Augustus Hopkins Strong and the Struggle to Reconcile Christian Theology with Modern Thought

2021·0.97 MB·English

by  Aloisi, John, author

Augustus Hopkins Strong and
the Struggle to Reconcile Christian
Theology with Modern Thought

Augustus Hopkins Strong
and the Struggle to Reconcile
Christian Theology with
Modern Thought
•
John Aloisi
Copyright © 2021 by John Aloisi
CC BY-ND
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First published 2021
University of Rochester Press
668 Mt. Hope Avenue, Rochester, NY 14620, USA
www.urpress.com
and Boydell & Brewer Limited
PO Box 9, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP12 3DF, UK
www.boydellandbrewer.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-64825-022-4 (paperback)
ISBN-13: 978-1-80010-267-5 (ePUB)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Aloisi, John, author.
Title: Augustus Hopkins Strong and the struggle to reconcile Christian theology
with modern thought / John Aloisi.
Description: Rochester, NY, USA : University of Rochester Press, 2021. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020056159 | ISBN 9781648250224 (paperback)
Subjects: LCSH: Strong, Augustus Hopkins, 1836–1921. | Baptists—Doctrines—
History. | Philosophy and religion. | Theology. | Monism.
Classification: LCC BX6495.S7985 A75 2021 | DDC 230/.6092—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020056159
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CONTENTS
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1
The Making and Ministry of a Theologian 5
Chapter 2
Philosophical Background of Ethical Monism 32
Chapter 3
Ethical Monism as Both a Conclusion and a Starting Point for Theology 46
Chapter 4
Ethical Monism and Its Impact on Other Areas of Strong’s Theology 72
Chapter 5
Contemporary Responses and the Legacy of Strong’s Ethical Monism 92
Conclusion 110
Notes 115
Bibliography 143

Acknowledgments
Unlike financial debts, one’s academic and familial debts can never be fully re-
paid. Nevertheless, I wish to express my thankfulness to a number of people who
have supported and encouraged me in various ways while I completed this book.
When I began my doctoral studies in 2006, my wife, Marcia, and I moved
to Louisville, Kentucky, with two children in tow. As I came to the end of the
doctoral program, our family had grown to include six children. Somewhat co-
incidentally, like Augustus and Harriet Strong, at that point we had been blessed
with four girls and two boys. As this book has come to completion, we now have
eight. Thankfully, I have a very patient and supportive wife! Thank you, Marcia,
for consistently encouraging me to keep moving forward, and thank you for
reading countless papers and even this longer work with genuine interest and
helpful insight.
Many others have also provided support along the way. David Doran and the
board of Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary have generously ensured that I
had the necessary time and resources to complete this project. My colleagues
at DBTS have encouraged me at many points over the past several years. Mark
Snoeberger, especially, took time out of his busy schedule to read an earlier ver-
sion of the manuscript and provided many helpful comments. Matt Gass, An-
drea Miller Studdard, and Ryan Meyer of DBTS, along with the interlibrary
loan staff of James P. Boyce Library at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary,
have tracked down scores of articles and books for me and have done so with
cheerfulness and efficiency.
Tom Nettles was one of the early readers of the manuscript, and over the
years he has been a joy to work with. His graciousness has been an example to
me, and I consider his scholarship a model to follow. I could not have asked for
a better mentor.
John Aloisi
Allen Park, Michigan
ix