The Doctrines of Grace in an Unexpected Place

Calvinistic Soteriology in Nineteenth-Century Brethren Thought

Stevenson

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781498281102
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Does God sovereignly elect some individuals for salvation while passing others by? Do human beings possess free will to embrace or reject the gospel? Did Christ die equally for all people or only for some? These questions have long been debated in the history of the Christian church. Answers typically fall into one of two main categories, popularly known as Calvinism and Arminianism.The focus of this book is to establish how one nineteenth-century evangelical group, the Brethren, responded to these and other related questions. The Brethren produced a number of colorful leaders whose influence was felt throughout the evangelical world. Although many critics have assumed the movement's theology was Arminian, this book argues that the Brethren, with few exceptions, advocated Calvinistic positions. Yet there were some twists along the way! The movement's radical biblicism, passionate evangelism, and strong aversion to systematic theology and creeds meant they refused to label themselves as Calvinists even though they affirmed Calvinism's soteriological principles--the so-called doctrines of grace.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Chapter 2: Calvinistic Soteriology: A Historical Survey
• Chapter 3: Calvinistic Soteriology: A Historical Survey
• Chapter 4: “The Total Ruin of Man”
• Chapter 5: The Brethren and the Doctrine of Predestination
• Chapter 6: The Extent of the Atonement: Universal and Particular
• Chapter 7: “What Must I Do to Be Saved?”
• Chapter 8: Evaluation and Conclusion
• Bibliography