Atonement Quote by Oliver D. Crisp
![“Sometimes we can lose the wood for the trees. Some specific issues dealt with in the book [Saving Calvinism]: the scope of election (who is saved?); the nature of the atonement (do we have to hold to penal substitution if we're Reformed?); the scope of the atonement (for whom did Christ die?)…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/74c/oliver-d-crisp-12863_atonement_sometimes-we-can-lose-the-wood-for-the-t_1996596.jpg)
“Sometimes we can lose the wood for the trees. Some specific issues dealt with in the book [Saving Calvinism]: the scope of election (who is saved?); the nature of the atonement (do we have to hold to penal substitution if we're Reformed?); the scope of the atonement (for whom did Christ die?); whether we have to hold to some sort of theological determinism (God ordains all that comes to pass).”
About This Quote
Source Book: Saving Calvinism by Oliver D. Crisp, 2022
It highlights complex theological debates about election, atonement, and determinism within Reformed thought.
In simple terms: Discusses hard theological issues.
Key Takeaway
Explore doctrinal nuances.
Themes
theology
church doctrine
determinism
election
atonement
Mood
analytical
inquisitive
Type
theoretical
educational
When to use this quote
- seminar discussions
- personal study
- faith formation
Key Concepts
Calvinism
reformed theology
systematic theology
Questions to Reflect On
- What evidence supports each view?
- How does belief affect daily living?
A Different Perspective
Debates can cause division; certainty may be elusive.
![“In the chapter on the nature of the atonement [in the book saving Calvinism] I argue that it is a mistake to think that penal substitution is the only option on the doctrine of atonement.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5fe/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_in-the-chapter-on-the-nature-of-the-aton_377313.jpg)
![“The atonement chapter [from the book Saving Calvinism] shows how there are real riches in Reformed theology that most Christians today have no idea about.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/13b/oliver-d-crisp-12863_atonement_the-atonement-chapter-from-the-book-savi_1441682.jpg)
![“The book [Saving Calvinism] itself is not recommending that we move the borders, so to speak. It is recommending that we look at what lies within the confessional bounds of Reformed thought.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e7b/oliver-d-crisp-12863_book_the-book-saving-calvinism-itself-is-not_1612566.jpg)
![“The book [Saving Calvinism] argues in each case that the Reformed tradition is broader and deeper than we might think at first glance - not that there are people on the margins of the tradition saying crazy things we should pay attention to, but rather that there are resources within the…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/8c0/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_the-book-saving-calvinism-argues-in-each_1428357.jpg)
![“The expansion I have in mind isn't the same as distortion. Of course, there are those who say their views represent Reformed thought, but what they end up with is a caricature of what Reformed thinking is really about. I hope I am not one of those people, but readers [of the Saving Calvinism] will…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c33/oliver-d-crisp-12863_calvinism_the-expansion-i-have-in-mind-isn-t-the-s_1930588.jpg)
![“In many ways the book [Saving Calvinism] is trying to argue for a more popular audience things I've said in some more scholarly works, namely, that the Reformed tradition is broader and more variegated than is often reported today, and that we need to recapture something of this in order that we…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2c8/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_in-many-ways-the-book-saving-calvinism-i_2593601.jpg)
![“[Jonathan] Edwards definitely shows up in the book [Saving Calvinism]. He appears as one of the interlocutors in the chapter on free will, the other being the Southern Presbyterian theologian John Girardeau.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/37e/oliver-d-crisp-12863_book_jonathan-edwards-definitely-shows-up-in_710749.jpg)
![“[ Jonathan] Edwards is the person who really made theological determinism a serious option for Reformed thinkers, and the influence his views had in nineteenth century Reformed thought, in the USA and the UK in particular, is enormous.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ae4/oliver-d-crisp-12863_century_jonathan-edwards-is-the-person-who-reall_2794909.jpg)
![“There is the view I call penal non-substitution, or the penal example view. (It is also called the Governmental View in textbooks of theology.) This is often associated with Arminian theology stemming from the great Dutch jurist Hugo Grotius. However, the view was taken up by [Jonathan] Edwards's…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0f0/oliver-d-crisp-12863_disciple_there-is-the-view-i-call-penal-non-subst_2083716.jpg)
![“[John Calvin's] treatment of the person and work of Christ, of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, of prayer and liturgy, of the sacraments, and of the way in which we have an in-built sense of the divine that we suppress to our great sorrow - these are all immense contributions to…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4ef/oliver-d-crisp-12863_believer_john-calvin-s-treatment-of-the-person-an_62415.jpg)
![“What I am trying to argue here [Save Calvinism] and in other works before this one is that the Reformed tradition as I have characterized it is much broader and richer than many of us today imagine. It is not just about "Five Points," and it was never just about [John ] Calvin's thought.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2cb/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_what-i-am-trying-to-argue-here-save-calv_134263.jpg)
![“[John Calvin] writes clearly, directly, without artifice, and gets straight to the practical heart of the matter.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/872/oliver-d-crisp-12863_artifice_john-calvin-writes-clearly-directly-with_309224.jpg)
![“Reading [John] Calvin is a breath of fresh air.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg)
![“To my mind [ Jonathan Edwards] is an interesting figure because he is both a canonical Reformed thinker, and yet also someone that pushed the envelope in a number of key areas of theology.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/45c/oliver-d-crisp-12863_areas_to-my-mind-jonathan-edwards-is-an-intere_588690.jpg)
