Church History: 10/16/2022

Greg Allison’s Historical Theology. Zondervan, 2011. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Chapter 19: Prof. Allison leads one through the devastated wasteland of Reimarius, Schweitzer, Bultmann, Kirsopp Lake, Hugh Schonfield, and others on the subject of the atonement. We hear of the pushback from evangelicals like William Craig (a Molinist of all things), William Paley (though dated), Torrey in the “Fundamentals,” Pannenberg, Josh McDowell and others. N’ery a word about the BCP or WCF. C’mon man! Chapter 20: The Holy Spirit. 430ff. Prof. Allison leads on through the early church on the subject of the Holy Spirit: Clement of Rome, Barnabas, the Shepherd of Hermas, the Didache, Justin Martyr, Tertullian and a detour on Montanus and his two prophetesses—which didn’t go down well. Magnificent tour by the Prof. McNiell, John Thomas. The History and Character of Calvinism. New York: Oxford University Press, 1962. Chapter 14. Calvin’s Personality and Historical Importance, 226-236. McNeill retails the complaints about Calvin: intolerant, harsh, and more. He conceded his sin of getting angry fast. McNeill asks for some tolerance given the historic illnesses to which he was subject, the sufferings wrought in the times of the French murderings, and the other strong evidences of mercy, charity and kinds, even arguing for interconfessional communion between Lutherans and the Reformed. As for Servetus, that gets bad press from moderns who have understand that three levels of the civic magistracy handled the matter en toto, not Calvin who sought the mercy of hanging instead of burning but was rebuffed. Anti-Calvin voices are most often those who haven’t read him voraciously, repeatedly and widely, commentaries, letters and the Institutes. We hardly listen to moderns on the subject. Prof. Schaff does a fair job, generally, in Vol. 8 of his “History of Christendom.”