Earlier this week in our fourth year Reformed Theology module, Professor Andrew McGowan asked who are some of the key figures in Reformed Theology. I gave a list:
Martin Bucer
Ulrich Zwingli
John Calvin
John Owen
Jonathan Edwards
Charles Spurgeon
Martin Lloyd Jones.
He said overall these are the names he expected but asked why John Owen rather than any other Puritan, and why jump over 100 years to Jonathan Edwards. Why Edwards
and not Thomas Boston whom Edwards identified as the leading Reformed theologian of his day. Why Lloyd Jones and not J I Packer or John Stott? Lloyd Jones was a great preacher he said, but he had no theological training.
He then pointed out often people will take names like these and think they all agreed theologically when they have different views on various subjects. I noticed in his latest book 'The Divine Spiration of Scripture' Professor McGowan points out that Scottish Reformed Theology is different to the Reformed Theology of the Puritans. A Friend of mine (who is also into Reformed Theology) and I often disagree theologically and yet we both represent strands of reformed thought. Andrew McGowan in our class pointed out that Reformed Theology is often bigger than our own particular sphere.
Who would you identify as key Reformed thinkers?
Shalom
Stephen
Ulrich Zwingli
John Calvin
John Owen
Jonathan Edwards
Charles Spurgeon
Martin Lloyd Jones.
He said overall these are the names he expected but asked why John Owen rather than any other Puritan, and why jump over 100 years to Jonathan Edwards. Why Edwards
and not Thomas Boston whom Edwards identified as the leading Reformed theologian of his day. Why Lloyd Jones and not J I Packer or John Stott? Lloyd Jones was a great preacher he said, but he had no theological training.He then pointed out often people will take names like these and think they all agreed theologically when they have different views on various subjects. I noticed in his latest book 'The Divine Spiration of Scripture' Professor McGowan points out that Scottish Reformed Theology is different to the Reformed Theology of the Puritans. A Friend of mine (who is also into Reformed Theology) and I often disagree theologically and yet we both represent strands of reformed thought. Andrew McGowan in our class pointed out that Reformed Theology is often bigger than our own particular sphere.
Who would you identify as key Reformed thinkers?
Shalom
Stephen
2 comments:
You didn't give any parameters to the list, i.e., dates or number of
key figures, but here is my list:
Wycliffe
Tyndale
Calvin
Knox
Owen
Edwards
Spurgeon
Machen
And there my list must stop or enlarge greatly.
Why Bucer and Zwingli?
Thanks Russ,
I didn't intend to set parameters, Professor McGowan would probably exclude Wycliffe as he also excluded Luther. Although I realise Wycliffe's Lollards disappeared during the English reformation because they recognised they were the same as the other reformers.
Being from the West Midlands I have been to Lutterworth and to the parish church where Wycliffe ministered.
Both Zwingli and Bucer were the leading Reformed Theologians prior to John Calvin. Bucer was considered a statements right accross the reforming movement. Zwingli would have drowned me so I only included him for historical reasons! :-)
God Bless
Stephen
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