Jacobus Arminius Stands His Ground

On October 30, 1608, Jacobus Arminius presented his Declaration of Sentiments to the Assembly of the States of Holland and West Friesland in the Binnenhof at The Hague. First, Arminius sought to defend himself and his theological views from the spirited attacks of opponents such as Gomarus, Lubbertus, and Plancius. Second, Arminius hoped to bring to light the wrongdoings of the European church and its extremist understanding of certain Christian doctrines. Having trained in Geneva under Jean Calvin's successor, Theodore Beza (1519-1605), and having further expanded and honed his theology at the University of Leyden from both lectern and the pulpit, Arminius thoroughly presented his theological views in both oral and written form. He spoke in his native Dutch language to an assembly of his peers and religious authorities with the hopes of avoiding a theological rift in Holland--while at the same time hoping to remove a long-standing conflict with the Supralapsarian faction warring against him. Thus, Arminius' Declaration of Sentiments is a sophisticated, passionate appeal to reason, scripture, and community. With each section, Arminius seeks not only to demonstrate the error of the attacks on him, but also to point out how and why reconciliation can take place through a careful examination of various precepts of Christian thought.Little did I know, all those years ago, when John Knox encountered Jacob Arminius in my Church History II course, that John would go on to an investigation like this one, in which he redeems Arminius from the extreme 'Arminianism' with which that misunderstood reformer is often maligned. This is a gracious, balanced presentation. And I humbly and with pleasure confess that with this work John Knox has mentored his mentor.--Daniel L. Brunner, Portland Seminary, George Fox UniversityRegardless of your theological bent, you will profit from these thoughtful essays on Arminius. Dr. Knox seeks neither to condemn nor defend this pivotal theologian. Rather, he invites us to join him in listening to the heart of this humble follower of Christ. My appreciation for this controversial sixteenth century scholar has forever changed.--Mark M. Goodwin, retired pastor, Church of the NazareneJohn S. Knox is an Associate Professor with Liberty University's School of Behavioral Sciences and School of Divinity in Lynchburg, Virginia. He has taught Bible, history, and sociology for nearly two decades at several Christian universities in the United States. He lives in Virginia with his wife, Brenda, and their two sons, Jacob and Joseph. He is the author of The Letter of Alon (2013), Sacro-Egoism (Wipf & Stock, 2016), John Wesley's 52 Standard Sermons (Wipf & Stock, 2017), God in the Details (2017), and A Lexicon of Sociological Terms and Theorists (2018)..