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I bought Thiessen’s 1956 theology textbook used while an undergrad at Columbia Bible College. I find his work useful even though he takes an incompatibilist position in contrast to my compatibilist one.
A Biblical Studies Professor at
Columbia Bible College was quite dismissive of Thiessen stating, paraphrased that ‘Thiessen was a dispensationalist’.
One of my local
unofficial Doctoral, PhD advisers stated, Thiessen was basically a compiler of
information and not very original. Also dismissive.
Based on this limited
work I shall let you form your own opinion. With your limited free will and finite nature as a secondary cause of thoughts, actions and acts.
Naturalism
Wheaton professor,
Henry Clarence Thiessen (1956) explains that since naturalism holds that nature
is the whole of reality, everything that occurs is due to the laws of nature.[1] He comments Scripture recognizes the
existence of the laws of nature, but it is reasoned they do not operate
independently of God.[2] God concurs with the laws he has established,[3]
and Thiessen reasons that miracles and revelation can occur when God operates
outside of laws he established.[4]
Incompatibilism
Thiessen writes God
knows the future,[5]
and that is defined as foreknowledge.[6] He also points out that God’s prescience does
not mean God predetermined these actions.[7] Thiessen is noting that human acts within
God’s prescient foreknowledge are still significantly free.[8]
Leibniz
has a different view than Thiessen,[9] that is deterministic and
reasons that foreknowledge has to do with God’s determined will and is not
dependent on free human actions.[10] This predetermination should not be
understood as by necessity eliminating all human choice.[11] Erickson takes a reasonable compatibilistic
position and writes God with foreknowledge sees many possibilities and
influences that will be present, and then acts accordingly to his will.[12]
Thiessen from an incompatibilist position writes
that God does not want to create automaton type beings with no choice in
whether or not they would glorify God.[13] For Thiessen, humanity can only truly glorify
God by choosing to do so while still having the opportunity to choose not to
glorify God in disobedience.[14] This concept appears on the surface to be
primarily in line with noted incompatibilism and free will approaches almost
verbatim.[15]
On
Scripture
Thiessen dismisses the idea of a dictation theory
of Scriptural inspiration, as the writers of Scripture were not persons that
merely had divine information dictated to them.[16] The writers of Scripture were not ‘mere
secretaries’ that wrote words dictated to them by the Holy Spirit.[17] It can
therefore be reasoned it is not the Holy Spirit’s grammar being used.[18] The distinctive style of Biblical
writers based on the study of original languages makes the dictation theory
quite unlikely.[19] The concept of Biblical inspiration, with
the Holy Spirit serving as guidance for the Biblical writer, seems both
orthodox and reasonable.[20] The Biblical authors had full use of their
intellect and used their own grammar, but were guided to write God’s word
without error and omission.[21] The Holy Spirit guided the thoughts of
Biblical writers.[22]
Shedd names this basic theory of Biblical inspiration as ‘plenary inspiration’
meaning writers were moved by the Holy Spirit in respect to thought and
language and were kept from error.[23]
Modern
theology needs to correctly discern what the Spirit is stating through the
Bible and this needs to be done through proper research techniques.
ERICKSON, MILLARD (1994) Christian Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker
Book House.
ERICKSON, MILLARD (2003) What Does God Know and When Does He Know
It? Grand Rapids, Zondervan.
GEISLER, NORMAN L. (1975) Philosophy of Religion, Grand Rapids,
Zondervan Publishing House.
GEISLER, NORMAN L. (1978) The Roots of Evil, Grand Rapids,
Zondervan Publishing House.
GEISLER, NORMAN L. (1986) Predestination and Free Will, Downers
Grove, Illinois, InterVarsity Press.
GEISLER, NORMAN L. (1996)
‘Freedom, Free Will, and Determinism’, in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical Dictionary of Theology,
Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
GEISLER, NORMAN, L (1999) ‘The
Problem of Evil’, in Baker Encyclopedia
of Apologetics, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
LEIBNIZ, G.W. (1710)(1998) Theodicy, Translated by E.M. Huggard
Chicago, Open Court Classics.
LINDSELL, HAROLD (1976) The Battle for the Bible, Grand Rapids,
Zondervan Publishing House.
PACKER, J.I. (1996)
‘Regeneration’ in Walter A. Elwell (ed.), Evangelical
Dictionary of Theology, Grand Rapids, Baker Books.
PACKER, J.I. (1973) Knowing God, Downers Grove, Illinois,
InterVarsity Press.
SHEDD, WILLIAM G.T.
(1874-1890)(1980) Dogmatic Theology, Volume 1, Nashville, Thomas Nelson
Publishers.
SHEDD, WILLIAM G.T.
(1874-1890)(1980) Dogmatic Theology, Volume 2, Nashville, Thomas Nelson
Publishers.
THIESSEN,
HENRY C. (1956) Introductory Lectures in
Systematic Theology, Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
[2] Thiessen (1956: 186).
[4] Thiessen (1956: 186).
[6] Thiessen (1956: 125).
[7] Thiessen (1956: 126).
[8] Thiessen (1956: 126).
[11] Leibniz (1710)(1998: 147).
[12] Erickson (1994: 360).
[13] Thiessen (1956: 248).
[14] Thiessen (1956: 248).
[15] Geisler (1986: 76-77).
[21] Thiessen (1956:
106). The Scripture was presented
accurately via inspiration, states Erickson.
Erickson (1994: 199). J.I. Packer
reasons God and Christ sent the Holy Spirit to teach his people the truth and
to save them from error. Packer (1973:
61).
