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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > Protestantism & Protestant Churches > Calvinist, Reformed & Presbyterian Churches
Although "God loves you" is a common summary of the central message
of Christian teaching and preaching, a close reading of the Bible
and attention to the Christian tradition will reveal passages of
Scripture and Christian doctrines--particularly John Calvin's
doctrine of predestination--that seem to undermine confidence in
God's love for all people. For numerous theologians, including many
within the Reformed tradition, the secret decree of Calvin's God to
save some and condemn others seems to undercut completely one's
assurance of salvation along with one's ability to trust in and
worship God. However, pastor and scholar John Calvin confidently
spoke of God as a loving Father throughout his teaching and
preaching. In Uncovering Calvin's God, Forrest H. Buckner unearths
Calvin's teaching about the God of love who reigns sovereign over
predestination. Drawing upon sources from across Calvin's corpus,
Buckner examines Calvin's teaching on the knowledge of God and the
doctrine of predestination to provide a more robust and cohesive
understanding of Calvin's theology, which Buckner then confirms
through an extensive examination of Calvin's preaching in Geneva.
He then offers a critical comparison of Calvin's approach with the
teaching of Luther, Zwingli, Bullinger, Arminius, and Barth. Using
Calvin's system as a starting point, this book helps readers
perceive the essentials and trade-offs of any doctrine of
predestination that takes seriously both the Bible and the loving
God revealed in Jesus Christ.
The Trauma of Doctrine is a theological investigation into the
effects of abuse trauma upon the experience of Christian faith, the
psychological mechanics of these effects, their resonances with
Christian Scripture, and neglected research-informed strategies for
cultivating post-traumatic resilience. Paul Maxwell examines the
effect that the Calvinist belief can have upon the traumatized
Christian who negatively internalizes its superlative doctrines of
divine control and human moral corruption, and charts a way toward
meaningful spiritual recovery.
Guided by a penchant for self-reflection and thoughtful discussion,
Presbyterians have long been pulled in conflicting directions in
their perceptions of their shared religious mission-with a tension
that sometimes divides hearts as well as congregations. In this
first comprehensive history of the Presbyterian Church in Oklahoma,
historians Michael Cassity and Danney Goble reveal how Oklahoma
Presbyterians have responded to the demands of an evolving society,
a shifting theology, and even a divided church. Beginning with the
territorial period, Cassity and Goble examine the dynamics of
Presbyterian missions among the Five Tribes in Indian Territory and
explain how Presbyterians differed from other denominations. As
they trace the Presbyterian journey, they examine the way
Presbyterians addressed the evil of slavery and the dispossession
of Oklahoma's Indians; the challenges of industrial society; the
modern issues of depression, war, and racial injustice; and
concerns of life and faith with which other Americans have also
struggled. An insightful and independent history that draws upon
firsthand accounts of congregations and church members across the
state, Divided Hearts attests to the courage of Presbyterians in
dealing with their struggles and shows a church very much at
work-and at home-in Oklahoma.
New Calvinism and the Victim endeavors into the overlapping areas
of psychological trauma and systematic theology by investigating
the dynamic interplay between the psychology of holding maximalist
theological beliefs and recovery from abuse trauma. Maxwell
examines the effect that the Calvinist belief can have upon the
traumatized Christian who negatively internalizes its superlative
doctrines of divine control and human moral corruption. The project
seeks to understand these intersecting realities by investigating a
triptych of inquiries: From a theological perspective, can a
Christian lose his faith because of a traumatic experience?
Moreover, what are the consequences of such a loss? And, how could
Reformed theology exacerbate this religious detachment? Ultimately,
the research suggests that there are experiential harmonies between
the belief in Reformed theology and the experience of trauma, which
are neither existentially necessary nor therapeutically
negligible-rather, they are conceptually likely based on both
philosophical analysis and psychological research.
Although "God loves you" is a common paraphrase of Christian
teaching and preaching, a close reading of the Bible and attention
to the Christian tradition will reveal passages of Scripture and
Christian doctrines-- particularly John Calvin's doctrine of
predestination--that seem to undermine confidence in God's love for
all people. For many theologians, not only in the Reformed
tradition, the secret decree of Calvin's God to save some and
condemn others seems completely to undercut any assurance of
salvation and the ability to trust in and worship God. However,
pastor and scholar John Calvin confidently spoke of God as a loving
Father throughout his teaching and preaching. In Uncovering
Calvin's God, Forrest H. Buckner unearths Calvin's teaching about
the God of love who reigns sovereign over predestination. Drawing
upon sources from across Calvin's corpus, Buckner examines Calvin's
teaching on the knowledge of God and the doctrine of predestination
to provide a more robust and cohesive understanding of Calvin's
theology, which Buckner then confirms through an extensive
examination of Calvin's preaching in Geneva. He then offers a
critical comparison of Calvin's approach with the teaching of
Luther, Zwingli, Bullinger, Arminius, and Barth. Using Calvin's
system as a starting point, this book helps readers perceive the
essentials and trade-offs of any doctrine of predestination that
takes seriously both the Bible and the loving God revealed in Jesus
Christ.
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