“I do think that I have been fortunate to make friendships with other scholars, and form reading groups where ideas are exchanged and papers are read. That is a real boon, and it is something I think every scholar or writer can benefit from.” ThinkingHas BeensIdeasRealFormReadingGroupsPaperBenefitsFortunateScholarPapersBoon Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“The book [Saving Calvinism] argues in each case that the Reformed tradition is broader and deeper than we might think at first glance - not that there are people on the margins of the tradition saying crazy things we should pay attention to, but rather that there are resources within the "mainstream" so to speak, which give us reason to think that the tradition is nowhere near as doctrinally narrow as the so-called "Five Points of Calvinism" might lead one to believe.” PeopleThinkingGivingShouldFirstsBelieveBookReasonMightSpeakPayAttentionCasesFiveCrazyResourcesTraditionDeeperArguingSavingPay AttentionMainstreamGlancesMarginsCrazy ThingsCalvinism Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“[Calvinistic tradition] has fashioned and shaped my thinking since I was a teenager.” ThinkingTraditionTeenager Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“These days I'm often called a Deviant Calvinist, but I don't really think my views do deviate from the Reformed tradition, though in some respects they may represent views that are not as popular now as they once were, or that may represent a minority report in the tradition.” ThinkingMayViewsTraditionThese DaysReportsMinoritiesDeviateDeviantsMinority Report Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“We are still living with the consequences of that today in popular Reformed thinking from the likes of John Piper, R. C. Sproul, and Tim Keller.” ThinkingStillsTodayConsequenceLikesPipers Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“In the chapter on the nature of the atonement [in the book saving Calvinism] I argue that it is a mistake to think that penal substitution is the only option on the doctrine of atonement.” ThinkingBookMistakeArguingDoctrineSavingChaptersAtonementSubstitutionCalvinism Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“The expansion I have in mind isn't the same as distortion. Of course, there are those who say their views represent Reformed thought, but what they end up with is a caricature of what Reformed thinking is really about. I hope I am not one of those people, but readers [of the Saving Calvinism] will have to make up their own minds on that score!” PeopleThinkingMindEndsCoursesViewsReaderSavingScoreExpansionDistortionCaricaturesCalvinism Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“For instance, there are many mainstream Reformed theologians that deny the doctrine of "limited" atonement (the "L" in TULIP, the acrostic for the Five Points of Calvinism). These are not thinkers on the margins or troublemakers. They are leaders at the center of Reformed thinking like Bishop John Davenant.” ThinkingLeaderFiveDenyDoctrineInstanceThinkerMainstreamTheologianMarginsBishopsAtonementCalvinismTroublemaker Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“We may think that our tradition is exactly the same as it has always been, but that is an illusion.” ThinkingMayIllusionTradition Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“It is often reported that the Five Points of Calvinism are the conceptual hard-core of Reformed thought. That is very misleading. The Five Points supposedly originate with the Synod of Dort in the early seventeenth century. Yet we find important Reformed leaders who were signatories to that documentation who don't think that limited atonement is the right way to think about the scope of Christ's saving work. How can this be? The answer that recent historical theology has thrown up is that the canons of the Synod don't require adherence to the doctrine of limited atonement.” ThinkingWayImportantHardChristAnswersLeaderFiveCenturyHistoricalCoreTheologyDoctrineSavingThrownRight WayScopeMisleadAtonementCanonAdherenceCalvinismDocumentationHard Core Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“I think everyone who has an interest in Reformed theology, or just in Christian theology more generally, should read John Calvin Institutes.” ThinkingShouldChristianInterestTheologyInstituteChristian TheologyInstitutesReformed Theology Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“That is the great contribution of Reformed thinking to the Christian church: theology for a life well-lived.” ThinkingWellsChristianChurchTheologyContributionChristian ChurchLife Well Lived Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“I recommend Doug Sweeney's recent book [Jonathan] Edwards the Exegete (Oxford University Press, 2015), which is a terrific treatment of the way in which Edwards was steeped in the Bible, so that it shaped the whole of his thinking.” ThinkingWayBookWholePressesUniversityTreatmentTerrificOxfordOxford UniversitySweeney Author:Oliver D. Crisp
“For those interested in Reformed thought more broadly, I'd recommend Peter Leithart's recent book on Reformed Catholicism entitled, The End of Protestantism: Pursuing Unity in a Fragmented Church (Brazos Press, 2016), as a thought-provoking and stimulating read that should get us all thinking about the future shape of the Church, wherever we come from.” ThinkingShouldBookEndsChurchShapesPressesUnityThought ProvokingCatholicismPeterEntitledProvokingFragmentedProtestantismThinking About The Future Author:Oliver D. Crisp
