Across the Spectrum Quotes

“Genesis 1 is not exceptional. Though it may strike modern historically minded people as odd, biblical authors frequently emphasized thematic unity over historical exactitude. For example, it is a well-known fact that some Gospel authors grouped Jesus’ sayings and deeds by theme rather than by the order in which they occurred historically. As a result, the order of events in the Gospels differs considerably, just as the order of events in Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 differs significantly. This would be of concern only if the authors intended to provide an exact account of how things happened historically. If their concern was more thematic, as we suggest, then the contradictions are inconsequential. Supporting”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“teaching is not for a teacher simply to persuade students of his or her own perspective. Rather, the goal is to broaden students’ minds by helping them empathetically understand a variety of perspectives while training them to think critically for themselves.”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“How can anyone refute another person’s personal experience? The answer is, by appealing to the Word of God. The Bible itself teaches that if an experience is not consistent with God’s Word, we must reject it, regardless of how impressive the experience may seem (Gal. 1:8). Demons are capable of mimicking authentic spiritual experiences and masquerading as angels of light. Even on its own, the fallen mind is capable of deceiving itself and imagining things.”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“They believe the canon of Scripture is closed and that it alone is the final authority for what Christians are to believe and how they are to live as kingdom people. New doctrines cannot be revealed through prophetic words, and no prophetic words of direction, guidance, or edification belong on the same level as Scripture. Paul taught that Christians are not to “despise prophecy,” but neither are they to uncritically accept it. Rather, they are to test it and hold fast to that which is good (1 Thess. 5:20–21).”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“Today, evangelical Christians can be roughly divided into three distinct groups. First, there are those who believe that the charismatic gifts ceased as soon as the New Testament was completed and disseminated to all the churches. Cessationists thus conclude that everything that passes as a charismatic experience today is in fact misguided emotionalism, at best, or demonic deception, at worst. On the other extreme are the Pentecostal, charismatic, and third wave Christians who believe that the charismatic gifts are for today and thus should be pursued and practiced. In”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“The Reformers rediscovered the biblical truth that a believer’s relationship with God is rooted in Christ’s sacrificial death alone, based on faith alone, and informed by Scripture alone. Neither meritorious works nor rituals nor ecclesiastical authority are to define a believer’s relationship with God. Neither Luther nor Calvin, however, fully developed these newly rediscovered truths. Both tried in different ways to retain a commonality with the traditional Catholic view of communion. A truly Reformed view of Christ’s presence associates it only with the faith of the believer. This gracious presence is not funneled through the church, priests, or rituals. Responding”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“First, evangelicals cannot appeal to church tradition to settle an issue. The affirmation of sola scriptura means that Scripture is the sole authority on matters of faith and practice. Christians should not easily set aside traditional perspectives, but they can and must do so if traditional views disagree with Scripture. Second,”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“God wants everyone to be saved. He takes no delight in the destruction of any soul, however wicked (Ezek. 18:32; 33:11). From”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“What happens to those who never hear about Jesus Christ? Many theologians today categorize the three common ways of approaching this issue as follows: 1. exclusivism. This view holds that Jesus is the only Savior for all humanity and that it is not possible to attain salvation apart from explicit knowledge of him. Thus, Jesus is both ontologically (see ontology) and epistemologically necessary for salvation (people must know him and know that they know him). 2. inclusivism. This view maintains that Jesus is the only Savior for all humanity but that it is possible to attain salvation apart from explicit knowledge of him. One can be saved by expressing faith in God based on the general knowledge of him that is available to everyone. Thus, Jesus is ontologically but not epistemologically necessary for salvation (people must know him but not necessarily know that they know him). 3. pluralism. This view holds that Jesus is only one of many saviors available in the world’s religions. Thus, Jesus is neither ontologically nor epistemologically necessary for salvation. The last solution to this question—pluralism—has been universally rejected by evangelical Christians. While there are a number of distinct models of pluralism, all of its forms hold that Jesus is only one of many possible saviors. Thus, pluralists claim that all the great world religions offer viable paths to salvation in their own right. This perspective must disregard or explain away the clear proclamation in the New Testament that Jesus is the single and indispensable Savior of humanity. Pluralism also leads to the denial of such basic Christian dogmas as the deity of Christ, the Trinity of God, and atonement by the death and resurrection of Jesus. For these and other reasons, evangelicals have never regarded pluralism as a viable option. When it comes to answering the question of the destiny of the unevangelized, evangelicals find various forms of exclusivism and inclusivism to be the most plausible and biblically faithful solution. In fact, at least four views on this matter have emerged among evangelicals. The first three are types of exclusivism, since they each in various ways affirm that a person must know and believe in the name of Jesus to be saved. These three views are known as restrictivism, universal opportunity, and postmortem evangelism. The final perspective is a form of inclusivism, for it maintains that although Jesus is the necessary means of salvation, someone does not need to know this fact to be saved by Christ. The”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“Consider an analogy. When people get married, they know they may divorce their spouse in the future if they choose to. At the same time, they do not enter into the marriage with a fear that the marriage will dissolve. They know that it is up to them to enter into the marriage and, if they so choose, to dissolve the marriage. But for just this reason the conditional nature of marriage does not make them insecure. Of course, if the stability of a marriage were rooted in factors outside their control, they would indeed have cause to worry. As it stands, however, it is conditioned on their own will. Hence, there are no grounds for insecurity. The same thing is true of salvation. It is conditioned on nothing other than the will of the person. Finally,”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“Scripture presents sanctification within a relational context, that is, the living of a life of love toward God and one’s neighbor. Paul admonishes, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law” (Rom. 13:8). Jesus likewise summarized the law as “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). The heart of sanctification is not first doing but first being—being a person whose life is dominated and guided by the love of God. As”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“2. Faith and pride. If people think that sanctification adds anything to their justification, there is room for them to become spiritually prideful. At the very least, they can begin to congratulate themselves that they are less in need of God’s sheer grace than they once were and no doubt less in need than other believers now are.”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“When New Testament authors stress that salvation is not arrived at by works, as first-century Jews, these authors are referring to works of the law. They are saying that God’s righteousness does not come by external obedience to the law, as some Jews of their day supposed.”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“How do we reconcile the fact that Jesus was fully God with the fact that Jesus was fully human? It is an issue that has been discussed in Christian circles throughout the church’s history. All Christians believe that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. This doctrinal belief was formalized with the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451 and became one of the central beliefs of Christianity.”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20–23) Sin isolates people from God and from other people. It thereby destroys the essence of humanity, our imago Dei. Jesus came to restore this divine image by breaking down the walls that separate us from God and each other. Indeed, he is the paradigmatic “image of God” precisely because, unlike fallen humanity, he exemplifies a perfect love for God the Father and a perfect love for others.”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“These observations strongly support the understanding that “us” refers to God in his Triune nature, and therefore, that the imago Dei refers to our relationality. Like God, we are created to live life as an “us,” not just as an “I.” But”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“Many contend that “us” refers to God and the angels. This interpretation, though ancient, seems unlikely on two accounts. First, if the author intended readers to understand that angels were included in the “us” of Genesis 1:26, one would expect some previous allusion to angels in the creation account. Angels are never mentioned. Indeed, the suggestion that angels have a role in creation breaks the pattern of this chapter, which repeatedly emphasizes that God alone is the Creator of the world. Second,”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“This understanding of God provides the key to understanding what the Bible means when it declares that humans are made “in the image of God.” The imago Dei means that humans, like God, are essentially beings who exist in relationship. We are created to exist in relationship with God and with each other. To the extent that we live in isolation from God and from each other, we are not fully human. The”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“The teaching that the imago Dei is about exercising authority is disclosed elsewhere in Scripture. For example, in Psalm 8:4–6 we read: What are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet. The supreme dignity of human beings is that they, like God, exercise authority over creation. This teaching is applied in a more particular fashion when Scripture refers to certain individuals who are given authority over others as God’s “sons.”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“Here the Lord says, “Let us make man in our image.” Some argue that the “us” in this passage refers to the Trinity, but it is unlikely that the Old Testament author, traditionally identified as Moses, had the Trinity in mind. The revelation that God is Triune was not clearly revealed until the New Testament. It is therefore wrong to apply this New Testament understanding to an Old Testament text. (See anachronistic.) The most ancient and most probable interpretation is that the Lord was speaking to angels. This tells us that the imago Dei is something we share in common with the angels and gives us our first hint as to what the concept means. Throughout”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“We miss the full force of the imago Dei concept if we simply identify it with various ways humans are distinct from animals (e.g., reason, morality, love). The biblical concept instructs us as to how we are like God, not just how we are different from animals. To discover the meaning of the imago Dei, we must pay close attention to the way Scripture speaks about it. The”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“Throughout the biblical narrative what sets humans apart from all animals is that humans alone possess a soul and therefore live eternally, reason, have moral capabilities, and can love. Unlike humans, nowhere are animals offered eternal life (John 3:15), commanded to think (Luke 10:27), held morally accountable (Ezek. 33:18–19), or commanded to love (John 15:17).”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“Opponents of this view often point out that it is not rooted in an exegesis of Genesis 1:26–28, the central biblical text that discusses the imago Dei. Indeed, it is frequently argued that the view that the imago Dei refers to the soul is more influenced by Greek philosophy than by Scripture. More specifically, it is argued that the traditional emphasis on reason as one of the hallmarks of the imago Dei is a distinctly Hellenistic, not Hebraic, notion.”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“According to the substantival view, all people are of infinite worth, regardless of their natural or acquired abilities or disabilities, simply because they possess a soul. It may be that certain persons cannot or do not exercise the capacities of their soul. Their intrinsic value, however, is rooted in the fact that they possess a soul, whether or not its capacities are exercised. Responding”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“third understanding of the imago Dei also gained popularity in the twentieth century, though it too had historical predecessors. In the early part of the twentieth century, Karl Barth argued that the central defining feature of the imago Dei is human relationality. Hence, this view is called the relational view of the imago Dei. Humans are created in the image of the Triune God and thus are meant to find their essence and destiny in community with one another and with God The following three essays offer arguments in favor of each of these views.”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“A different understanding of the imago Dei gained popularity in the twentieth century, though it had predecessors in earlier church history. This view locates the imago Dei in the commission of God for humans to “have dominion” over the earth. This view is sometimes referred to as the functional view of the imago Dei, for it locates the essence of our divine image in what we as humans are called to do. As God is the loving Lord of the entire cosmos, humans are called to be the loving lords of the entire earth. A”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“Many have emphasized that our ability to reason is the distinguishing mark of the soul. Others have argued that our ability to communicate sets us apart. Still others have stressed that our ability to love or to sense God or to make moral judgments manifests our imago Dei. Many theologians have concluded that all of these features manifest the soul. In each case, however, the divine image is located in the soul of humans. St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and John Calvin are classic representatives of this perspective. A”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“Finally, some agree with Christians that humans are created in the image of God, but by this they mean something very different from what Christians mean. For example, when Mormons affirm that humans are created in the image of God, they usually mean that God has a human form. Indeed, they believe that humans who follow God’s will on earth will someday become gods themselves and beget children in their own image on their own planet. Few Christians throughout history have given any credence to the notion that the divine image refers to the body. While Christians have always agreed that humans are made in the imago Dei, and while this sets them apart from naturalistic evolutionists, New Age theorists, and postmodern relativists, they have not always agreed on what this imago Dei refers to. Amid the variety of opinions expressed throughout history, three have at various times been popular. The”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“An increasing number of people in Western culture are being influenced by Eastern forms of thought. This influx of Eastern and ancient pagan forms of thought is often referred to as the New Age movement. In a variety of ways, members of this movement affirm that humans are intrinsically divine. Some go so far as to suggest that we are manifestations of God, or the One divine reality that encompasses all things (pantheism). Many others today believe that no final answer can be given to questions such as, What makes a human being human? In their view, we can only express what various individuals or various cultures believe about humans. The “truth” of what makes a human being human is relative, depending on one’s perspective. People who embrace this position are often labeled postmodernists and/or postmodern relativists. (See postmodernism and relativism.) Finally,”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology

“What makes a human being human? When does a human being become a person? When does a human being cease to be a person? What is the significance of being human? Is there an inherent value with inherent rights that go along with being human? These”
― Gregory A. Boyd, Across the Spectrum: Understanding Issues in Evangelical Theology