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Norman Shepherd

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
American theologian (born 1933)
Not to be confused withNorman Shepard.

Norman Shepherd (born 1933) is an American theologian who served as associate professor ofsystematic theology atWestminster Theological Seminary from 1963 to 1981. He later served for almost two decades as a minister in theChristian Reformed Church in North America.

Early life and education

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Norman Shepherd received his undergraduate degree fromWestminster College, and went on to earn his B.D. and Th.M. fromWestminster Theological Seminary.[1][2] He began doctoral studies at theFree University of Amsterdam but failed to complete his PhD due to his teaching course load at Westminster.[2]

Career

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Shepherd began teaching at Westminster Theological Seminary in 1963, and continued there until 1981. He pastored churches in the Christian Reformed Church in North America from 1983 until his retirement in 1998.[1]

Controversial views

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Shepherd had a number of views that were criticized as being contrary to theWestminster Standards, and this led him to be dismissed from his post at Westminster.[3] First and foremost, Shepherd was found to have taught students in the classroom that Justification was by the twofold instrument of faith and good works.[4] This directly contradicted one of the two foundational principles of the Protestant Reformation—and a doctrine that is considered by Protestants to be the heart of the Gospel—that Justification is by faith alone orSola Fide.[5] It also violated Shepherd's pledge not to teach anything that contradicted the doctrinal standards of the seminary. In the seven-year dispute within the seminary community, which ultimately culminated in Shepherd's dismissal, Shepherd backed away from explicitly saying that faith and works were co-instrumental in Justification, but, despite changes in terminology, maintained the substance of his teaching on Justification.[6][7]

Shepherd argued thatevangelism should be carried out withcovenant in mind rather thanelection, which will lead the evangelist to say to people, "Christ died to save you." This was criticized as being a denial oflimited atonement.[8] Shepherd spoke of Christians beingjustified by "obedient faith," a phrase that was criticized as denyingjustification by faith alone.[9] Shepherd also taught that a person may "pass from an elect and justified status to a non-elect and non-justified status."[10] In other words, he taught that a person could lose his or her salvation. This contradicted the Reformed teaching of the eternal security of the believer and the doctrine of theperseverance of the saints, articulated in theSynod of Dort.

On May 4, 1976, the faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary requested that Shepherd produce a written statement detailing his view ofthe doctrine of justificationsola fide, due to concerns that his teaching on the subject might be out of accord with theWestminster Standards.[11] The controversy over Shepherd's views gradually spread from the seminary to the broaderReformed theological community. Shepherd was repeatedly exonerated by the faculty and board of trustees during their investigation of his views.[12] On November 21, 1981, the board of trustees dismissed Shepherd from his teaching post, expressing a desire to distance the seminary from the intensity and longevity of the controversy.[13]

Jelle Faber, Principal of theCanadian Reformed Theological Seminary, compared Shepherd's dismissal to that ofKlaas Schilder, and noted that Shepherd was in agreement withFrancis Turretin.[14] Faber also wrote at the time that Westminster had "lost an eminent Reformed dogmatician."[15]

However,Martyn Lloyd-Jones, referring to Shepherd's teaching on Justification, commented, "to teach this to students is tragically wrong."[16]William Hendriksen said, "As I see it, we must choose between Shepherd's view and that of Paul...What Shepherd offers looks like a kind of compromise between Catholicism and Protestantism, a compromise that will never satisfy either party...as I personally see it, his view should not be allowed to be taught at Westminster Seminary."[17]

Shepherd's views were also controversial in theOrthodox Presbyterian Church, the denomination in which he was a minister. Shepherd left the OPC in 1983 and became a minister in theChristian Reformed Church in North America,[18] serving congregations in Minnesota and Illinois until his retirement in 1998.[19]

Legacy

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In 2001, Shepherd published a book,The Call of Grace: How the Covenant Illuminates Salvation and Evangelism, which contained the substance of the teachings that led to his dismissal from Westminster Theological Seminary.[20]

In 2012, aFestschrift was published in his honor.Obedient Faith: A Festschrift for Norman Shepherd included contributions fromJames B. Jordan,Peter Leithart,Andrew Sandlin, andRich Lusk.

References

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  1. ^abSandlin, P. Andrew; Barach, John, eds. (2012).Obedient Faith: A Festschrift for Norman Shepherd. Mount Hermon, California: Kerygma Press.
  2. ^abSkilton, John H. (November 1963)."The Lord Our Help: Westminster's New Testament Department"(PDF).The Presbyterian Guardian. Philadelphia, PA. RetrievedSeptember 25, 2024.
  3. ^Guy Prentiss Waters, "The Theology of Norman Shepherd: A Study in Development, 1963-2006," inThe Hope Fulfilled: Essays in Honor of O. Palmer Robertson, pp. 225-226.
  4. ^O. Palmer Robertson, "The Current Justification Controversy," pp. 14-15.
  5. ^Matthew Barrett, "2 Essential Doctrines of the Reformation,"https://www.crossway.org/articles/2-essential-doctrines-of-the-reformation/.
  6. ^Karlberg, Mark (2001).The Changing of the Guard: Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. The Trinity Foundation. p. 32-33.ISBN 978-0940931589.
  7. ^Karlberg, Mark (April 2001). "Review of The Call of Grace: How the Covenant Illuminates Salvation and Evangelism".Trinity Journal.22 (1): 131.
  8. ^Waters, "Theology of Norman Shepherd," p. 218.
  9. ^Waters, "Theology of Norman Shepherd," p. 222.
  10. ^Minority Report to the Board of Trustees of Westminster Theological Seminary, May 13, 1980.
  11. ^Hewitson, Ian (2011).Trust and Obey: Norman Shepherd and the Justification Controversy at Westminster Theological Seminary. Minneapolis, MN: NextStep Resources. p. 40.ISBN 978-0-9118-0283-2.
  12. ^Hewitson,Trust and Obey, p. 19.
  13. ^Hewitson,Trust and Obey, pp. 90-92.
  14. ^Jelle Faber,Shepherd's Concept of the Covenant.
  15. ^Jelle Faber,Shepherd's Dismissal from Westminster Seminary.
  16. ^ Minority Report to the Board of Trustees of Westminster Theological Seminary, May 13, 1980.
  17. ^ Minority Report to the Board of Trustees of Westminster Theological Seminary, May 13, 1980.
  18. ^David VanDrunen,Justification by Faith In the Theology of Norman Shepherd.
  19. ^"Norman Shepherd".CRC Yearbook and Online Data. Christian Reformed Church. RetrievedSeptember 4, 2024.
  20. ^Karlberg, Mark (2001).The Changing of the Guard: Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. The Trinity Foundation. p. 6.ISBN 978-0940931589.

Further reading

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