T&T Clark Handbook of Election - (T&t Clark Handbooks) by Edwin Chr Van Driel

Book Synopsis

Offering not only state-of-the-art introductions from Biblical, historical, and constructive theologians, this volume also fosters an inter-disciplinary and cross-confessional conversation, reclaiming the idea of election as a central notion for any retelling of the biblical narrative.

Several essays explore the variety of ways in which election is spoken about in the Scripture, drawing on research from the last twenty years that offers a more sophisticated framework than the traditionally theological categories of "elect" and "reject". The historical part of the volume covers new analyses of Medieval and post-Reformation Catholic and Protestant debates on predestination, while the book's constructive part contributes to contemporary conversations on the relationship between Trinity, Christology, and election, the development of a post-supersessionist understanding of Israel's chosenness, as well as voices from contextual struggles in South America, Palestine, and South Africa.

Review Quotes

Election is how God chooses: What could be more theological, more revealing, more interesting than this?
Eugene F. Rogers, Jr., University of North Carolina at Greensboro, USA

The concept of divine election has often been dismissed in the modern world as inappropriate or meaningless. Nonetheless, it is integral to many core issues in the Bible and Christian theology, not least the character of divine grace, the relationship between community and individual, and the nature of the relationship between Christians and Jews. The wide-ranging essays in this important collection are eloquent testimony to the rediscovery of election for the vitality of theology.
R.W.L. (Walter) Moberly, Durham University, UK

This is a wide-ranging collection of essays from contributors representing a variety of perspectives. It offers a distillation of some of the most significant biblical and historical scholarship on election, and opens up many avenues for further constructive work and debate. This will be a valuable volume for anyone interested in pursuing the many complex questions raised by various approaches to the doctrine of election.
Suzanne McDonald, Western Theological Seminary, USA

About the Author

Edwin Chr. van Driel is the Directors' Bicentennial Professor of Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary, USA.