Book Quote by Oliver D. Crisp
![“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] 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.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Saving Calvinism by Oliver D. Crisp, 2022
The author urges examining internal doctrines rather than expanding external boundaries.
In simple terms: Look inside the tradition before changing it.
Key Takeaway
Study core beliefs before redefining them.
Themes
theology
tradition
self‑examination
Mood
thoughtful
inquisitive
Type
theological
analytical
When to use this quote
- church leadership
- seminary studies
- personal faith reflection
Key Concepts
confessionalism
doctrinal analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- What core belief within your tradition needs re‑evaluation?
- How does internal critique strengthen community?
![“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)
![“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)
![“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)
![“[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)
![“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)
![“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)
![“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)
![“[John] Calvin is revered as a thinker of immense importance in Reformed thought, Jonathan Edwards could say in his preface to his treatise on Freedom of the Will that he had derived none of his views from the work of Calvin, though he was willing to be called a "Calvinist" for the sake of…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/79f/oliver-d-crisp-12863_conventions_john-calvin-is-revered-as-a-thinker-of-i_1850444.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)
