An exploration of soteriology, the part of theology concerned with our salvation through the death of Christ, and whether God could have saved us other than by the cruel death of his son.

With special attention to the academic context and sources of the Leiden debate, this book examines Jacobus Arminius's doctrines of salvation and the assurance of salvation, demonstrating the decisive role that assurance played in his dissent from Reformed theology.

This richly synthetic reading of Paul offers a compelling argument that the heart of Paul s soteriology lies in theosis the incorporation of God s people into the life and character of the God revealed in the cross. Michael Gorman deftly integrates the results of recent debates about Pauline theology into a powerful constructive account that overcomes unfruitful dichotomies and transcends recent controversies between the New Perspective on Paul and its traditionalist critics. Gorman s important book points the way forward for understanding the nonviolent, world-transforming character of Paul s gospel. Richard B. Hays / Duke Divinity School / Provides an important corrective to segmentalized approaches to Paul. Michael Gorman lucidly connects justification to spiritual transformation. Faith, love, and action come together as theosis the taking on of the character of Christ and, so, of God. Though constantly in conversation with other scholars, Gorman has a refreshingly original approach, illuminating the lively theology of Paul. Inhabiting the Cruciform God clearly advances the field of Pauline studies. Stephen Finlan / Fordham University / In this pioneering work Michael Gorman offers a fresh way to view Paul s understanding of justification and holiness. Cutting a new path through old territory, Gorman leads us to a vision of holiness and justification rooted in the transforming power of nonviolence and the cross. His work will provide pastors with new insights for preaching and scholars with new ways to address old questions. Frank J. Matera / Catholic University of America

This book investigates the relationship between justification by faith and final judgment according to works as found in Paul’s second epistle to the Corinthians within a Protestant theological framework. Benjamin M. Dally first demonstrates the diversity and breadth of mainstream Protestant soteriology and eschatology beginning at the time of the Reformation by examining the confessional standards of its four primary ecclesial/theological streams: Lutheran, Reformed, Anabaptist, and Anglican. The soteriological structure of each is assessed (i.e., how each construes the relationship between justification and final judgment), with particular attention given to how each speaks of the place of good works at the final judgment. This initial examination outlines the theological boundaries within which the exegesis of Second Corinthians can legitimately proceed, and illuminates language and conceptual matrices that will be drawn upon throughout the remainder of thebook. Then, drawing upon the narrative logic of Paul’s Early Jewish thought-world, Dally examines the text of Second Corinthians to discern its own soteriological framework, paying particular attention to both the meaning and rhetorical function of the “judgment according to works” motif as it is utilized throughout the letter. The book concludes by offering a Protestant synthesis of the relationship between justification and final judgment according to works in Second Corinthians, giving an explanation of the role of works at the final judgment that arguably alleviates a number of tensions often perceived in other readings devoted to this key aspect of Pauline exegesis and theology. Dally ultimately argues a three-fold thesis: (1) For the believer one’s earthly conduct, taken as a whole, is best spoken of in the language of inferior/secondary “cause” and/or “basis” as far as its import at the last judgment. (2) One’s earthly conduct, again taken as a whole, is soteriologically necessary (not solely, but secondarily nonetheless) and not simply of importance for the bestowal of non-soteriological, eschatological rewards. (3) There are crucial resources from within mainstream Protestantism to authorize such ways of speaking and to simultaneously affirm these contentions in conjunction with a robust, strictly forensic/imputational, “traditional” Protestant understanding of the doctrine of justification by faith alone.

The cross is central to understanding Christian theology. But is it possible that our postmodern setting requires a new model of understanding the cross? Hans Boersma's Violence, Hospitality, and the Cross proposes an understanding of the atonement that is sensitive both to the Christian tradition and to the postmodern critiques of that tradition. His fresh approach draws on the rich resources of the Christian tradition in its portrayal of God's hospitality in Jesus Christ.

“What must I do to be saved?” That question, raised in the book of Acts by the Philippian jailer, is a question for the ages. Yet what, even, does it mean to be saved? Is salvation for this life or the next? Is it purely spiritual or does it have physical and material implications? Can salvation be lost? Do we determine who will be saved or does God? What role does Christ play in salvation? Such are the seemingly unending questions soteriology strives to answer. In this eighth volume from the Africa Society of Evangelical Theology, African theologians articulate their understanding of salvation – and its widespread implications for life and practice – in conversation with Scripture and the rich diversity of an African cultural context. Salvation is examined from historical, philosophical, and theological lenses, and scholars address topics as wide-ranging as conversion, ethnicity, fertility, poverty, prosperity, the Trinity, exclusivism, African Pentecostalism, rural community, eschatology, wholeness, and atonement. It is a powerful exploration of the holistic nature of salvation as articulated in Scripture and understood by the African church.

Though the global center of Christianity has been shifting south and east for decades, very few biblical and theological resources have dealt with the seismic changes afoot. The Majority World Theology series seeks to remedy that lack by gathering well-regarded Christian thinkers from around the world to discuss the significance of Christian teaching in their respective contexts. This textbook series introduces students and scholars to these enlightening developments from the Majority World. In So Great a Salvation nine scholars from the global church reflect deeply on soteriology in the Majority World. For many Christians outside Europe and North America, the doctrine of salvation is not a mere theological construct but, rather, a matter of life and death. Taking African, Asian, Latin American, and First Nations cultural contexts into account, this book allows readers to see God's creative deliverance in a fresh light. CONTRIBUTORS: Milton Acosta (Colombian) Ray Aldred (Cree) Sung Wook Chung (Korean American) Rosinah Mmannana Gabaitse (Botswanan) Elaine W. F. Goh (Malaysian Chinese) Emily J. Choge Kerama (Kenyan) Jules A. Mart nez-Olivieri (Puerto Rican) Daniel J. Treier (American) K. K. Yeo (Chinese American)

'The name of Thomas Erskine is one of the more significant landmarks on the map of nineteenth-century British theology. Erskine, though, is little read these days, and there has long been a need for an in-depth authoritative treatment of his thought in order to rekindle our interest. Don Horrocks has provided just such a study. Horrocks' focus on Erskine's soteriology opens up distinctive perspectives on a raft of key theological themes from the doctrine of God to the nature of faith and religious experience, and the authoritative sources for theology. In addition, this informative study captures the mood of that early-mid nineteenth-century intellectual milieu which Erskine's thought both embodies and transcended. Unmatched in its analysis and evaluation of Erskine's contribution.' - Trevor Hart, Professor of Divinity, St Mary's College, University of St Andrews, Scotland 'Don Horrocks is a born researcher who writes with clarity and interest. This book is a splendid contribution to the growing conversations concerning previously neglected theologians. Thomas Erskine's precocity has come of age and I can think of no better a presentation of his context and theology than that offered by Horrocks.' - Graham McFarlane, Lecturer in Systematic Theology, London School of Theology, UK 'Thomas Erskine is one of the seminal but neglected theologians of nineteenth-century Scotland. In his study Don Horrocks introduces us to Erskine's thought in a thematic way that is at once lucid, scholarly and stimulating. It should be on the bookshelf of every serious student of the period.' - Nick Needham, Lecturer in Church History, Highland Theological College, Dingwall, Scotland 'Don Horrocks' work provides a searching analysis of this key nineteenth-century theologian. It is likely to be the first recourse on the subject for many years to come.' - Meic Pearse, Associate Professor of History, Houghton College Don Horrocks spent twenty-five years in business in corporate banking and management consultancy. He completed his Ph.D. on which this work is based at London Bible College in 2002. He has headed up the Evangelical Alliance's Policy Commission for four years. He was appointed Public Affairs Manager for the Alliance in September 2001. He has edited books on transsexuality and on GM Crops and Foods for the Evangelical Alliance Policy Commission. A Research Associate at London School of Theology, he is married with three children.

There aren't many serious works of systematic theology which engage with Breaking Bad, The Big Bang Theory, Crazy Heart, theories of capital and positive psychology, as well as the Isenheim Altarpiece and Handel's Messiah. This lively, contemporary study of salvation does precisely that. Christian doctrine cannot simply repeat what has gone before, even as it recognises the value and richness of the traditions Christianity carries with it. Clive Marsh acknowledges this in exploring how doctrine interweaves with life experience and cultural consumption. A Cultural Theology of Salvation considers how salvation is to be understood and articulated now, when the theme of 'redemption' appears outside of Christianity in the arts and popular culture. Marsh also assesses whether contemporary interest in 'happiness' has anything to do with salvation. The first part of the book sets the enquiry in the context of how theology operates as a discipline, and the cultural climate in which theology has to be done. The second part offers a number of case-studies (in art, music, TV, film, positive psychology, and economic life) exploring how the concerns of a doctrine of salvation are addressed directly and indirectly in Western culture. The third part distils the results of the case-studies in formulating a contemporary exposition of salvation, and concludes by showing what this means in practice.

This interdisciplinary study is the result of an international and ecumenical meeting of nineteen scholars held in New York at Easter 1998: the Trinity Summit. Biblical experts examine the scriptural roots of trinitarian doctrine, patristic scholars correct those who continue to misinterpret the trinitarian teaching of the Cappadocians and Augustine, and five scholars examine systematic and foundational issues like the viability of social models for the Trinity. The volume ends with a study of the Trinity in art and the challenge of preaching the Trinity today. The international reputation of the participants reflects and guarantees the high quality of this joint work.