Few issues in Christian theology have sparked as much controversy over the centuries as the question of election. In this book - the inaugural volume of the Kantzer Lectures in Revealed Theology series - Stephen Williams offers a rich and nuanced account of the doctrine of election, arguing that we should diminish the role of "system" in Christian theology. After expounding the Bible's teaching on election, Williams turns to questions of theological method and substance. He maintains that the subject of predestination must be considered in a wider biblical context than it often is and that we cannot expect to understand election within a comprehensive systematic framework. What matters is the relation of particular truths to the particulars of life, he says, not the systematic relation of truths to each other. Williams draws on and applies the insights of remarkable nineteenth-century Anglican leader Charles Simeon throughout his study, concluding the book with a cogent discussion of Karl Barth on election. Review Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology "A stimulating and thought-provoking book which helps to break through centuries of debate. . . . All who are interested in a biblical and evangelical approach to the doctrine of election need to read this book."Suzanne McDonald - Western Theological Seminary "Stephen N. Williams here enters fearlessly (and wittily!) into the tangled scriptural and theological debates surrounding the doctrine of election. No matter where you stand, journeying with Williams will challenge your assumptions and provoke you to consider afresh the presuppositions that lie behind the usual approaches to this most controversial of doctrines."Graham A. Cole - Beeson Divinity School "Williams is a first-rate theological thinker, as this work shows. He addresses the riddle of predestination with erudition and humility. . . . The fresh thinking in this volume repays careful reflection." About the Author Stephen Williams is professor of systematic theology atUnion Theological College, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Few issues in Christian theology have sparked as much controversy over the centuries as the question of election. In this book - the inaugural volume of the Kantzer Lectures in Revealed Theology series - Stephen Williams offers a rich and nuanced account of the doctrine of election, arguing that we should diminish the role of "system" in Christian theology. After expounding the Bible's teaching on election, Williams turns to questions of theological method and substance. He maintains that the subject of predestination must be considered in a wider biblical context than it often is and that we cannot expect to understand election within a comprehensive systematic framework. What matters is the relation of particular truths to the particulars of life, he says, not the systematic relation of truths to each other. Williams draws on and applies the insights of remarkable nineteenth-century Anglican leader Charles Simeon throughout his study, concluding the book with a cogent discussion of Karl Barth on election. Review Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology "A stimulating and thought-provoking book which helps to break through centuries of debate. . . . All who are interested in a biblical and evangelical approach to the doctrine of election need to read this book."Suzanne McDonald - Western Theological Seminary "Stephen N. Williams here enters fearlessly (and wittily!) into the tangled scriptural and theological debates surrounding the doctrine of election. No matter where you stand, journeying with Williams will challenge your assumptions and provoke you to consider afresh the presuppositions that lie behind the usual approaches to this most controversial of doctrines."Graham A. Cole - Beeson Divinity School "Williams is a first-rate theological thinker, as this work shows. He addresses the riddle of predestination with erudition and humility. . . . The fresh thinking in this volume repays careful reflection." About the Author Stephen Williams is professor of systematic theology atUnion Theological College, Belfast, Northern Ireland.
