Introduction by Kirk R. MacGregor - James Clarke and Co Ltd

Introduction
LAUNCHING AN ONGOING SCHOLARLY CONVERSATION
This book makes a number of important contributions to the theological
academy. It illuminates the trajectory of eternal security as a significant
theological locus throughout the history of the development of Christian
doctrine, alongside such classic loci as sin, grace, and revelation, so releasing
it from being perceived as exclusively a matter of Reformed interest.
Eternal security is a glacier sweeping all eras of Christian thought
whose surface has barely been scratched and upon which much fruitful
scholarly labor is waiting to be accomplished. To give but a few examples,
theological models of eternal security and their social implications during
the Patristic and Medieval eras remain to be explored, as well as the
psychological effects and lifestyle consequences of belief and disbelief in
eternal security among members of modern denominations.
Eternal security is an interpretive prism through which the thought
of major individuals and schools can be assessed, thereby opening up fresh
readings from historical texts and new constructive possibilities from
contemporary theological systems. On the one hand, innovative readings
create a mutually beneficial relationship for historians and exegetes, undergoing
refinement by engaging Scripture via the hermeneutical circle
and unearthing ever-present but previously undiscovered biblical truths
and insights. On the other hand, new constructive possibilities serve as
grist for the philosophical mill, calling upon philosophers of religion to
evaluate their plausibility and, if deemed coherent and valid, to work out
their logical infrastructures. For these reasons, these articles and their
brothers and sisters in the completed online 2007 edition shed tremendous
light on the single most important matter of practical theology in
the Christian tradition. Our sincere hope is that this volume expands
the scholarly conversation on eternal security recently commenced in
Testamentum Imperium across the landscape of religious and theological
disciplines and builds bridges between Christians of various confessions
by facilitating greater awareness of, and respect toward, a multiplicity of
positions on our great testament, the assurance of our salvation.
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© 2011 James Clarke and Co Ltd