tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836001125267727609.post8723508601387643209..comments2023-09-27T05:12:31.333-04:00Comments on Ancient Christian Witness: Was Jonathan Edwards a Racist?Jnormhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06749159886390240183noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836001125267727609.post-16291909366904068822008-04-05T16:30:00.000-04:002008-04-05T16:30:00.000-04:00armstrong,You raise some fair points.JNORM888armstrong,<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>You raise some fair points.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>JNORM888Jnormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06749159886390240183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836001125267727609.post-26078829422063549322008-04-03T11:10:00.000-04:002008-04-03T11:10:00.000-04:00I don't think slavery was a Calvinist or Arminian ...I don't think slavery was a Calvinist or Arminian issue. I believe it was an issue of the heart that left many slave owners and those opposed to slavery confused. When reading Edwards' works (currently reading "Charity and Its Fruits") I find it odd that he was a slaveowner. However, the reality is that he was. <BR/><BR/>I think it's also imperative that we don't take our 21st Century cultural understanding and smash it into a 17th or 18th Century setting. I'm not taking up for slaveholding at all. But, if Edwards was truly a brother in Christ, perhaps a little grace should be shown in that perhaps he was mistaken in his views on this issue.<BR/><BR/>Either way, to parallel Calvinism and slavery together isn't fair to Calvinists worldwide, especially our Calvinist brothers and sisters who exist today. <BR/><BR/>I guess we won't truly know until we get to the other side of glory ourselves whether Jonathan Edwards was a brother of ours. However, he literary works are great resources for today's Christian, regardless of soteriological position.M. A. Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14274004257832584243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836001125267727609.post-63681160049704809502008-04-02T17:22:00.000-04:002008-04-02T17:22:00.000-04:00Hey Jnorm, After our interaction I wrote a post on...Hey Jnorm, After our interaction I wrote a post on my blog on this topic. Here it is if you're interested. :)<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://seekadoo.blogspot.com/" REL="nofollow">Theology and the Slave Trade</A>Kevin Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472900037134045450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836001125267727609.post-9700005470242155382008-03-27T11:52:00.000-04:002008-03-27T11:52:00.000-04:00Thanks for correcting me about Wilberforce.I saw t...Thanks for correcting me about Wilberforce.<BR/><BR/>I saw the movie and saw that he was close to John Newton. So I assumed he was a calvinist like him.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Thanks for letting me know.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>JNORM888Jnormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06749159886390240183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836001125267727609.post-35593427059991243992008-03-27T01:50:00.000-04:002008-03-27T01:50:00.000-04:00I don't think that Wilberforce was a Calvinist. I...I don't think that Wilberforce was a Calvinist. I've read before that that he was a Wesleyan. I don't think the "predestination" issue was a priority for him though. He had bigger fish to fry. :)<BR/><BR/>Also he had close abolitionist friends that were Calvinists - Henry Thornton, and John Newton as you point out, so your point is well taken.Kevin Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472900037134045450noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836001125267727609.post-46221745450510766882008-03-26T20:57:00.000-04:002008-03-26T20:57:00.000-04:00Yeah, I didn't know either until I was told. And t...Yeah, I didn't know either until I was told. And then others confirmed it for me. But yeah, it's a big dispute in some African American communities.<BR/><BR/>You are right about George Whitfield and John Wesly.<BR/><BR/><BR/>But to be honest......there were some Calvinistic puritans of the past that were abolitionists.<BR/><BR/>William Wilberforce is one. The person who wrote "Amazing grace" is another.<BR/><BR/>I may be wrong, but I think Johnathon Edwards son was an abolitionist.<BR/><BR/><BR/>So you do have some.<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>JNORM888Jnormhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06749159886390240183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8836001125267727609.post-73997831933325154302008-03-26T01:27:00.000-04:002008-03-26T01:27:00.000-04:00Interesting, I didn't know Edwards was a slave own...Interesting, I didn't know Edwards was a slave owner.<BR/><BR/>I did some googling on George Whitfield, and he was pro-slavery also, encouraging slavery in Georgia.<BR/><BR/>Contrast them with John Wesley. He spoke out strongly against slavery, and was part of the abolitionist movement.<BR/><BR/>3 examples do not make a trend, but very interesting nonetheless. :)Kevin Jacksonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13472900037134045450noreply@blogger.com