Welch Faculty Contribute to New B&H Book on Jonathan Edwards
For Immediate Release
GALLATIN, TN—Several Welch faculty contributed chapters to the new book Jonathan Edwards: A Reformed Arminian Engagement published by B&H Academic, according to Welch president Matt Pinson.
Edited by Pinson, the book, recently published by the academic publishing arm of LifeWay Christian Resources, presents a Reformed Arminian interaction with the theology of the great Reformed theologian, philosopher, and preacher Jonathan Edwards (1703–1758).
In addition to Pinson, contributors include Robert Picirilli, professor emeritus of New Testament and Greek at Welch; Paul Harrison, long-time adjunct in Church History and Greek at Welch who now serves as pastor of Madison Free Will Baptist Church in Madison, Alabama; Matthew McAffee, Welch provost and dean of Welch Divinity School; Kevin Hester, vice president for institutional effectiveness and dean of the school of theology at Welch; and Barry Raper, associate professor of ministry and special assistant to the president for ministry formation at Welch who also serves as senior pastor at Bethel Free Will Baptist Church in Chapmansboro, Tennessee.
“This book allows the distinctive thinking of the Reformed Arminian expression of theology to shine,” Pinson said. “That’s because there are things we really like about Edwards’s Reformed theology but things we differ from with Edwards when it comes to his Calvinist doctrine of salvation.”
Several Arminian and Calvinist scholars highly commend the book. One of those is Michael A. G. Azad Haykin, Professor of Church History at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who wrote the foreword for the book: “The authors of the essays in this fine collection are quite prepared to acknowledge Edwards as an important mentor in their lives and yet part company with him on certain issues that relate to freedom and soteriology. . . . A collection of Reformed Arminian essays on one regarded as a quintessential Calvinist is a surprising turn of events, but it is a turn that is both a profitable and an enjoyable read.”
Wesleyan-Arminian scholar Matt Ayars, former president of Wesley Biblical Seminary, said, “This book is needed now. The rapidly changing landscape of Methodism, pan-Wesleyanism, and more broadly Protestant evangelicalism in North America means the establishment of new boundary lines. . . . This book, with the spirit in which it is written, is the kind of work that will simply make the church better in the immediate future.”
Chris Chun, Director of the Jonathan Edwards Center at Gateway Seminary in California, calls the book “a fresh and creative contribution to the ongoing discussions in Edwards studies. . . . This page-turner offers a captivating exploration that underscores the real divergences between Calvinists and Reformed Arminians.”
Tom Nettles, Senior Professor of Historical Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, states, “I recommend the book heartily. . . . Its authors’ grasp of the secondary literature is profound, and their interaction with primary Edwardsean texts shows an impressive, sympathetic, and instructive depth of understanding.”
Brian Shelton, Chair of Christian Studies and Philosophy at Asbury University says, “As the landscape of evangelical thought shifts, this nuanced approach with its generous attitude can help to rectify overstated theological partitions.”
Rhyne Putman, Vice President for Academic Affairs at Williams Baptist University, calls the volume “a unique collection of essays that truly models the art of charitable, appreciative, and balanced theological disagreement . . . a must-read.”
John Mark Hicks, Emeritus Professor of Theology at Lipscomb University, notes: “Any discussion of the differences between the Dordt version of Reformed theology and Reformed Arminianism and Wesleyan Arminianism must engage this book.”
Copies of the book may be ordered from numerous bookstores and online outlets or from Welch College Press (welchpress.com) at the discounted price of $19.99.
