A Biblical-Theological Review of Michael Allen’s Sanctification - Part 1
Michael Allen’s Sanctification (Zondervan, 2017) caught
my attention this Spring, particularly his treatment of sanctification through
the prism of Dogmatics. After a brief characterization of the book here, this review will address one chapter per post, offering summary, affirmation,
critique, and ways to extend Allen’s material. I invite my readers' comments.
Sanctification
exhibits a laudable intersection of
biblical and systematic methodology. Its rich dogmatics develop around ten loci of Christian theology: God,
creation, covenant, incarnation, in Christ, justification and sanctification,
grace and nature, grace and responsibility, and grace and discipline. Allen ranges
the theological landscape to avoid reducing sanctification to mere exemplarism
or mere substitution (33). He demarcates what he regards as wrong readings of
this doctrine: “neonomianism, higher life, or an addition to the apparently
insufficient work of Jesus Christ,” (which one might construe as a dismissal of
Wesleyan-Arminian formulations) (22). He targets Radical Lutheran dichotomies
between law and gospel (30-33), the category of carnal Christian (39), and the
phrase ‘irresistible grace’ (244-45), to name a few.
Occasionally
he serves a dollop of sanctification with a 3-shot theological espresso, rather
than the balanced sanctification macchiato I had hoped for.[1]
Most chapters, however, were sanctification-soaked all the way through. Statements
throughout the book seemed to suggest that a chapter on sin was intended but
didn’t make it into the book.[2]
This lacuna leaves the book’s portrayal of the challenges and struggles of progressive
sanctification a bit unbalanced.
Nonetheless,
Allen argues cogently for the necessity of real and ongoing transformation by
grace through the Spirit in consequence of union with Christ. Two and three
readings of various chapters have illumined and thereby sanctified me. If my
experience is a guide, you’ll find fresh insights on well-worn topics in
virtually every chapter.
[1] Allen
himself seems to have been aware of the imbalance in chapter 8 which concludes
with, “We do well to conclude by specifying our argument into terms directly
related to our overarching theme” (224). While I’m aware that is generally
considered poor academic form to criticize an author for what he didn’t do, the
amount of space devoted to theological forays with minimal sanctification
payoff seems to warrant observing what has been omitted.
[2] “We do
well to … [give] attention to these key dogmatic foci: God, creation, covenant, sin, incarnation, …” (46). “We must
consider how the doctrines of sin and triune grace relate to our theme of human
holiness” (113). “We have considered how [Christ’s] work addresses not only the
problem of sin but also the need for glory” (128). “We have … looked to the ways
in which creation, covenant and sin shape our story” (140). Between pages 113
and 128 there is no focused engagement with the problem of sin or sin in
general. Allen’s engagement is limited to discussing sin as a twofold problem
met by God’s twofold grace.
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