Biography:J. Rodman Williams
J. Rodman Williams (1918–2008), regarded as the father of modern renewal theology, was a Presbyterian charismatic theologian and professor of renewal theology at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[1]
Born on August 21, 1918, in Clyde, North Carolina, Williams earned an AB (1939) from Davidson College, a BD (1943) and ThM (1944) from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, and a PhD in philosophy of religion and ethics at Union Theological Seminary in New York, taking time in between to serve as a chaplain in the United States Marine Corps (1944-1946).[2] He was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in the United States in 1943[3] and served as a pastor for several years before becoming a full-time educator. From 1959-1972, he served as professor of systematic theology at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.[2] As a key figure in the burgeoning charismatic movement of the 1960s, he was president of the International Presbyterian Charismatic Communion, and later a participant in the International Roman Catholic–Pentecostal Dialogue. In 1972, he became the founding president of the Melodyland School of Theology in Anaheim, California , and in 1985 he served as president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies.[4] He joined the faculty of Regent University in the mid-1980s and holds the title of Emeritus Professor of Renewal Theology.
Important works include the three-volume systematic theology entitled Renewal Theology (1988–92, published as a single volume in 1996), the first complete systematic theology written from a charismatic perspective. It included chapters on the supernatural gifts of the Spirit and a chapter on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, arguing for the traditional Pentecostal interpretation. He argues also for the Arminian view of the possibility of apostasy.[5]
Published books
- Contemporary Existentialism and Christian Faith (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1965).
- The Era of the Spirit (Plainfield, NJ: Logos, 1971). ISBN:9780912106854
- The Pentecostal Reality (Plainfield, NJ: Logos, 1972). ISBN:9780882700168
- Ten Teachings (Carol Stream, IL: Creation House, 1974).
- The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today (Plainfield, NJ: Logos, 1980).
- Renewal Theology [three volumes in one] (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996)
- God, the World, and Redemption (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988). Renewal Theology
- Salvation, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Living (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990). Renewal Theology
- The Church, The Kingdom, and Last Things (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).
References
Citations
- ↑ "Regent University J. Rodman Williams". http://www.regent.edu/acad/schdiv/newsandevents/williams-j-rodman-obituary.shtml.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Burgess, Stanley M. (1993). "J. Rodman Williams". in Walter A. Elwell. Handbook of Evangelical Theologians. Grand Rapids: Baker. ISBN 0801032121. https://archive.org/details/handbookofevange0000unse.
- ↑ Wilson 1994, p. 203.
- ↑ Wilson 1994, p. 204.
- ↑ Abasciano 2014.
Sources
- Abasciano, Brian (2014). "A Short, Partially Annotated List of Arminian Systematic Theologies" (in en). Society of Evangelical Arminians. http://evangelicalarminians.org/a-short-partially-annotated-list-of-arminian-systematic-theologies/.
- Wilson, Mark W., ed (1994). Spirit and Renewal: Essays in Honor of J. Rodman Williams. Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press. ISBN 1850754713.
External links
- Burgess, Stanley M. & Eduard M. van der Maas (editors), The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, (Revised edition, Zondervan: 2003)
- Williams, J. Rodman, Renewal Theology: Systematic Theology from a Charismatic Perspective, (Zondervan: 1996)
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