Christian Spirituality: Five Views of Sanctification

Rating:
Summary: clear up the confusion
Review: Do you realize that the terms justification and sanctification are as confusing as they sound? How many debates over these issues have molded and effected church history? Books like these can analyze such views putting them side by side. How often have people who stood behind the pulpit made an undistinguishable clatter which have left their congregations with an obscure reference on how they ought to live. I was excited to see this book and I hope that more ministers will read it and glean the truths seen in it. We live in a day where the paradigm shift from living by feeling, opinion and sentimentality have dominated our so called expostions. We declare that we want to meet the needs of our people. What is their need? To walk as Christ walked. I am tired of the old nobody's perfect, lets lower the standard chorus from soceity and the so called church. Let us be holy. What a worthy subject for study in a thoughtlessly benign era.

Rating:
Summary: Where does the Christian life start, and what does it do?
Review: This book is an excellent study, comparison, and critique of the Lutheran, Reformed, Wesleyan, Pentecostal, and Contemplative views on Sanctification. As another reviewer correctly noted, the Lutheran and Reformed views are intentionally founded on the Bible, and arrive at their conclusions from key Scriptural passages. The Wesleyan, Pentecostal, and Contemplative views though making occasional references to Scripture, are formulated based on experience and are much more subjective. Though the content of the latter three essays is of less substance, I rate the book at four stars because of the valuable information it offers on the different perspectives.

Another feature of the book which makes it all the more interesting are the responses to each of the five essays. After each view is presented, the other four authors provide their compliments as well as their critiques. It also becomes evident as one reads the book, how the Lutheran and Reformed views are very Christ-centered, while the remainder are anthropocentric. None of the essays are flawless, of course. The Lutheran essay is a little too short and doesn't cover enough ground, and the Reformed essay wrongly seeks the motivation for Christian sanctification in the 3rd use of the Law. Yet both nail the essential point of how the Christian life is lived as both saint and sinner (Romans 7).

The Wesleyan author explicitly doubts this Christian truth, which is why he is able to hold to the faulty notion of "Christian perfection", which ends up watering-down the demands of the law. The Contemplative author seeks illumination and love of God in mystic inner meditation, a dangerous practice because it seeks God elsewhere than He has promised to be found--namely in His Word and Sacraments. And the Pentecostal view makes speaking in tongues an essential criteria of sanctification, which certainly adds to what the Scriptures say.

Altogether, the essays here are valuable reading, but each must be read critically, and examined against the light of Scripture.

Rating:
Summary: 2 Biblical Views vs. 3 Unbiblical Views
Review: This book is an introduction to the various views of spirituality and sanctification within Christianity. The five views presented are Lutheran, Reformed, Wesleyan, Pentecostal, and the Contemplative. The Lutheran and Reformed views are in accord with the Bible; the Wesleyan, Pentecostal, and Contemplative views depart from the Bible. Below is an examination of the five views:

1. Lutheran (Gerhard Forde):

Very grace oriented. Sees sanctification as an art of getting used to justification (p. 13). Argues strongly and persuasively for faith alone. Forde also believes that believers are "simultaneously just and sinner" (p. 23), which is the correct view of Christian anthropology and sanctification. 5 stars.

2. Reformed (S. Ferguson):

Excellent essay and good presentation of the traditional Reformed view of sanctification. Also argues persuasively for faith alone and Christ's full imputation of His righteousness to the believer. Ferguson believes that sanctification results from the believer's personal union with Christ (after justification by faith alone). Also advocates the view that believers are simultaneously saint and sinner. However, I do disagree with his view of the Mosaic Law in relation to sanctification. 5 stars.

3. Wesleyan (Laurence Wood):

Not convincing, though gives us a standard treatment of the traditional Wesleyan view of sanctification. Quotes too heavily from Wesley and views sanctification too experientially (love being the ultimate test of sanctification). Also, Wood believes in perfectionism (contrary to 1 John 1:8) and dividing sins into intentional and unintentional categories, the latter not being classified as sin (contrary to James 2:10). Finally, Wood advocates a position between tradition Protestantism and Romanism in regards to salvation. He states: "Consequently, in the end we will be justified if through faith and obedience we have so conducted our life" (p. 38, in response to Forde). This clearly shows that Wesleyan-Arminians are compromisers of the Gospel of grace and don't deserve the title of Protestant and Evangelical. Shows the theological problems of Wesleyanism. 0 Stars.

4. Pentecostal (Russell Spittler):

Another problematic essay. Believes that "speaking in tongues" is an initial sign of salvation. Also, Spittler separates "baptism of the Spirit" with "sealing of the Spirit" (a view contrary to the Bible). Essay spends too much space comparing the views of traditional Pentecostals and modern Charismatics. Finally, Spittler views sanctification too experientially and personally at the expense of theological orthodoxy. 0 Stars.

5. Contemplative (E. Glenn Hinson):

A very mystical and almost New Age like view of sanctification. Quotes from various poems and proses from various "Christian" mystics, but hardly any Biblical references to support his claims. Sees sanctification as being closed in a room and trying to unite with God (p. 176). Almost sounds paganistic. The worst essay by far. 0 Stars.

For those wanting to know more about proper Christian spirituality, read only the essays by Forde and Ferguson. The other three lead to spiritual disaster. (5+5+0+0+0)/5=2 Stars (average rating of book).