Edwin Lewis
Encyclopedia
Edwin Lewis was an American Methodist
theologian primarily associated with Drew University
in New Jersey
.
Born in Great Britain
, Lewis traveled to Canada
as a missionary
before continuing his education in the United States
. He eventually became a professor of theology at Drew.
Lewis' early work demonstrates the influence of Boston personalism, a school of Protestant liberal theology widespread among Methodists during the first half of the 20th century, and British idealism
. His book Jesus Christ and the Human Quest is an example of his early perspective. In the book, Lewis argues that the Christian faith has its foundation in the nature of persons and personhood.
In 1929 he was named editor of the Abingdon Bible Commentary. While preparing the massive reference work, Lewis claimed to have "rediscovered the Bible" for himself. He reacted strongly to the 1931 Laymen's Missionary Report, which he believed hampered the Christian missionary effort,
in his article "The Re-thought Theology of the Re-thinking of Missions" which appeared in the Christian Century.
Growing more suspicious of the subjective theological liberalism of the day, he published A Christian Manifesto in 1934. In the book, Lewis railed against liberal theology (which he referred to as modernism), reasserting classical Christian themes such as the transcendence of God, the sinfulness of humankind
, the divinity of Christ
, and the objective work of the atonement
.
Lewis wrote: "No statement of Christian belief which does not include a supernatural reference...is a true statement."1
He followed A Christian Manifesto with A Philosophy of Christian Revelation and The Creator and the Adversary, both of which continued his reclamation of Christian orthodoxy from an Arminian perspective. Lewis argued that God triumphs over evil by outsuffering and outloving his adversary.2
Lewis' work proved influential to an entire generation of Methodist theologians, notably Carl Michalson and Albert C. Outler.
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
theologian primarily associated with Drew University
Drew University
Drew University is a private university located in Madison, New Jersey.Originally established as the Drew Theological Seminary in 1867, the university later expanded to include an undergraduate liberal arts college in 1928 and commenced a program of graduate studies in 1955...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
.
Born in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Lewis traveled to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as a missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
before continuing his education in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He eventually became a professor of theology at Drew.
Lewis' early work demonstrates the influence of Boston personalism, a school of Protestant liberal theology widespread among Methodists during the first half of the 20th century, and British idealism
Idealism
In philosophy, idealism is the family of views which assert that reality, or reality as we can know it, is fundamentally mental, mentally constructed, or otherwise immaterial. Epistemologically, idealism manifests as a skepticism about the possibility of knowing any mind-independent thing...
. His book Jesus Christ and the Human Quest is an example of his early perspective. In the book, Lewis argues that the Christian faith has its foundation in the nature of persons and personhood.
In 1929 he was named editor of the Abingdon Bible Commentary. While preparing the massive reference work, Lewis claimed to have "rediscovered the Bible" for himself. He reacted strongly to the 1931 Laymen's Missionary Report, which he believed hampered the Christian missionary effort,
in his article "The Re-thought Theology of the Re-thinking of Missions" which appeared in the Christian Century.
Growing more suspicious of the subjective theological liberalism of the day, he published A Christian Manifesto in 1934. In the book, Lewis railed against liberal theology (which he referred to as modernism), reasserting classical Christian themes such as the transcendence of God, the sinfulness of humankind
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
, the divinity of Christ
Christology
Christology is the field of study within Christian theology which is primarily concerned with the nature and person of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament. Primary considerations include the relationship of Jesus' nature and person with the nature...
, and the objective work of the atonement
Substitutionary atonement
Technically speaking, substitutionary atonement is the name given to a number of Christian models of the atonement that all regard Jesus as dying as a substitute for others, "instead of" them...
.
Lewis wrote: "No statement of Christian belief which does not include a supernatural reference...is a true statement."1
He followed A Christian Manifesto with A Philosophy of Christian Revelation and The Creator and the Adversary, both of which continued his reclamation of Christian orthodoxy from an Arminian perspective. Lewis argued that God triumphs over evil by outsuffering and outloving his adversary.2
Lewis' work proved influential to an entire generation of Methodist theologians, notably Carl Michalson and Albert C. Outler.