J. Rodman Williams

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J. Rodman Williams
BornAugust 21, 1918
Clyde, North Carolina
DiedOctober 18, 2008
Virginia Beach, Virginia
CitizenshipUnited States
EducationDavidson College (A.B.)

Union Theological Seminary in Virginia (B.D. and Th. M. degrees)

Columbia University (Ph.D. degree in Philosophy of Religion and Ethics)
OccupationTheologian
Known forRenewal theology, Charismatic movement

J. Rodman Williams (1918–2008), was a Presbyterian Charismatic theologian and professor of renewal theology at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is widely regarded as the father of modern renewal theology.[1]

Biography[edit]

J. Rodman Williams was born on August 21, 1918, in Clyde, North Carolina, the son of John Rodman and Odessa Medford Williams. He was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Davidson College in 1939, earned his B.D., and Th.M. degrees from Union Theological Seminary in Virginia, 1943-1944, and was ordained in the Presbyterian Church in 1943. He served during World War II in the Pacific as chaplain with the First Division of the Marine Corps (1944-1946). His Marine Corps service included the Battle of Okinawa. After the War, he earned a Ph.D. in the philosophy of religion and ethics at Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary.[2]     

Williams served as chaplain and professor of philosophy at Beloit College in Wisconsin (1949-1952), pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Rockford, IL (1952-1959), professor of theology and philosophy at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Texas (1959-1972), and President and professor of theology at Melodyland School of Theology in Anaheim, CA (1972-1982). In 1982, he joined the faculty at Regent University School of Divinity and was named Professor of Renewal Theology Emeritus upon his retirement in 2002. Dr. Williams died at his home in Virginia Beach on October 18, 2008 at the age of ninety.[2]

Theology[edit]

J. Rodman Williams meets Pope Paul VI in Rome in 1976 as part of the Catholic-Pentecostal-Charismatic Dialogue of the 1970s

Dr. Williams was active in the Charismatic movement. He served as an early president of the International Presbyterian Charismatic Communion, as a participant in Vatican-Pentecostal dialogue, and as organizer and leader of the European Charismatic Leaders Conferences. He also served as president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. He was recognized as a preeminent theologian of Pentecostal Christianity.[3]

His three-volume Renewal Theology (published 1988, 1990, 1992) was the first comprehensive examination of systematic theology written from a Charismatic-Pentecostal perspective. The book included chapters on the supernatural gifts of the Spirit and a chapter on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, arguing traditional Pentecostal interpretations, as well as  the Arminian view of the possibility of apostasy.[4]

For Williams, Renewal Theology also represented an effort to reclaim certain Biblical affirmations that had been largely neglected or given insufficient attention: "In line with the setting of this theology within the contemporary renewal, there is also a deep concern to relate relevant renewal emphases to more traditional categories. Since it is my conviction that Church tradition and theology have generally failed to treat adequately the aspect of the work of the Holy Spirit that may be called 'Pentecostal' and 'Charismatic,' Renewal Theology is an earnest attempt to bring these matters to light. Volume 2 deals particularly with this area; however, in many other places in Renewal Theology there is Pentecostal/Charismatic input.

"The concern of Renewal Theology in every area of study is truth. This is not an attempt to advance a particular cause but to understand in totality what the Christian faith proclaims. It is not only a matter of individual doctrines but also of the full round of Christian truth. With this in mind, it has been my prayerful desire that 'the Spirit of truth' at every point will lead 'into all the truth'"[3]

Published books[edit]

  • Contemporary Existentialism and Christian Faith (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1965).
  • The Era of the Spirit (Plainfield, NJ: Logos, 1971). ISBN 9780912106854
  • The Pentecostal Reality (Plainfield, NJ: Logos, 1972). ISBN 9780882700168
  • Ten Teachings (Carol Stream, IL: Creation House, 1974).
  • The Gift of the Holy Spirit Today (Plainfield, NJ: Logos, 1980).
  • Renewal Theology [three volumes in one] (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996)
  • God, the World, and Redemption (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988). Renewal Theology
  • Salvation, the Holy Spirit, and Christian Living (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990). Renewal Theology
  • The Church, The Kingdom, and Last Things (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992).

References[edit]

  1. ^ "J. Rodman Williams Passes Away - October 2008 - News & Events - School of Divinity - Regent University". web.archive.org. 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
  2. ^ a b Jumper, Mark (January 26, 2024). Presbyterian Prophet: The Life and Ministry of J. Rodman Williams. Middletown, RI: Stone Tower Press. ISBN 979-8989400812.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ a b "Regent University Theologian, Dr. J. Rodman Williams Goes Home to be with the Lord". CBN. Retrieved 2024-05-24.
  4. ^ "A Short, Partially Annotated List of Arminian Systematic Theologies - Society of Evangelical Arminians". 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2024-05-24.

External links[edit]

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