I’m excited to make you aware of a new theological resource book. It deals with faith and regeneration. Dr. Bob Kerrey is a seasoned pastor and an experienced exegete, and has provided the church with a wonderful resource.
I’m sure you will enjoy the following.
FOREWORD
For centuries, theologians have wrangled over precisely what the Bible teaches about the role of the Holy Spirit in drawing people to faith in Christ. At issue is just what is the meaning of John 6:44: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” Since the time of the Reformation, theologians have posited different “logical orders,” (ordo salutis), for repentance, faith, regeneration, conversion, justification, sanctification, etc. At the heart of this debate is whether faith precedes regeneration or whether regeneration precedes faith.
The debate breaks down roughly along the lines of a Calvinist (Reformed) view vs. an Arminian (non-Calvinist) view, with most Calvinists asserting regeneration precedes faith and all non-Calvinists, including Arminians, asserting faith precedes regeneration. Then there are issues as to the meaning of “precedes” in these debates. Are we talking about temporal order, logical order, or both?
Additionally, informing how one approaches this topic are the anthropological and hamartiological questions swirling
around the nature and description of human depravity brought about by Adam’s sin. Does the theological notion of “total depravity” include or exclude human ability to respond to the gospel offer? Is regeneration a purely monergistic act or synergistic in nature? Do humans possess some form of libertarian freedom or not? What is the nature of saving faith?
Kerrey’s work is groundbreaking in that he deftly navigates the choppy theological waters and proffers something of a via media for our consideration. Methodologically, Kerrey engages in an exegesis of all the key texts impinging on the question. He lists and discusses all the arguments in favor of the two major positions and then seeks to construct from Scripture a better alternative that best harmonizes all the biblical data.
The topic could not be more important. This work is a significant advance in the seeming stalemate between competing views. Kudos to Dr. Kerrey for forging a well-constructed, biblical path forward.
Dr. David L. Allen
Dean of the School of Preaching
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
PREFACE
This is a book about a question: how does God draw people to believe in Jesus? When I began my research, I confess I didn’t know the answer. Oh, I had some ideas, but they felt fuzzy, flimsy, and frustrating. I had a bunch of related questions circling beneath the one big question. In coming to faith in Jesus, what is God’s part and what is our part? Does God make us believe? Do we have a choice in the matter? And if we do have a choice, is that taking anything away from God? Am I a “moderate Calvinist” as I have described myself before? And what does that term really mean anyway?
So, this book is not so much about me having an axe to grind; it is more a record of my own journey to find a better answer for myself. If this contributes in some small way to scholarship or to someone else’s understanding of the issues, so much the better.
Just before this book went to press, I asked some friends and colleagues to proofread it. I deliberately chose a diverse group of readers I thought might have a good eye, some with formal theological training, others with little or none. One of them never got past the introduction and gave up. In his apology to me, he writes: “I cannot explain why I am struggling so much with the content, but I suspect it is because I have always resisted getting caught up in these types of theological debates so I have never understood them or their importance. Now, I truly find it exhausting just to try to sort through it and understand it.”
I don’t blame him. It can be exhausting. In the process of doing this research and writing this book, more than once I asked myself, “Is this really worth it? Does it matter?”
As Christians, we all have certain opinions about how God draws people to believe, whether we’ve thought through them or not. I now realize more fully these opinions shape our view of some of the most important things in life: God, Scripture, salvation, evangelism, assurance, and our very nature as responders to God. Having endured the pain of sorting through and trying to understand all this, I can say with greater personal conviction than ever, it matters.
I owe so much to so many I’m bound to leave out someone in giving thanks. Hands down, first thanks goes to Fred Chay. As my encouraging advisor, Fred put the idea in my head that my doctoral dissertation could turn into something read by more than six people. As my benevolent taskmaster and promoter, Fred pushed and peppered me with good questions and suggestions on research and writing, and he introduced my work to important people who didn’t know me from Adam.
Many thanks go also to David Allen. I had never met David before, but grew to admire his work in doing my research. I decided to shoot for the moon and ask him to serve as a reader for my dissertation. He agreed. What’s more, he hosted my oral defense, provided valuable feedback on my work, and wrote the foreword to this book.
In addition, I’m very grateful to Earl Radmacher and Kem Oberholtzer for being my mentors during my formative years in seminary. They instilled in me a love for Scripture and a healthy fear to interpret it with care and integrity.
I also want to thank Charlie Bing and Joseph Dillow for reviewing and endorsing this book. That they would lend their time and their name to a relative unknown is a humbling testimony to their grace toward me.
Dr. Bob Kerrey
Read more about this book here. You can order your copy from Amazon.
Serving Him with you until He comes for us,
Fred Chay, PhD
Managing Editor, Grace Theology Press
