Theological Pluralism in Evangelical Christianity Today
Theological pluralism within evangelical Christianity today encompasses a range of perspectives, particularly concerning fundamental doctrines such as the nature of Christ, humanity, and salvation. This diversity often stems from differing philosophical underpinnings and interpretive approaches to scripture [1, 3].
One significant area of pluralism concerns Christology, the doctrine of Christ's person and work. Historically, orthodox theology has affirmed Christ as possessing two distinct natures—divine and human—united in one person [4]. However, some modern theological perspectives, particularly those influenced by German speculative thought, have challenged this traditional understanding. Charles Hodge notes that some theologians, following figures like Hegel, interpret what the Bible teaches about Christ not as true of an individual, but of humanity as a whole [2]. This approach can lead to a view where the divine-human life is not uniquely embodied in Christ but is a potential or actual state for all humanity, reaching its completion through identification with the divine [7]. Such views can be categorized as either pantheistic, where God and humanity are essentially one, or theistic, but with a modified understanding of Christ's unique personhood [1, 3].
These modern views often attempt to reconcile the concept of the "oneness of Deity and humanity" [5]. Hodge observes that German mystics in the Middle Ages explored this idea through feeling, while modern philosophy has approached it through speculation [5]. The problem for these theologians becomes how to articulate this essential oneness in a way that is compatible with theism and the Gospel [5]. The resulting theological frameworks can significantly alter traditional understandings of anthropology, soteriology, and ecclesiology [1]. For instance, if the divine-human life is not exclusively Christ's but is communicated to the Church as his essence or substance, it changes the understanding of how salvation is received and the nature of the Church itself [7].
The influence of modern philosophy extends beyond Christology, impacting doctrines related to the origin and present state of humanity, and the means by which individuals partake in salvation [6]. This has led to a "revolution in theology" where traditional Christian doctrines are reinterpreted through new philosophical lenses [6]. Hodge identifies three main classes of these new theological forms: avowedly pantheistic yet claiming to be Christian, theistic but denying the Trinity, and those that attempt to fit theology into philosophical frameworks [1]. These diverse approaches demonstrate a significant pluralism in how evangelical theologians understand and articulate core Christian beliefs.
In contrast to these pluralistic tendencies, traditional systematic theology, as exemplified by figures like Aquinas, emphasizes specific definitions for core doctrines. For instance, Aquinas, in his Summa Theologica, addresses the plurality of persons in God, defining "person" in God as a relation subsisting in the divine nature, and affirming multiple real relations in God, thus leading to the conclusion of several persons in God [8]. Such precise definitions stand in tension with the more fluid and philosophically driven interpretations that characterize some aspects of modern theological pluralism. The challenge for contemporary evangelicalism lies in navigating these diverse interpretations while maintaining fidelity to historical Christian orthodoxy [9].
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 5: believers. The forms of this new theology are very diversified. They are all perhaps comprehended under three classes: first, those which are avowedly pantheistic, although claiming to be Christian; secondly, those which are Theistic but do not admit the doctrine of the Trinity; and thirdly, those which endeavour to bring theology as a philosophy into the forms of Christian doctrine. In all, however, the anthropology, christology, soteriology, and ecclesiology advocated, are so changed as to render it impossible to retain in their exhibiti”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 85: Ages. 357 357 Dr. Ullman, Essay in the Studien und Kritiken for 1846. Hegel says that what the Bible teaches of Christ is not true of an individual, but only of mankind as a whole; and Hegel’s Christological ideas, Dr. John Nevin of Mercersburg, says, “are very significant and full of instruction.” 358 358 Mercersburg Review, January, 1851, pp. 58, 61, 73. Review of Liebner’s Christology, by Rev. John W. Nevin, D. D., Professor of Theology in the Seminary of the German Reformed Church. The objection that these principles are pantheistical”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 113: the man Christ Jesus, but in the Church. The Modern Views. In the present period of the Church’s history, this mystical theory of the person and work of Christ is probably more prevalent than ever before. The whole school of German speculative theologians, with their followers in England and America, are on this ground. Of these theologians there are, as remarked above, two classes, the pantheistic and the theistic. According to the former, the nature of man at first was an imperfect manifestation of the absolute Being, and in the develo”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 85: § 9 . Modern Forms of the Doctrine. Dorner, in the first edition of his work on the “Person of Christ,” says that the Lutheran theology carried the attempt to preserve the unity of Christ’s person, on the Church assumption that He possessed two distinct natures, to the utmost extreme. If that attempt be a failure, nothing more remains. He holds it to be a failure not only because it involves the impossible assumption of a transfer of attributes without a change of substance, but also because it is one-sided. It refuses to admit of the com”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 5: Nevin, D. D. Philadelphia, 1846. says that the German mystics in the Middle Ages taught “the oneness of Deity and humanity.” The results reached by the mystics under the guidance of feeling, he says, modern philosophy has reached by speculation. This doctrine of the essential oneness of God and man, the speculative theologians adopt as the fundamental idea of Christianity. To work out that idea in a manner compatible with Theism and the Gospel, is the problem which those theologians have attempted to solve. These attempts have resulted, in”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 70: § 17. Modern Views concerning the Lord’s Supper. The modern philosophy has introduced certain principles as to the nature of God and his relation to the world, and as to the nature of man and his relation to God, which when applied to Christian doctrines have produced a revolution in theology. It has already been shown that the principles of this philosophy in their application to the origin and present state of man, to the person and work of Christ, and to the way in which men are made partakers of his salvation, have introduced a method”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 28: is communicated to us is not his merit, nor his Spirit, but his essence, his substance, his life. There is no dualism between the soul and body. They are one life. The soul externalizes itself in the body, they are 201 one. So there is no dualism in Christ; not a divine and human substance; not a divine and human life; but one life which is simply and purely human and yet divine; for God and man are one; and humanity reaches its completion only when thus identified with the divine. This divine-human life passes over from Christ to the Chu”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part (Prima Pars), The Plurality of Persons in God, Art. 1: Article: Whether there are several persons in God? I answer that, It follows from what precedes that there are several persons in God. For it was shown above (Question [29], Article [4]) that this word "person" signifies in God a relation as subsisting in the divine nature. It was also established (Question [28], Article [1]) that there are several real relations in God; and hence it follows that there are also several realities subsistent in the divine nature; which means that there are several person”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3, section 65: or Protestant, High Church or Low Church, Evangelical or Ritual, can find support in this treatise. If the clear headed Bishop Ellicott has a clew through this labyrinth, he would do well to impart it to the public. The great characteristic of a large and representative class of the earned theologians of the Church of England during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, was that they derived their theology from the Bible through the medium of the Fathers. Whereas the theologians of the Continent drew their doctrines immediately from t”