Comments on: NT Wright and Mennonite Theologizing

By: Robert Martin

Robert Martin — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 18:50:32 +0000

Actually, you know, I’d take it the other direction. Mennonites are more “Reformed” than we like to think we are. We spend a lot of time saying how much we are NOT like the “Reformed” church and miss how much we are actually alike in our theology and purposes.

By: folknotions

folknotions — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:22:10 +0000

Nathan,

Perhaps he isn’t Reformed in the same way that, say, the Puritans, C.H. Spurgeon, J.I. Packer, or John Piper are Reformed, but he does hold to a number of points of doctrine that are no doubt rooted in Calvin’s perspective.

Ben Witherington, Wesleyan Evangelical Professor of New Testament, would agree that Wright is Reformed:
http://blog.beliefnet.com/bibleandculture/2009/06/with-justification.html

I also apply “Reformed” to Wright to distinguish him from Anglo-Catholics and Anglican liberals. Perhaps Anglican evangelical would have been most appropriate, but I think ultimately misleading given the kind of image the word “evangelical” evokes here in the States.

By: Nathan Hobby

Nathan Hobby — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:37:56 +0000

‘Reformed’ doesn’t seem an accurate description for Wright to me. :)

By: Remy

Remy — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 20:32:25 +0000

i remember thinking similarly when i read Craig Carter’s ‘Politics of the Cross: The Theology and Social Ethics of John Howard Yoder’. esp. menno/Barth/Yoder’s strong emphasis on a partially-realised eschatology and how that relates to justification, the Church…etc. I think Wright is useful, but not very novel or radical when you think about Yoder’s ‘Politics of Jesus’ and ‘Body Politics’, where the latter articulates well the inextricable link between justification as inividual and as the basis of the (multi-ethnic and classless) new society. Wright tends to go halfway when compared to Yoder, hence his conservative views on ecclesiology and even the monarchy!

By: folknotions

folknotions — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:58:28 +0000

I’d appreciate any comments evaluating the helpfulness/validity of the comparison between the Mennonite confession and N.T. Wright’s view. Also, if you find this a helpful way of looking at it, an expansion of these views would be helpful as well.

Of course, I welcome any additional comments outside of the scope those I’ve indicated in the paragraph above (though not outside to scope of the post).