Baptizing Theosis: Sketching an Evangelical Account

This essay explores some of the dogmatic challenges involved in developing a distinctively evangelical account of the doctrine of theosis, that is, humanity’s participation in the life of God. After offering some preliminary clarifications regarding the terminology of theosis, the paper sketches in...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Stamps, Robert Lucas (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Sciendo, De Gruyter [2020]
In: Perichoresis
Year: 2020, Volume: 18, Issue: 1, Pages: 99-115
IxTheo Classification:HA Bible
KDG Free church
NBK Soteriology
NBP Sacramentology; sacraments
Further subjects:B Activism
B crucicentrism
B Evangelical
B Theosis
B Biblicism
B conversionism
Online Access: Volltext (doi)
Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This essay explores some of the dogmatic challenges involved in developing a distinctively evangelical account of the doctrine of theosis, that is, humanity’s participation in the life of God. After offering some preliminary clarifications regarding the terminology of theosis, the paper sketches in broad strokes how an account of theosis might take shape within the structures of evangelical theology. David Bebbington’s famous evangelical quadrilateral— biblicism, crucicentrism, conversionism, and activism—serves as the basic framework (Bebbington 1989: 1-19). It will be argued that evangelical theology can accommodate a version of theosis within this structure, but that evangelicals’ understanding of these categories may require some ‘flexing’ in order to make room for a more Christocentric and participatory conceptualization of redemption, one that culminates in the beatific vision of the redeemed when ‘God will be all in all’ (1 Cor 15:28). The final section of the paper points to a pair of important figures who may serve as resources for an evangelical retrieval of theosis.
ISSN:2284-7308
Contains:Enthalten in: Perichoresis
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.2478/perc-2020-0006