Sonship theology, also known as Sonship teaching, is a movement within American

Presbyterianism Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

, associated with

Jack Miller Jack Miller may refer to: Military * Jack Miller (USMC officer) (1920–1942), American marine soldier * Jack Duppa-Miller (1903–1994), British recipient of the George Cross in World War II, originally called Jack Miller * USS ''Jack Miller'', ...

(1928–1996).

Meaning

Sonship theology emphasizes the Christian's

adoption Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...

as a child of God. Tullian Tchividjian notes that Miller summed up the gospel in this way: "Cheer up; you're a lot worse off than you think you are, but in Jesus you're far more loved than you could have ever imagined." Sonship theology was associated with a group of congregations within the

Orthodox Presbyterian Church The Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) is a confessional Presbyterian denomination located primarily in the United States, with additional congregations in Canada, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyteri ...

called "New Life Churches". In the 1990s, most of these congregations left the OPC to join the

Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presb ...

. Tim Keller suggests that they were "made to feel unwelcome" in the OPC, since their "

pietist Pietism (), also known as Pietistic Lutheranism, is a movement within Lutheranism that combines its emphasis on biblical doctrine with an emphasis on individual piety and living a holy Christianity, Christian life, including a social concern for ...

/ revivalist" outlook "did not fit well with the more doctrinalist cast of the OPC." Gary North argued in 1991 that these churches "have not officially departed from confessional orthodoxy," but that "their focus has not been on traditional confessional preaching and Calvinist doctrine." The theological foundation of Sonship theology has been summarized by its proponents as "

sanctification Sanctification (or in its verb form, sanctify) literally means "to set apart for special use or purpose", that is, to make holy or sacred (compare la, sanctus). Therefore, sanctification refers to the state or process of being set apart, i.e. " ...

faith Faith, derived from Latin ''fides'' and Old French ''feid'', is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or In the context of religion, one can define faith as "belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". Religious people often ...

". E. Calvin Beisner notes that this phrase "is far more commonly associated with

quietist Quietism is the name given (especially in Roman Catholic theology) to a set of contemplative practices that rose in popularity in France, Italy, and Spain during the late 1670s and 1680s, particularly associated with the writings of the Spanis ...

, Wesleyan Holiness, or Keswick thought than with

Reformed Reform is beneficial change Reform may also refer to: Media * ''Reform'' (album), a 2011 album by Jane Zhang * Reform (band), a Swedish jazz fusion group * ''Reform'' (magazine), a Christian magazine *''Reforme'' ("Reforms"), initial name of the ...

thought," but advocates of Sonship theology reject these ideas and see their approach as consistent with

Reformed theology Calvinism (also called the Reformed Tradition, Reformed Protestantism, Reformed Christianity, or simply Reformed) is a major branch of Protestantism that follows the theological tradition and forms of Christian practice set down by John Calv ...

. R. C. Sproul, Jr. notes that the movement has been criticized for being implicitly

antinomian Antinomianism (Ancient Greek: ἀντί 'anti''"against" and νόμος 'nomos''"law") is any view which rejects laws or Legalism (theology), legalism and argues against moral, religious or social norms (Latin: mores), or is at least consid ...

, for being too introspective, and for being a part of the higher life movement.

Chad Van Dixhoorn Chad B. Van Dixhoorn (born 1971), a Canadian-born theologian and historian, is the editor of the five-volume ''The Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly: 1643-1652'' published by Oxford University Press in 2012. In 2013 he was elected a F ...

argues that Sonship theology presents a distorted teaching on adoption, a truncated view of the Holy Spirit's work in

, and a confused doctrine of revival. Van Dixhoorn examines ''Sonship: Discovering Liberty in the Gospel as Sons and Daughters of God'', the course material produced by the organization which Miller founded, World Harvest Mission, now known as Serge. Van Dixhoorn concedes that "''Sonship'' has succeeded admirably in emphasizing the sovereignty of God's grace," that it "is not skittish about sinfulness and depravity," and that it stresses "the close association between faith and repentance in the life of the believer." Van Dixhoorn concludes, however, that the course would have been better if it had balanced its teaching on

Galatians Galatians may refer to: * Galatians (people) * Epistle to the Galatians, a book of the New Testament * English translation of the Greek ''Galatai'' or Latin ''Galatae'', ''Galli,'' or ''Gallograeci'' to refer to either the Galatians or the Gauls in ...

with the teaching on assurance in

1 John The First Epistle of John is the first of the Johannine epistles of the New Testament, and the fourth of the catholic epistles. There is no scholarly consensus as to the authorship of the Johannine works. The author of the First Epistle is te ...

, and if it had emphasized the " ordinary means" of grace, such as

preaching A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. El ...

and the

sacrament A sacrament is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite that is recognized as being particularly important and significant. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites. Many Christians consider the sacraments ...

s, rather than extraordinary means, such as courses or conferences, to help Christians grow.Van Dixhoorn, "The ''Sonship'' Program for Revival," pp. 243-244.

References

External links

{{wikiquote
"The Spiritual Theology of Sonship: A Sympathetic Critique"
by

Richard L. Pratt, Jr. Richard Linwood Pratt Jr. (born October 17, 1953) is an American theologian, author, and founder and President of Third Millennium Ministries. Third Millennium was launched in response to the lack of training of Christian leaders around the worl ...

The Theological History of Adoption
by Tim J. R. Trumper Salvation in Protestantism Christian theological movements Adoption and religion

Meaning

See also

References

Further reading

External links