Description

By (author) Couenhoven, Jesse

Short /annotation:
Introduces one of Christianity”s most important and controversial doctrines. What does a doctrine of predestination actually imply? Why has it proved appealing to so many great theologians? Jesse Couenhoven explores the difficult issues connected with the Christian understanding of predestination in this clear, concise and accessible guide.

:

The concept of predestination has been an essential topic in theology and philosophy since at least the time of St. Augustine, and is notoriously among the most contentious of religious doctrines. Many people of faith have found the belief that God destines them for eternal joy a source of great comfort, but many others have found it deeply troubling. Above all, those who reject predestination have been motivated by concerns about the doctrine’s implications for human free will and divine responsibility for evil.

Couenhoven addresses these issues by taking up two important questions: “What does predestination actually imply?”, and “How have great theologians defended their doctrines of predestination?” He answers these queries by analyzing why Augustine, Anselm, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Barth found the doctrine attractive, and explaining the different ways in which they combined belief in predestination, freedom, and God’s goodness. The book concludes with a constructive chapter in which Couenhoven defends predestination as a doctrine of hope.

Table of contents:

Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Augustine on the Priority of Grace
2. Anselm’s Libertarian Alternative
3. Destiny and Freedom in Aquinas
4 Luther and Calvin’s Divine Determinism
5. Barth’s hopeful universalism
6. Predestination: A Moderate Defense
Further reading
References
Index

Review quote:
Couenhoven provides a concise and balanced assessment of the predestinarian tradition and, in the final chapter, offers his own thoughtful if tentative conclusions.

Review quote:
Couenhoven reminds us why predestination is important: not only is it part of the New Testament and the Christian tradition, but it speaks to all who believe and hope that God is in charge. Like Christ’s Cross and Resurrection, the doctrine of predestination insists that God’s grace is not defeated by sin and death. This is good news indeed—despite the difficulty in pinning down precisely how predestination should be defined! We are in Couenhoven’s debt for this wonderfully lucid and engaging introduction to a crucial aspect of the Gospel.

Review quote:
Jesse Couenhoven has written a book that really is an illuminating guide for those perplexed by the apparently interminable debate about divine predestination and human freedom. He offers deft and agile commentary on major thinkers in the Christian tradition, and provides a thoughtful (and plausible) constructive account of his own at the end of the book. This is a clear, concise, and rewarding study that should be immediately placed in the hands of all those who doubted something helpful could still be written on this vital theological topic.

Biographical note:

Jesse Couenhoven is Assistant Professor of Moral Theology in the Department of Humanities and Augustinian Traditions at Villanova University, USA.

Promotional headline:
An introduction to one of Christianity”s most controversial doctrines.

for collection:
Bloomsbury”s
Guides for the Perplexed are clear, concise and accessible introductions to thinkers, writers and subjects that students and readers can find especially challenging – or indeed downright bewildering. Concentrating specifically on what it is that makes the subject difficult to grasp, these books explain and explore key themes and ideas, guiding the reader toward