P T Forsyth

"Here is a no-nonsense theologian who goes for the jugular. In Forsyth's company we are aware of both the glory and the gravity of what we are doing when we go to our knees in prayer." -Eugene H. Peterson P. T. Forsyth is sometimes described as an English pre-cursor to Karl Barth. He was born in 1848 to a Scottish family of humble origins and later in life attended Aberdeen University, where he graduated with first-class honours in classical literature in 1869. In 1876 he was ordained and called to minister in Shipley, Yorkshire. In his early ministry in the Congregational Church, Forsyth fought orthodoxy and sought for the right to rethink Christian theology and pursue liberal thought. In 1878, however, Forsyth experienced a conversion from, in his own words, "being a Christian to being a believer, from a lover of love to an object of grace." A profound awareness of pastoral responsibility was awakened which radically altered the the course of his ministry. His conversion thrust him from the leadership of liberalism to a recovery of the theology of grace. Quickly, he became one of the better-known figures in British Nonconformity. In 1894, he received a call to Emmanuel College in Cambridge, where he preached his famous sermon, "Holy Father" in 1896. In 1901, he accepted a position as principal of Hackney Theological College, London where he remained until he died in 1921. Over his lifetime Forsyth published 25 books and more than 260 articles. He is often credited with recovering for his generation the reality and true dimensions of the grace of God.

The Work of Christ, by Scottish minister and Biblical scholar P. T. Forsyth, explains the character and deeds of the Lord Jesus, and how they affect Christian beliefs and life philosophy. Adapted from a series of lectures the author delivered to gatherings of young and newly-ordained ministers, this book is an engaging and competent example of Biblical scholarship. Well-received by his audience, the author was encouraged to publish these thoughts in a book; their central pillar - that Christ's life and works pierce to the heart of theological study - remains a poignant reflection upon the New Testament. The qualities of a good Christian are found to be intricately related to what Jesus said during his famous sermons and teachings. Qualities of self-sacrifice, spiritual reflection, and atoning for our sins are discussed. The author also discusses Christ's philosophical words on the subject of reconciliation; why the principles of reconcile can blossom into a way of life. Latterly, the author examines the Christian cross and its symbolism, before embarking on a discussion of the challenges and problems facing the modern-day Christian. For the author, reconciling belief in God and Jesus Christ with elements of philosophy, and recognizing the gravity of the Savior's words and martyrdom, is crucial for all believers in the present time.

This book is a unique look at the Scottish theologian Peter Taylor Forsyth (1848-1921). Forsyth was an important theologian whose significance has been increasingly realized in the years since his death. He wrote a number of books and articles that focused on central aspects of the Christian gospel and their meaning for the church and the faith of church members in their daily lives. Each of the eighty-four devotions in this book takes a short theological quotation from Forsyth and explores its meaning and its significance for Christian living today--both for the church and for individual Christians. Here is spiritual wisdom that can help foster a stronger theological understanding and a more vital Christian life.

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ÒIt is sometimes said that the great question of the hour for the Church's belief is Christological; it is the question of Christ's person. That is true. But it is the question of the cross all the same.Ó (p16)Written over seventy years ago, P.T. Forsyth's ÒCruciality of the CrossÒ continues to provide an excellent and vital foundation for an understanding of the Christian doctrine of the atonement.

This book turns on the centrality of a real atonement for the Christian revelation of moral redemption and public regeneration. The grace of God in Christ's cross is not a forensic device, but the moral focus of the universe - if all center in the conscience, and morality is the nature of things. By a real atonement Forsyth means not ÒshownÓ but ÒdoneÓ on the cross, as the consummation of Christ's holy personality and its work. Forsyth does not aim here at expounding that atonement, but at working our some of its moral implications and results on the public and national side - a side on which a Christianity based only on Christ's teaching has been criticized as defective.

The theodicy of the remarkable Scottish Congregationalist theologian Peter Taylor Forsyth has long been recognized as a vital and significant contribution to twentieth-century theology. Up until now, however, there has not been a substantial full-length treatment of Forsyth's work on the problem of evil. The Theodicy of Peter Taylor Forsyth fills this lacuna by setting out, in a fairly systematic and comprehensive manner, Forsyth's justification of God in the face of evil. In so doing, it also illuminates several other related areas of his thought, such as his epistemology and Christology, as well as his understanding of sin, the atonement, providence, divine passibility, human origins, and the God-world relationship. Bringing Forsyth's approach to the subject into conversation with other prominent thinkers like Leibniz, Dostoyevsky, Camus, Moltmann, Hick, Bauckham, and Fiddes, this book also suggests ways in which Forsyth's justification of God contributes to the current state of Christian theodicy. It highlights Forsyth's ability to integrate insights from different approaches, even those that have hitherto generally been considered diametrically opposed notions. Forsyth's theodicy therefore presents an integrative approach to the topic, with every theme flowing from and returning to a clear center: the cross of Christ. As the book also makes clear, Forsyth considers theodicy to be an immensely practical discipline, with significant implications for human life. In every sense, therefore, it constitutesa "crucial" justification of the ways of God to humanity.