION AND THE PROBLEM OF HELL JOHN R. SACHS, S.J. Weston School of Theology, Cambridge, Mass. HE PURPOSE of this article is to take a fresh look at the ancient and Tmuch misunderstood theme of apocatastasis. Increasing contempo­ rary use of the apocalyptic language of hell, hand in hand with the alarming appeal and growth of fundamentalism, sectarianism, and inte- gralism, suggest the urgency of this endeavor. After first surveying the checkered history of this theme from biblical times to the present, I will, second, state and describe the central points of current Catholic theology on these issues. It manifests a remarkable degree of consensus. Third, I shall turn more closely to the highly original thought of Hans Urs von Balthasar, whose approach seems most challenging. Fourth, I shall raise a question concerning the ability of human freedom to reject God defin­ itively. Finally, my conclusion will stress how a properly understood Christian universalism is not only consonant with several central strands of Christian belief, but is also profoundly relevant to the religious and cultural developments of the present age. THE DOCTRINE OF APOCATASTASIS The doctrine of apocatastasis, commonly attributed to Origen, main­ tained that the entire creation, including sinners, the damned, and the devil, would finally be restored to a condition of eternal happiness and salvation. This was an important theme in early Christian eschatology.1 Even before the Christian era, of course, the idea of an apokatastasis paritàri was well known in ancient religion and philosophy. In Eastern thought especially, one finds a predominantly cyclical conception of time and history according to which the end always involves a return to the 1 See, for example, Brian E.
  • The Five Points of Calvinism

    The Five Points of Calvinism

    THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM "Weighed And Found Wanting" TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction MAJOR SECTION ONE: EXPLANATIONS 1. Total Depravity Explained 2. Unconditional Election Explained 3. Limited Atonement Explained 4. Irresistible Grace Explained 5. Perseverance of the Saints Explained MAJOR SECTION TWO: COUNTER POINTS 6. Calvinistic Total Depravity Refuted 7. Unconditional Election Refuted 8. Limited Atonement Refuted 9. Irresistible Grace Refuted 10. Calvinistic Perseverance of the Saints Refuted Conclusion The Lazy Man's Guide to Understanding Calvinism An Even Lazier Man's Guide to Understanding Calvinism INTRODUCTION For more than a decade I was the host of a Christian talk show called 'Scripturally Speaking.' On many different occasions the topic of Calvinism in general, and the Five Points of Calvinism in particular, was introduced either by me, an in-studio guest, or a caller. I can clearly remember one discussion in which a Calvinist guest was debating with an Arminian caller over the question of whether or not predestination was taught in Scripture. When the question before us was simply a matter of affirming or denying predestination, I appeared to be on the side of my Calvinist guest. The caller expressed surprise at my agreement with my guest because he incorrectly thought that I must have been a Calvinist because of this agreement. When I explained to him that I was not a Calvinist, the caller's surprise then turned to confusion. Affirmation vs. Definition My guest then admitted that he was also surprised, if not confused, for he too wrongly assumed I was a Calvinist because I agreed that predestination was taught in Scripture.
  • ISRAEL: Faith, Friction and firm Foundations

    ISRAEL: Faith, Friction and firm Foundations

    >> This is the January 2015 issue containing the February Bible Study Lessons BETHLEHEM: Not so little town of great challenges 30 baptiststoday.org ISRAEL: Faith, friction and firm foundations SEE ROCK CITIES: Indeed, these stones can talk 5 WHERE WAS JESUS? Historical evidence vs. holy hype 28 NARRATIVES: Voices from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian divide 34 MODERN ISRAEL: Politics, peoples and prophesies 36 PILGRIMAGE: Images and reflections from Israel and the West Bank 38 FA TH™ BIBLE STUDIES for adults and youth 17 John D. Pierce Executive Editor [email protected] Julie Steele Chief Operations Officer [email protected] Jackie B. Riley Managing Editor [email protected] PILGRIMAGE: Tony W. Cartledge Contributing Editor IMAGES AND [email protected] REFLECTIONS Bruce T. Gourley Online Editor FROM ISRAEL [email protected] AND THE WEST David Cassady Church Resources Editor BANK [email protected] Terri Byrd Contributing Writer Vickie Frayne Art Director 38 Jannie Lister Customer Service Manager [email protected] Kimberly L. Hovis PERSPECTIVES Marketing Associate [email protected] For good or bad: the witnessing dilemma 9 Gifts to Baptists Today Lex Horton John Pierce Nurturing Faith Resources Manager [email protected] Remembering Isaac Backus and the IN HONOR OF Walker Knight, Publisher Emeritus importance of religious liberty 16 BETTIE CHITTY CHAPPELL Jack U. Harwell, Editor Emeritus Leroy Seat From Catherine Chitty DIRECTORS EMERITI Thomas E. Boland IN HONOR OF R. Kirby Godsey IN THE NEWS Mary Etta Sanders CHARLES AND TONI Nearly one-fourth of American families Winnie V. Williams CLEVENGER turn to church food pantries 10 BOARD OF DIRECTORS From Barry and Amanda Howard Donald L.
  • Martin Luther on Sanctification

    Martin Luther on Sanctification

    Scholars Crossing Articles The Works of Elmer Towns 1969 Martin Luther on Sanctification Elmer L. Towns Liberty University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/towns_articles Part of the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Towns, Elmer L., "Martin Luther on Sanctification" (1969). Articles. 14. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/towns_articles/14 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the The Works of Elmer Towns at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Articles by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Martin Luther On Sanctification Elmer L. Towns Martín Luther is well known for preaching justification by faith apart from works. This doctrine became the cornerstone for the reformation. During Luther's day he was accused of antinomianism. Erasmus charged, "Lutherans seek two things only—wealth and wives—censum et uxorem ... to them the gospel meant the right to live as they please."1 John Wesley accused Luther of distorting the doctrine of sanctification, if Luther had any doctrine of sanctification at all. "Who hath wrote more ably than Martin Luther on justification by faith alone?" Wesley then asked, "And who was more ignorant of the doctrine of sanctification, or more confused in his con­ ception of it?" He then advises us, if we would be thoroughly convinced of Luther's "total ignorance with regard to sancti­ fication" to read "without prejudice" his Commentary on Galatians.2 This misunderstanding of Luther's concept of sanctifica­ tion might have arisen because he uses Paul's first-century message of grace as opposed to works to attack legalistic sal­ vation found in the sixteenth-century church.
  • It's Only Wrong If It's Transactional: Moral Perceptions of Obfuscated

    It's Only Wrong If It's Transactional: Moral Perceptions of Obfuscated

    It’s Only Wrong If It’s Transactional: Moral Perceptions of Obfuscated Exchange Forthcoming in American Sociological Review Acknowledgments: The authors gratefully acknowledge the comments and contributions provided by Aleksander Ellis, Alan Fiske, Sarah Harkness, Linda Molm, Martin Reimann, Reihan Salam, three anonymous reviewers, the ASR Editors, and participants of the Innovation and Creativity Workshop at UCLA Anderson School of Management, the 2016 Southern California Symposium on Network Economics and Game Theory at UCLA, the Organizational Behavior Seminar at Stanford GSB, the Duke University Department of Sociology Colloquium, and the 2017 American Sociological Association Regular Session on Economic Sociology. Oliver Schilke The University of Arizona, Eller College of Management Gabriel Rossman UCLA, Department of Sociology Funding: Preparation of this article was supported in part by a Research Small Grant from the Center for Leadership Ethics, Eller College of Management to the first author and a UCLA Senate Faculty Research Grant to the second author. Keywords: obfuscation, economic sociology, bribery, legitimacy, vignette experiments Corresponding Author: Gabriel Rossman, UCLA, Department of Sociology, 264 Haines Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1551, USA Phone: 310-206-8904, Fax: 310-206-9838, E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT A wide class of economic exchanges, such as bribery and compensated adoption, are considered morally disreputable precisely because they are seen as economic exchanges. However, parties to these exchanges can structurally obfuscate them by arranging the transfers so as to obscure that a disreputable exchange is occurring at all. In this paper, we propose that four obfuscation structures—bundling, brokerage, gift exchange, and pawning—will decrease the moral opprobrium of external audiences by (1) masking intentionality, (2) reducing the explicitness of the reciprocal nature, and (3) making the exchange appear to be a type of common practice.
  • The Emerging Church, Oprah Winfrey, and the Reshaping of American Consciousness: Implications for Seventh-Day Adventist Ecclesiology

    The Emerging Church, Oprah Winfrey, and the Reshaping of American Consciousness: Implications for Seventh-Day Adventist Ecclesiology

    The Emerging Church, Oprah Winfrey, and the Reshaping of American Consciousness: Implications for Seventh-day Adventist Ecclesiology Olive J. Hemmings Washington Adventist University Traditional church has birthed a materialistic culture1 of competing claims to truth, and an essential dis- ease with/in the faith community. A deep sigh for something more rises above the noise of ecclesiological dogmas evident in the rush for books on spirituality - meditation, ego reduction, the nature of consciousness, and paranormal experience. While the emerging church phenomenon is a response to the spiritual vacuum, Oprah Winfrey, “the world’s most famous woman”2 and a confessing Christian steps forward on a huge media platform in emergent mode. With the aid of a diverse team of ministers – spiritual/social action leaders she sets out with the express goal to transform America (and the world). By drawing upon multiple religious traditions, social, scientific and cultural disciplines she functions as high priestess of the most pervasive form of the Emerging Church, and demonstrates the extent to which many people seek God beyond traditional church even if they are still part of it. This paper sketches the basic nature and reach of the emerging church. It discusses it in the context of its academic roots and calls attention to the way Oprah’s media platform enables its outreach by what I call the “Oprah Project”. It then briefly observes an antagonistic Seventh-day Adventist ecclesiological stance towards emergence in order to hint at a christocentric transformational ecclesiology that may render the “threat” of this emergent ecclesiology benign. What is the Emerging Church? The current emerging conversation began out of perceived gap between established church practice and Jesus’ own example and teachings about the kingdom of God, between the church and contemporary culture, and between church dogmatic structures and the shifting epistemology of the age.