Theological News On-Line

Issue 24 January 2004	'Promoting Biblical Truth by Networking Theologians'

Published by Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance

Editor: David Parker dparker@pacific.net.au
email distribution: Dr.Paul C. Murdoch Murdoch@ead.de

Welcome to WEA Theological News On-Line - this is the on-line version of our printed quarterly, WEA Theological News (ISSN 0260-3705). WEA TN On-Line is issued approximately monthly. The content of the printed and on-line versions overlap but are not identical. We also publish Evangelical Review of Theology. For more information, visit our website http://www.worldevangelical.org/tcpubs.html#ert

We welcome news reports on theological matters for both versions - they can cover theological institutions, conferences, publications, faculty, trends and developments, etc. of interest to evangelical theologians around the world.

For more information on the work of the Theological Commission, contact the Executive Chair, Dr Rolf Hille at r.hille@bengelhaus.de

In this issue:

•  Carl Henry's death
•  ETS votes on expelling Openness Theism advocates
•  Dr John Stott - health concerns
•  Out of Print Books in Electronic Format
•  Biography of Hans Rookmaaker Publish

Key Evangelical Theologian Dies - Carl F.H. Henry

Key evangelical theologian of the 20th Century, Dr Carl F.H. Henry, died 7 Dec, 2003 at the age of 90. The highly influential American theologian began his working career as a journalist. He was converted as a very young man while working in a newspaper office, not having any religious background in his German immigrant family who lived in New York City. He quickly became convinced of the need for further education and a call to prepare himself for Christian service. He studied at Wheaton College from 1935, where he came in contact with people who would later be his colleagues in evangelical leadership such as Billy Grahm, Harold Lindsell and Richard Halverson. He also studied at Northern Baptist Seminary gaining a ThD degree and was ordained as a Baptist minister. He taught at this seminary and gained another doctorate from Boston University. He taught also at Gordon and Trinity Divinity schools before becoming one of the founders of Fuller Theological Seminary. From Fuller he took up the challenge to be the founding editor of Christianity Today.

After leaving this post in 1968, he continued to write and publish, and to speak and travel around USA, Europe and the world. His magnum opus, God, Revelation, and Authority, was completed in 1983. His influential worldwide ministry which has helped shape the evangelical movement and many of its leaders continued strongly until recent years.

The book which set the mandate for his life's work, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism, (Eerdmans, 1947) has recently been reissued. The original edition carried an introduction by another of the leading evangelicals of the day, Harold J. Ockenga. The new edition is introduced by Richard J. Mouw, President of Fuller Theological Seminary, who says that in addition to the highly significant historical value of the book as an indication of the direction of developing 'neo-evangelical' movement of the day, 'there is much in this little book that can continue to instruct and inspire all of us who care deeply about the cause of the Gospel.' Speaking from his own personal experience, Dr Mouw says that the book provides a powerful inspiring vision today. 'Not only was it possible to promote an intellectually and culturally engaged evangelicalism, but a worldview based solidly on biblical authority was desperately needed in a social climate where the current theological option had in their own ways failed to provide satisfying answers to the deepest questions of the human spirit.' While acknowledging that much has changed for the better over the half century since Henry first wrote, Mouw argues that 'there is [still] often considerable disconnect between grassroots evangelical activism and carefully reasoned theological orthodoxy.' He claims then that 'The agenda that Henry laid out in this book still deserves sustained attention.' Furthermore 'his actual suggestions as to what is required in a well-formed biblical orthodoxy contine to ring true for many of us.'

Evangelical Theological Society Membership Challenge

At its November 2003 meeting, the US organisation, the Evangelical Theological Society, voted on recommendations from its leadership about the membership of two well known theologians and their views on the 'Openness Theology' - Dr Clark Pinnock and Dr John Sanders. The matter had been discussed at the previous annual meeting when Dr Roger Nicole charged that the writings of the two theologians and the ETS doctrinal statement on inerrancy were incompatible. The voting followed the processes set in train then. According to the ETS website, the vote to sustain charges against for Pinnock was lost by a factor of 2:1 while in the case of Sanders, the vote against him reached only 62.7%, not the required 66.6%. Consequently, both men retain their membership of the Society. As a follow up to the vote, the Society agreed to a motion that 'the ETS Executive Committee consider and recommend to the Society appropriate ways to clarify our Society's understanding of our Doctrinal Basis.' Comments reported from the meeting and elsewhere indicate that the feeling was widespread that despite different views on the topic of openness theology itself, the ETS doctrinal basis (which has a statement on inerrancy and another on the Trinity) is not adequate to use a test of doctrinal orthodoxy across the board. For more details: http://www.etsjets.org/

Health concerns for Dr John Stott

The following news item was distributed through the Christianity Today Weblog on Dec 26 www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2003/151/52.0.html

John Stott suffers mild stroke: A press release from InterVarsity Christian Fellowship brings sad news about one of the great theologians of our day: "Dr. John Stott was admitted to the hospital four nights before Christmas. While there, his MRI scan revealed that he had had a minor stroke, which is now being investigated and evaluated. The doctors are optimistic for a reasonable recovery. He is now convalescing with relatives."

Dr Stott was one of the featured speakers at Urbana 03, InterVarsity's 20th Student Mission Convention in the United States, Dec 27-31. Joshua Wathanga, Associate General Secretary & Chief Administrative Officer of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students read Dr. Stott's address on Radical Discipleship. For more information www.urbana.org

Reports received subsequently from London indicated that Dr Stott was attending church, prayer meetings and other activities.

Out of Print Books in Electronic Format

Logos Research Systems, Bellingham, WA, USA is pressing ahead with its ambitious program of producing out of print theological and biblical classics in electronic format on a pre-publication sale basis. One of the recent offerings is the International Critical Commentary. Daniel Foster from the Logos company says, 'We take preorders with a credit card number, gather enough preorders to cover our costs, then produce the work and bill the cards when the final product ships. The ICC series has also been rather difficult to purchase in its entirety, due in part to the cost of the print volumes, numerous revisions of various volumes, and the fact that most retailers do not offer the entire set as one purchase. The Logos edition will contain the most recent edition of each title and will provide an easy way to own every volume of this often-cited commentary set.' While the cost is considerable, it is still far less and more convenient than buying the printed version, even if all volumes were available together.

Other recent offering have included The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament, edited by R.H. Charles, the Berry Interlinear Greek NT, The United Bible Societies' Old Testament Handbook Series of 21 volumes, and Metzger's A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament.

For more information www.logos.com/prepub or Daniel Foster daniel@logos.com

Biography of Hans Rookmaaker Published

Art historian and critic, Laurel Gasque has published a biography of influential Christian intellectual, Hans Rookmaaker. It is part of the six volume The Complete Works of Hans Rookmaaker, ed. By Marleen Hengelaar-Rookmaaker (Carlisle, UK: Piquant, 2003), and will appear soon as 'stand alone' volume, Hans Rookmaaker: An Open Life. Referring to the book, James I. Packer said, 'The significance of Hans Rookmaaker's labors as thinker and mentor to locate the arts in life as God designed it still awaits worthy appreciation. But publishing his collected works is a big step towards this, and Laurel Gasque's biography is the perfect companion piece to what Rookmaaker wrote himself. Well researched and engagingly presented, it is a fitting tribute to the memory of a brilliant and magnetic people-person who was in truth one of the great Christians of his time.' The President of the International Jacques Ellul Society and co-founder of New College Berkeley, California, David W. Gill writes, 'Wherever Laurel Gasque has been in her career and travels, she has left a visible mark. Through her efforts and inspiration art galleries have been built, art exhibitions have been organized, eye- and mind-opening art history courses have been taught, artists themselves have been rallied and encouraged, and non-artists have been awakened to a profound appreciation of the sublime and the beautiful---and of the Creator who moves behind and through it all. There is no question but that Rookmaker's life and legacy have long deserved the kind of careful study Laurel Gasque has prepared. Her research and historical detective work are simply superb---a wonderful piece of work. Her personal connections with Hans Rookmaaker and with so many of his family members, friends, colleagues, and students gave her unique access to the factual details and to the overarching meaning and significance of it all.' For more information: www.piquant.net/piquant.html

WEA Theological News On-line

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