Evangelical Calvinism

Volume 2: Dogmatics and Devotion

Myk Habets, Bobby Grow, Habets, Grow

• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781498209083
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Denominations

Continuing the discussion initiated in volume one, volume two of Evangelical Calvinism further articulates the central motifs of this mood within Reformed theology by examining themes having to do with dogmatics and devotion. After further clarifying the methodological and dogmatic aspects common to an Evangelical Calvinism, the heart of the present volume is an explication of the vicarious ministry of Christ as it is worked out in its diverse theological dimensions. The volume offers constructive accounts of various aspects of liturgy, sacraments, and doxology, showing the vitality and lived spirituality of this Christian vision of faith and practice. Both advocates and critics of Evangelical Calvinism now have an extended and thorough body of work with which to interact. As with volume 1, this volume promises to set the agenda for contemporary and constructive Reformed studies in a way that provides an alternative to neo-Calvinism and Westminster Calvinism alike.

1

Introduction

On Dogmatics and Devotion in the Christian Life

Myk Habets and Bobby Grow

Evangelical Calvinism is not a movement or a partisan enterprise. Rather, it is an orientation, a commitment to a series of theological convictions that position one more or less toward other like-minded thinkers. The collection of essays in this book follows on from our 2012 volume Evangelical Calvinism: Essays Resourcing the Continuing Reformation of the Church.1 In this earlier volume eleven scholars were brought together to offer a comprehensive theological vision of what Calvinism in an evangelical key could look like. Two-thirds of that volume concerned academic theology, with one third being devoted to applied matters. The goal of this first volume was to establish a dialogue within Reformed theology, and wider, over the rudimentary outline of theology in a Calvinian key. Included in this earlier volume was a final chapter by Habets and Grow in which fifteen theses were offered as a dogmatic prospect for the future of Evangelical Calvinism. This first volume was critically received and stimulated considerable dialogue. The editors deemed this a success.

The earlier volume was not without its critics, however. This was both anticipated and welcomed. Those not committed to the contours of an Evangelical Calvinism took exception to certain claims made in the book, particularly in regards to the Reformed provenance of an Evangelical Calvinism, the reliability of its reading of the Reformed tradition, and also in terms of its dogmatic relation to Arminianism. A number of essays were published in which ideas for and against the claims made in the first volume were worked out, and, as is now typical of our digital age, a large number of blogs and social media posts were uploaded in which the contents of the first volume were discussed. Throughout these academic exchanges a lot was learnt from all sides of the debate, dogmatic issues were brought into greater relief, and lacunae in the discussions were identified. While not intended as a direct or point-for-point response and refutation of these debates, it was thought that a second volume of essays could further clarify what is meant by an Evangelical Calvinism, and also offer more of a constructive contribution to contemporary Reformed thought and theology. For these and other reasons volume two of Evangelical Calvinism was commissioned, with the focus being on dogmatics and devotion.

The emphasis of this volume is twofold. First, to further elucidate the contours of an Evangelical Calvinism, and second, to illustrate and address more of the applied nature of the theological enterprise. In terms of dogmatics, several key emphases of the Evangelical Calvinist approach needed to be explored further, and that is why Part One contains essays on epistemology, assurance of salvation, some further historical antecedents, and an essay on holistic salvation. Each of these themes required further thought and articulation. In Part Two, the difficult doctrine of the vicarious humanity of Christ is addressed. So crucial is this doctrine to a faithful account of biblical theology, and so central is it to Evangelical Calvinism, that five chapters cover the doctrine from various perspectives, including the advent of ministry, Christ’s High Priestly activity, vicarious love, spirituality, sanctification, and suffering. This section has been labelled “Dogmatic Devotion,” as dogmatic theology is brought to bear upon issues of life and love. Part Three examines a range of applied topics with dogmatic clarity. Issues such as culture, pastoral care, prayer, ministry, preaching, and hospitality are examined as dogmatics is applied to life. A burden of this volume is to exhibit the real-life practicality of theology and as such, make good on an “evangelical” aspect of so called Evangelical Calvinism.

While this volume is a work of Christian dogmatics, we have attempted to make it more accessible to the ministerial/pastoral leader. Evangelical Calvinism offers the kinds of contours of thought that people are so thirsty for in the evangelical church today: an emphasis on God’s love, God’s faith for us in Christ, and a solid foundation from which to live our daily lives as Christians. In a world of change and flux, violence and persecution, and exploitation and abuse, people need to hear the Good News again in order to have faith, love one another, and cultivate hope. Good theology, thinking faithful to God’s word and ways, will result in good living. By bringing together academic and pastoral essays in this volume, we aim to further resource Christ’s Church for ministry in the twenty-first century.

In a recent article on the New Calvinism, or the “Young, Restless, and Reformed” (YRR) Movement, Paul Owen says:

Calvinism today seems to appeal mostly to a certain sort of personality, and that personality is not always healthy. I have discovered that the person who really spends a lot of time talking about the “doctrines of grace,” tends to fit a typical profile. They tend to be male (rarely do you find women sitting around arguing about the details of TULIP), intellectually arrogant, argumentative, insecure (and therefore intolerant), and prone to constructing straw-man arguments. In order for the typical Calvinist’s faith to remain secure, he seems to feel the need to imagine all others outside his theological box as evil, uninformed, or just plain stupid. I have seen this in men of all ages, some Baptist, some Presbyterian, some laymen, some ordained ministers.2

Evangelical Calvinism shares these concerns over the YRR movement, and any other such tradition which sets itself over other legitimate forms of Christianity. Evangelical Calvinism has no intention of setting itself up as one point along some dialectical see-saw in which heavyweights battle it out to see who gets control. Instead of see-saws we tend to think of tables and chairs and eating a good meal in the company of good friends with differing points of view. With a place set for us at the theological table we rub shoulders with our Reformed family—Federal Calvinists to our right and Arminians to our left. Across the table sit other family members—Lutherans, Methodists, Anglicans, and others. We could extend the metaphor and extend the table to include others still—Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and still more. Around such a table one can be appreciated and listened to, but respectfully disagreed with. Then comes the theological discussion intended to move us all closer to the truth of God in Christ. This form of receptive ecumenism is a vision of Evangelical Calvinism.

Owen continues his observations of the new Calvinists when he writes of a certain ecclesial paucity developed by current Evangelical life:

I don’t think there is any necessary connection between Calvinism and such traits, so why does it seem to be so prevalent today? Part of the reason, which I do not have time or space to develop here, is that the evangelical church has no robust ecclesiology, and thus no structured spirituality to put into practice as the body of Christ. And given the absence of a structured spiritual life, Reformed Christianity tends to be reduced to a set of doctrines to contemplate, which attracts mainly certain kinds of people, and encourages certain kinds of attitudes among believers. Thus, when you remove Reformed theology from its proper historical place in the structured life of Reformed religion and ecclesiology, and plant it in the foreign soil of modern evangelical gnostic spirituality, it takes a grotesque shape that is contrary to its origins.3

Given these observations, the current volume seeks to move beyond doctrine to devotion, from theory to practice, and as such, exhibit the vibrancy of an Evangelical Calvinism, one that is not restricted to highly nuanced discussions over doctrine (not that these are not also important), but concerns all of life. This is not to suggest that theology is impractical, or that dogmatics is opposed to practice. These are false dualisms perpetuated by modern Evangelicals and as such, Owen is correct. But when dogmatics and devotion are seen as being of one piece, then the rather absurd dualism of head knowledge versus heart knowledge is exposed for the fallacy it is, and we can get back to an orthodox and practical Christianity.

Finally, Owen speaks of the “TULIP Cult” which is in existence.

People are sometimes surprised to hear me speak of the TULIP cult. What do I mean when I speak this way? By a cult, I mean a sect within the broad landscape of Christianity which takes as its operating center some principle other than Christ crucified. This is certainly the case for the Young, Restless and Reformed. It is obvious that the operating center which holds this movement together is TULIP, not the gospel of the cross. One gets the impression that their sense of identity is inseparable from their sense of superiority, and thus it is tied to their adherence to and promotion of the doctrines of grace.

It is not the name of the Lamb that is constantly on the lips of these men, but the names of Calvin (though I have found most of the YRR have actually read very little of him) and the personalities featured at Calvinist conferences, gatherings and websites. What seems to be of paramount importance to these people is the demonstration of the superiority of the arguments for TULIP and its consequences for thinking out the logic of the Christian faith. The Christian faith, in other words, finds its coherence in the “doctrines of grace,” rather than in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rather than glory in Christ, and see in Christ’s face the focus of divine revelation, Calvinists these days glory in the doctrines of grace, and see the focus of God’s revelation in today’s preachers of TULIP religion. And just as reflecting on Christ makes us more like Christ (2 Cor. 3:18), reflecting on these Calvinist personalities seems to shape many Christians into a far less pleasing image.4

To our way of thinking, Owen displays all the attributes of an Evangelical Calvinist. His analysis of the YRR Movement is broad swe...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contributors
• Foreword
• Acknowledgments
• Chapter 1: Introduction
• Part One: Dogmatics
• Part Two: Dogmatic Devotion
• Part Three: Devotion