The Possibility and Role of Supererogation in Evangelical Ethics
Ebook
"Supererogation" is an awkward term but a useful concept. While not a term that we use every day, the concept is very familiar to most of us. It is an act that is neither obligatory nor forbidden and that possesses moral worth. While Roman Catholics and a large number of moral philosophers affirm the possibility and value of such acts, Evangelicals from the time of the Reformation have rejected them. Yet, this is to their detriment. Relying on Gregory Mellema's insight that acts of supererogation are possible without compromising the orthodox Evangelical doctrine of justification, I argue that there is clear evidence for supererogation in the New Testament and that performing such deeds with a proper motive is essential in an Evangelical account of supererogation. It is my hope that Evangelicals will reconsider the possibility of supererogation and embrace the concept as a useful tool in counseling contexts, biblical interpretation, and homiletics.
“B. J. Condrey’s new book contests the scholarly consensus that supererogation has a place in Roman Catholicism but not in Protestantism. It deserves careful study by theologians, ethicists, and pastors.”
—David Grumett, University of Edinburgh
“Although the category of supererogation has been viewed with suspicion in Reformed theological ethics, B. J. Condrey suggests ways in which it might be usefully appropriated. In a clear and scholarly analysis of a neglected subject, he points to ways in which a constructive account of the supererogatory can serve practical ends without infringing key Reformed tenets.”
—David Fergusson, University of Cambridge
“B. J. Condrey’s book makes a powerful and impressively wide-ranging case for the importance of the category of supererogatory action for evangelical ethics. The discussion is philosophically rigorous, imaginative, duly attentive to evangelical and other theological traditions, and it beautifully displays the role that can be played by the idea of supererogation within the Christian life, conceived in biblical terms.”
—Mark Wynn, University of Oxford
“B. J. Condrey’s book is impressive in every regard, especially in the depth of research that has gone into it. It is well written, nicely organized, and Condrey is unfailingly fair to those who hold opposing views. He combines a knowledge of philosophy with a knowledge of theology and biblical interpretation that is rare among contemporary scholars.”
—Gregory Mellema, Calvin University, emeritus
- Title: The Possibility and Role of Supererogation in Evangelical Ethics
- Author: B. J. Condrey
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781666712216, 9781666712193, 1666712191, 9781666712209, 1666712205, 1666712213
- Resource ID: LLS:9781666712216
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-02T07:40:14Z
B. J. Condrey has a BA in both psychology and philosophy, an MA in philosophy, and a PhD in ethics and practical theology from the University of Edinburgh. He is the faculty chair of the Bible Department at Enlightium Academy and teaches philosophy, ethics, and logic at various colleges. In his spare time, he enjoys writing, biking, fly fishing, board games, disc golf, and spending time with family and friends.