Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Cranmer's Curate: Collect Presupposes Penal Substition

http://cranmercurate.blogspot.com/2012/03/collect-presupposing-penal-substitution.html

Sunday, 18 March 2012

COLLECT PRESUPPOSING PENAL SUBSTITUTION


Is one's theory of the atonement influenced by one's psychological profile? That it tends to be was the claim Cranmer's Curate heard at a recent theological lecture here in Sheffield.

So if one is prone to low self-esteem and guilt feelings, then one leans towards the penal subsitutionary view, the idea that Christ's death on the Cross propitiated the wrath of God that would otherwise fall on guilty sinners.

If one is an activist with a sense of social duty, then one leans towards the exemplary view of the atonement, the idea that Christ exemplified self-sacrificial love by his death.

If one is an optimistic triumphalist type, then one leans towards the Christus Victor view as the dominant theory of atonement, the idea that Christ's death decisively defeated the forces of evil.

Given that Anglicanism holds Holy Scripture to be the supreme authority, then communicant Anglicans have a moral obligation to adjust their personality type to the truth that God has revealed rather than foisting their psychological profile on the atonement.

Which leaves communicants with a choice in relation to the Book of Common Prayer. Because the Prayer Book breathes the doctrine of penal substitutionary atonement, either one must see its perspective as a reflection of Thomas Cranmer's psychological profile or one must decide that it is faithfully biblical.

Whilst the BCP holds that Christ did set an example in his death (see its Collect for the Sunday Next Before Easter) and also holds that he did defeat the forces of evil (a victory the BCP attaches more to his resurrection - see for example the Collect for Easter Day), the perspective in its Holy Communion service is that atonement is centrally about the fact that Christ's propitiatory sacrifice on the Cross has satisfied the just judgement of God upon sin.

Blogging off until after Easter, Cranmer's Curate leaves the youth group with the BCP Collect for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, a prayer that presupposes penal substitution. It presents the reality of the divine wrath that the Lord Jesus averted from us by his propitiatory death:

Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

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