Predestination--the idea that God foreordains one's eternal destiny--is one of the most fascinating and controversial doctrines in Christianity. In this groundbreaking history, 0eter Thuesen shows that far from being only about the age-old riddle of divine sovereignty versus human free will, the debate over predestination is inseparable from other central Christian beliefs and practices. Winner of the Christianity Today 2010 Book Award for History/Biography, andpraised in Christian Century as "witty...erudite...masterful," this groundbreaking history, the first of its kind, shows that far from being only about theage-old riddle of divine sovereignty versus human free will, the debate over predestination is inseparable from other central Christian beliefs and practices--the efficacy of the sacraments, the existence of purgatory and hell, theextent of God's providential involvement in human affairs--and has fueled theological conflicts across denominations for centuries. Peter Thuesen reexamines not only familiar predestinarians such as the New England Puritans and many later Baptists and Presbyterians, but also non-Calvinists such as Catholics and Lutherans,and shows how even contemporary megachurches preach a "purpose-driven" outlook that owes much to the doctrine of predestination. For anyone wanting a fuller understanding of religion in America, Predestination offers both historical context on a doctrine that reaches back 1,600 years and a fresh perspective ontoday's denominational landscape. IllustrationsIntroduction: Doctrine of Discord: Presdestination in American ChristianityChapter One: The Predestinarian Labyrinth: Historical BackgroundChapter Two: The Agony and the Ecstacy: Predestination in New England PuritanismChapter Three: ''Shall the Hellish Doctrine Stand?'' Enlightenment Doubts andEvangelical DivisionChapter Four: From Methodists to Mormons: Attacking Predestination in the Young RepublicChapter Five: Domesticating a Doctrine: Catholics and LutheransChapter Six: Debating a Doctrine: Presbyterians and BaptistsEpilogue: The Purpose-Driven Life? Predestination and the Decline of MysteryGlossary of Theological TermsNotesIndex Fascinating
- ISBN: 978-0-19-983239-2
- Editorial: Oxford University
- Encuadernacion: Rústica
- Páginas: 328
- Fecha Publicación: 24/10/2011
- Nº Volúmenes: 1
- Idioma: Inglés