Bruce McCormack
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Bruce Lindley McCormack (born 1952) is Charles Hodge Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology at
Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...
. His work focuses on the history of modern theology. McCormack has proposed that
Karl Barth Karl Barth (; ; – ) was a Swiss Calvinist theologian. Barth is best known for his commentary '' The Epistle to the Romans'', his involvement in the Confessing Church, including his authorship (except for a single phrase) of the Barmen Declara ...
's view of Scripture has been misinterpreted, and has proposed a "Neo-Barthian" interpretation.


Background and career

After graduating from
Point Loma Nazarene University Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) is a private Christian liberal arts college with its main campus on the Point Loma oceanfront in San Diego, California, United States. It was founded in 1902 as a Bible college by the Church of the Nazarene. ...
and earned the bachelor degree in economic/business administration and religion in 1976, McCormack began his journey of theological education in the
Covenant Theological Seminary Covenant Theological Seminary, informally called Covenant Seminary, is the denominational seminary of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). Located in Creve Coeur, Missouri, it trains people to work as leaders in church positions and elsewher ...
(
Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
) in the late 1970s. In 1978, he transferred his studies to his original denominational seminary,
Nazarene Theological Seminary Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) is a Nazarene seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. The seminary was established by the Eleventh General Assembly in June 1944 and started its first school year in 1945 with 61 students. It moved to its current ...
and earned his M.Div. degree there in 1980. He recalled being moved from a
Wesleyan-Arminian Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charles W ...
perspective to a
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 ...
one in
Nazarene Theological Seminary Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS) is a Nazarene seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. The seminary was established by the Eleventh General Assembly in June 1944 and started its first school year in 1945 with 61 students. It moved to its current ...
after he was disappointed by
John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...
’s doctrine of
prevenient grace Prevenient grace (or preceding grace or enabling grace) is a Christian theological concept that refers to the grace of God in a person's life which precedes and prepares to conversion. It was termed and developed by Augustine of Hippo (354 – 4 ...
. In 1980, he got married with Mary Schmidt McCormack who is now serving as the director of women’s ministries in Stone Hill Church of Princeton. He received his Ph.D. from
Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...
in 1989. He was awarded the international Karl Barth Prize by the Board of the Evangelical Church of the Union in Germany in 1998. This was given to his publication ''Karl Barth’s Critically Realistic Dialectical Theology'' (1995), in which a paradigm shift of reading Barth was proposed in the studies of Karl Barth. He also holds an honorary doctorate of theology awarded by the Friedrich-Schiller University of Jena in Germany in 2004.


Teachings

McCormack served as the Lecturer in Reformed Theology in the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
from 1987-1991. He later returned to his alma mater,
Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly of ...
and took the role of Weyerhaeuser Associate Professor of Systematic Theology from 1991-1998, and became the Weyerhaeuser Professor of Systematic Theology starting from 1998 onwards. Since 2009, McCormack served as the Charles Hodge Professor of Systematic Theology until now. He was also invited to be the speaker of The T.F. Torrance Lectures (2008, titled “The Humility of the Eternal Son: A Reformed Version of Kenotic Christology”) in the
University of St. Andrews (Aien aristeuein) , motto_lang = grc , mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best , established = , type = Public research university Ancient university , endowment ...
, The
Croall Lectures The Croall Lectures are a lecture series in Christian theology given in Edinburgh, and founded in 1876. The Lectures were endowed by John Croall of Southfield, who died in 1871. Lecturers *1876 John Tulloch *1878–79 John Caird, ''Philosophy o ...
(2011, titled “Abandoned by God: The Death of Christ in Systematic, Historical, and Exegetical Perspective”) in the
University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...
, and The Kenneth Kantzer Lectures (2011, titled “The God Who Graciously Elects: Seven Lectures on the Doctrine of God”) in the
Trinity Evangelical Divinity School Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) is an academic divinity school founded in 1897 and located in the northern Chicago suburb of Deerfield, Illinois. It is part of and located on the main campus of Trinity International University. It’s ...
.


Works


Books

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Articles and chapters

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References

Princeton Theological Seminary faculty 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians American Calvinist and Reformed theologians 1952 births Living people {{calvinism-stub