A New Book by Dr J Matthew Pinson, "Arminian and Baptist: Explorations in a Theological Tradition"

A new book by Dr J Matthew Pinson, President of Welch College, titled Arminian and Baptist: Explorations in a Theological Tradition was released yesterday.

Endorsers of this book include Russell Moore, President of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, who said (from the back cover):

I thank God for the resurgence of grace-oriented, gospel-focused Arminianism represented in this book. This is an Arminianism with a deep sense of radical human depravity, the sovereign initiative of God, penal substitutionary atonement, and the imputation of the active and passive obedience of Christ to the believer. We may sometimes disagree on the 'how' and the 'when' of salvation, but we agree on the 'what' and the 'Who.'

(Others have also observed this resurgence, not just in Classical/Reformed Arminianism, but also in Arminian Theology more generally; see my earlier posts Where Did All These Arminians Come From? and What’s contributing to the increase in “x-Calvinists”.)


Here is the publisher's description (link):

Summary: 

Dr. Pinson brings from his thorough research this collection of essays to the reader as a blend of church history and theology. This work is an important resource to understand an evangelical Arminianism while revealing the context of its Reformation roots. The author explores the Arminianism of Thomas Helwys and the General Baptists of old. 

Features: 

Dr. Pinson gives the reader a compelling account of an Arminianism that is at once Reformed, classical, and evangelical. He presents this tradition by examining the heritage that lies in the English General Baptists of the seventeenth century. John Smyth and Thomas Helwys are two pieces of the historical essays shared in this work. The author also includes essays on Thomas Grantham and John Wesley. All the works come together to show the rich heritage of Reformed theology while maintaining the foundation of a biblically grounded Arminianism.

You can read some quotes from chapter one here.

[*Update*: You can also see Roger Olson’s comments in his post, “'Reformed Arminianism?' Another Book About Arminian Theology”.]



More from Dr Pinson 

Online (external links):

• "Atonement, Justification, and Apostasy in the Thought of John Wesley" (Integrity);
• "Thomas Grantham's Theology of the Atonement and Justification" (JBTM);
• "The Diversity of Arminian Soteriology: Thomas Grantham, John Goodwin, and Jacobus Arminius" (SEA);
• "The Nature of the Atonement in the Theology of Jacobus Arminius" (JETS); and
• "Will The Real Arminius Please Stand Up? A Study of the Theology of Jacobus Arminius in Light of His Interpreters" (Integrity).

You can also check out Dr Pinson's blog here, and his contributions to The Gospel Coalition here.


More Recent Books

Another recent book on Arminanism worth checking out is Grace for All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation (Google Preview, or Find in a Library), released March 31, 2015, and edited by Clark H Pinnock and John D Wagner. Mike at Dead Heroes Don't Save has been posting a chapter-by-chapter review, with a new installment each Thursday so that others can read-along with him and discuss or ask questions. His introductory post is here, and his latest is here. William at I, Jacobus Arminius has also been posting a chapter-by-chapter review; his introductory post is here.

For more recent books on Arminius and Arminianism, see the list at the end of this post from SEA.

Related Posts:

• Dr Thomas Schreiner reviews Dr Abasciano's book on Romans 9;
• Where Did All These Arminians Come From? .