Participatio Journal of the Thomas F
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Participatio Journal of the Thomas F. Torrance Theological Fellowship Supp. Vol. 3 (2014) Participatio is the journal of the Thomas F. Torrance Theological Fellowship (www.tftorrance.org), a research fellowship within the Christian Church and tradition based on the theology of Thomas F. Torrance. The journal’s mission is two-fold: to apprehend the significance of Torrance’s work and to advance his evangelical and scientific theology for the benefit of the Church, academy, and society. Participatio: The Journal of the Thomas F. Torrance Theological Fellowship is published as an annual, peer-reviewed, online journal. Researchers interested in engaging the theology of T. F. Torrance may submit manuscripts in accordance with the policies specified below. Contributions from diverse disciplines and perspectives will be encouraged to explore the wide-ranging significance of Torrance’s legacy. Occasional miscellaneous issues will include paper presentations and responses from the annual conference, book reviews, etc. For more information see www.tftorrance.org POLICIES FOR MANUSCRIPT SUBMISSION: 1. Electronic submission of articles (using a Microsoft Word attachment) should be sent to the Editor: [email protected] (please do not submit a manuscript that has been previously published or is being considered for publication by another journal). 2. PLEASE USE THE TEMPLATE ON THIS WEBSITE TO CONFORM TO THE FOLLOWING SETTINGS: A. Use Verdana 11 font (or 10 for indented quotations and footnotes), 1.5 spacing (including between paragraphs), and American spelling and placement of punctuation. B. Include a title page: i. title of the article; ii. your name and highest degree; iii. institutional affiliation and position; iv. electronic mail address. C. Include headers with your name and an abbreviated title, and centered page numbers as footers. D. Include an abstract of 100-200 words and a total approximate range of 5,000-10,000 words. E. Use footnotes rather than endnotes. 3. All submitted manuscripts will be acknowledged promptly and processed as quickly as possible. ii Editor: Todd Speidell ([email protected]) Associate Editors: Matthew Baker, Myk Habets, Bob Walker Assistant Editors: Alexandra Radcliff, Jason Radcliff, Travis Stevick Copy Editor: Vanessa Marshall, Albert Shepherd Production Editor: Jock Stein ([email protected]) Editorial Board: Matthew Baker (Fordham University, NY), Elmer Colyer (University of Dubuque Theological Seminary, IA), Ivor Davidson (University of St Andrews, Scotland), Gary Deddo (Grace Communion International, Glendora, CA), George Dragas (Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, MA), David Fergusson (New College, Edinburgh, Scotland), Eric Flett (Eastern University, PA), Michael Gibson (Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN), Myk Habets (Carey Baptist College, New Zealand), Trevor Hart (University of St Andrews, Scotland), George Hunsinger (Princeton Theological Seminary, NJ), Chris Kettler (Friends University, KS), Paul Molnar (St. John’s University, NY), Thomas Noble (Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, MO and Nazarene Theological College, Manchester, England), Andrew Purves (Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, PA), Joel Scandrett (Trinity School for Ministry, Ambridge, PA), Alan Torrance (University of St Andrews, Scotland), (Andrew Torrance, University of St Andrews, Scotland), Robert Walker (University of Edinburgh, Scotland). Executive Committee President: Gary Deddo ([email protected]) Co–Vice President: Myk Habets ([email protected]) Co–Vice President: Joel Scandrett ([email protected]) Treasurer: Michael Gibson ([email protected]) Member at Large: Paul D. Molnar ([email protected]) Ex officio Members: Elmer Colyer ([email protected]) Todd Speidell (Participatio Editor) ©2014 Participatio: Journal of the Thomas F. Torrance Theological Fellowship ISSN: 1932-9571 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact Todd Speidell, Editor ([email protected]). iii CONTENTS OF SUPPLEMENTAL VOLUME 3: A TRIBUTE TO JAMES B. TORRANCE Tributes: INTRODUCTION 1 - Alan Torrance EULOGY AT THE SERVICE OF THANKSGIVING 15 - Jeremy Begbie SERMON FROM ROMANS 8 21 - Murray Rae AN APPRECIATION 23 - Alasdair Heron Essays: A PEDAGOGY OF GRACE 30 - Michael Jinkins LEARNING FROM TEACHING 40 - Jeremy Begbie FIFTEEN YEARS OF TEACHING WORSHIP, COMMUNITY AND THE TRIUNE GOD OF GRACE 50 - Kerry Dearborn FROM PRAGMATISM TO PARTICIPATION: THE IMPACT OF TRINITARIAN FAITH ON MISSIOLOGY 58 - Tim Dearborn PRAYER AND THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST 64 - Graham Redding EPISTEMOLOGY, FREEDOM AND THE FAITHFUL STEWARD 73 - Scott Rodin JAMES B. TORRANCE AND THE DOCTRINE OF SANCTIFICATION 80 - Alexandra Radcliff iv GOD IN THE HANDS OF ANGRY SINNERS 87 - C. Baxter Kruger LIFTING OF THE CURSE: ATHANASIUS ON MAKING SENSE OF THE DIVINE “WRATH” AND “PROPITIATION” IN THE DOCTRINE OF RECONCILIATION 103 - Robert C. Doyle JOHN CALVIN AND JAMES TORRANCE’S EVANGELICAL VISION OF REPENTANCE 126 - Andrew Torrance THE STUTTGART DECLARATION OF 1945: A STUDY IN GRACE, REPENTANCE AND RESPONSIBILITY 148 - Roger Newell SHEEP OR PERSONS? WHAT LUKE 15 HAS TO SAY ABOUT AGENCY AND PERSONS WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES 165 - Jeff McSwain COVENANT OR CONTRACT IN THE INTERPRETATION OF PAUL 182 - Douglas A. Campbell “THE ONE FOR THE MANY” THEME IN JAMES TORRANCE’S THEOLOGY 201 - Jeannine Michele Graham “THROWN BACK ON OURSELVES”: JAMES TORRANCE’S CHRISTIAN LIFE AND WORSHIP 220 - Stephen May JAMES B. TORRANCE ON THE ALL-INCLUSIVE HUMANITY OF JESUS CHRIST 244 - Gary Deddo Poems: TOUCHING POINT; THE DIRECTOR’S CUT 261 - Jock Stein Memorabilia: PHOTOGRAPH, and POST CARD FROM KARL BARTH 264 v INTRODUCTION Alan J. Torrance, Ph.D. Professor of Systematic Theology, St Mary’s College, University of St Andrews [email protected] My father thought about Christian theology continually — almost obsessively. It could be exhausting! After a lecture tour with him around South Africa during the apartheid years, Alan Lewis commented that my father was so preoccupied with the theological fallacies underpinning apartheid, that he failed to notice signage or follow map directions. Had Alan not taken vicarious responsibility for this they would have become completely lost. Even in the midst of having his documents checked by airport security, he turned to Alan to make a theological point. Phone calls and visits from my father invariably involved sustained discussions of theology and points of Biblical interpretation. The only times when my father was able to switch out of theological mode was when he was body-surfing in the ocean or fly-fishing on his beloved Scottish lochs — when his quest for a Horizontverschmelzung switched from the Biblical authors to the fish. So what was the key to this all-consuming passion? It was considerably more than intellectual fascination with a system of thought or ideas. Although he was excited by the unparalleled explanatory power of Christian theism, it was no abstract religious commitment that motivated this passion. Rather, he was driven by an all-absorbing commitment to serving the living Jesus Christ and an unwavering conviction that there is and, indeed, could be no more significant Reality than the One who is the risen, ascended Lord over every facet of created reality. The incarnation of the eternal Son as (and not merely in) the human Jesus constituted the all-transforming Reality in the light of which every area of life (individual, social, and political) required to be conceived, reconceived, and, indeed, “reschematised.” But the incarnate Word was no mere static or formulaic “reference point” for JB the Christian life meant that we are oriented by a dynamic Reality that is irreducibly personal in nature. Although this relationship commands our intellect, it is emphatically not one of mere intellectual acknowledgement. He saw it as constituting an event of communion. For this reason, he was no less 1 Participatio: The Journal of the T. F. Torrance Theological Fellowship passionate in his commitment to the Body of Christ in all its concrete forms. The perception of God’s radically inclusive love for humanity found expression in a radically inclusive and, as anyone who knew him will confirm, utterly genuine love for other people — whatever their background, status, ethnicity, abilities or inabilities, mistakes or struggles. Again, what grounded this was neither a liberal inclusivism nor an abstract personalism. As he continually emphasised, to know who Jesus Christ is is to see everyone, not least our enemies, as embraced and forgiven en Christo! This inclusive orientation toward others explains the oft-made comment that he never ceased to be a pastor at heart. What must be recognised is that his commitment to the church stemmed from his faith in the one who is the cornerstone of its existence. JB was and remained an evangelical. His passion for theology stemmed not from a passion for its intellectual coherence and unparalleled explanatory power but from his perception of who God is toward us as the person of Jesus Christ — a perception that, as he saw it, was given in and through the transforming and creative presence of the Holy Spirit. Generations of students heard him emphasise the priority of the “who question” over the “how