Date of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

College

Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary

Program

Religion, Theological Studies PhD

First Advisor

Denis Fortin

Second Advisor

Martin Hanna

Third Advisor

Denis Kaiser

Abstract

The Topic

In the 1970s, the Seventh-day Adventist church’s theological struggles over righteousness by faith and perfectionism revealed that Adventists were confused about their Protestant identity and what it meant to have the assurance of salvation. That struggle is exemplified in Desmond Ford’s writings. His doctoral studies under evangelical scholar F. F. Bruce prompted the Historic Adventists to wonder whether Ford had abandoned the Arminian synergistic soteriology for Calvinism’s monergism.

The Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore to what extent Frederick F. Bruce’s Reformed views, theological assumptions, and commitments were shared by and reflected in Desmond Ford’s soteriology, and whether Ford was a Reformed theologian. Ford’s forensic view of justification by faith was elucidated as it relates to righteousness by faith and the Protestant theological tradition.

The Method

This was a comparative study with a primary focus on content and document analysis. It relied on both published and unpublished primary sources like books, periodicals, and manuscripts, accessible in various archives, libraries, and databases. Primary sources provided the necessary data to outline the soteriology of Bruce and Ford. Secondary sources were consulted to gain perspective on the topic in its historical context and for theological background.

Conclusion

This study looked at the intersection of Arminianism and Calvinism in the writings of Desmond Ford and F. F. Bruce, and found that both scholars were evangelicals, committed to the Protestant gospel of justification by faith alone. In this sense, both shared an evangelical affinity that supported and explained those theological views they held in common. But underneath the surface, in their respective theological commitments, we also found some discrepancies in their views that clarified their soteriological position and helped us identify Ford as an evangelical Arminian and Bruce as a moderate Calvinist. These findings also helped assess whether the Historic Adventists’ charge against Ford’s theology were correct. And using theological categories I was able to identify more specifically the Historic Adventists’ theological commitments and assumptions in contrast with that of Ford. Ford’s contributions to these Adventist concerns were then highlighted with the hope that further biblical studies will help future Adventists advance their soteriological and Christological views.

Subject Area

Arminianism--Comparative studies; Calvinism--Comparative studies; Salvation--Christianity--Comparative studies; Ford, Desmond; Bruce, F. F. (Frederick Fyvie), 1910-1990

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