An American Augustinian: Sin and Salvation in the Dogmatic Theology of William G. T. Shedd

by Oliver D. Crisp

William G. T. Shedd has been hailed as one of America's most important dogmatic theologians. Yet until now there has been no systematic study of his work. In this volume, two central themes in his theology are explored with particular emphasis upon the philosophical issues Shedd's work raises and his significance as a dialogue partner for contemporary theologians.

198 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Oliver D. Crisp (PhD, University of London, DLitt, University of Aberdeen) is professor of analytic theology at the University of St. Andrews. He is the author of several books, including Analyzing Doctrine: Toward a Systematic Theology, Saving Calvinism: Expanding the Reformed Tradition, Jonathan Edwards Among The Theologians, and The Word Enfleshed: Exploring the Person and Work of Christ. He is a founding editor of the Journal of Analytic Theology, and co-organizes the annual Los Angeles Theology Conference with Fred Sanders.

Reviews

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the title appears to limit the book’s scope, this treatise is nothing less than a masterpiece in explaining key loci in Reformed theology. Oliver Crisp outlines how William G.T. Shedd’s “Augustinian Realism” shapes his theology--and he makes us love Augustine even more in the process. Augustinian realism, in whatever variety, is the claim there is a real metaphysical connection between Adam and his descendants.

For Shedd (and Augustine) human souls are not created individually by divine fiat, but are propagated from one generation to another (Crisp 17). We were all seminally in Adam, or at least in some unformed lump of human nature. This unique position allows Shedd to affirm the imputation of original sin without falling prey to the charges of injustice on God’s part. Because all of humanity is somehow present in Adam at the moment of his first sin, the original sin can be applied to all of his posterity with no legal fiction.

Difficulties with Shedd:
*Are souls fissiparous? This is the only objection to Shedd that has any weight. Simple substances like souls just aren’t divisible.
**Crisp argues that Shedd must hold that Christ’s unpersonalized human nature must exist prior to the Incarnation. Maybe, though it’s not clear on the mode of that nature’s existence. That’s not a problem. The problem is that this nature must be tainted by sin when the Word assumes it.

Conclusion
Notwithstanding some of Shedd's difficulties, he was a fine theologian and a skillful prose writer. Crisp treats us with a good model in analytic theology.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book by the prolific Oliver Crisp on some themes related to loci of sin and salvation as treated in the thought of American philosopher theologian, W.G.T. Shedd. Since Shedd is one of my favorite "older" theologians and Crisp is one of my favorite "newer" theologians, I had high hopes for this work. For the most part, I was not disappointed. Crisp discusses Shedd's Traducianism (souls are in some way transmitted via procreation rather than specially created by God—or something else), his Augustinian realism (dealing with our relationship with Adam and how it could be that we all suffer from original sin; this view is contrasted with another view called 'federalism'), two chapters on Shedd's views on Christ (especially interesting are is views on the impeccability of Christ as understood in light of his Traducianism, and his ingenious way of answering this problem), and then three chapters on sin and the atonement (which included many excellent and helpful insights, but Crisp did seem, at least in this book, to be unaware of the distinction between moral responsibility and moral culpability. Some probably do conflate the two, but it clutters the situation). In any event, excellent book by an excellent contemporary theologian on an excellent theologian of church history.

[Armando Maese Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book about a year ago, before diving into Shedd's Dogmatic Theology, but I don't think much of the material really sank in until now rereading it after finishing Dogmatic Theology.

Oliver Crisp's main thesis is that the 'dogmatic theme' and organizing principle of Shedd's theology, mainly in his Dogmatic Theology, is Augustinian realism. This theme can be traced through the various loci of theology. Crisp focuses specifically on Shedd's thought in the areas of theological anthropology-hamartiology, Christology, and soteriology. He interacts with Shedd's ideas and arguments, sometimes agreeing and other times positing possible counter-arguments or defenses. Some of his critiques surprised me, and others I had already anticipated. The biggest one, which I did anticipate, is Shedd's neglect to follow the logic of Augustinian realism in the area of soteriology. Another, which I had not anticipated, is that Shedd's argument that Augustinian realism requires traducianism is not as airtight as Shedd believes it to be.

I do think that Crisp 'gets' Shedd, for the most part. (For that matter, persons who are averse to Augustinian realism, Latin Trinitarianism, philosophical idealism, or Reformed Orthodoxy may very well not 'get' or 'like' Shedd.) Some of Shedd's thought went against the grain of the 'latter Calvinism' of his day, and Crisp really highlights this. I also think that Crisp truly understands what the goal of systematic and dogmatic theology is. That is, to present a coherent body of divinity. Of course, Shedd has his fair share of shortcomings. Crisp aptly points some of them out, but in all he believes that the Christian will only be edified in working through Shedd's thought. Doing so has certainly forced me to reexamine old positions and adopt some new ones.

Favorite quotes:
"[I]f Calvinists had remained consistent with their own tradition, that is with the elder Calvinists and Augustinians more generally, they would have avoided speaking of the imputation of Adam's sin in terms of representation, expressing themselves in the language of Augustinian realism instead" (161-162).
"Soteriology runs back to theology [i.e. the doctrine of God], and theology runs back to anthropology. Everything in the series finally recurs to the state and condition of fallen man" (223 [DT: 747]).