Predestination--the idea that God foreordains one's eternal destiny--is one of the most fascinating and controversial doctrines in Christianity. In this groundbreaking history, the first of its kind, Peter Thuesen shows that far from being only about the age-old riddle of divine sovereignty versus human free will, the debate over predestination is inseparable from other central Christian beliefs and practices--the efficacy of the sacraments, the existence of purgatory and hell, the extent of God's providential involvement in human affairs--and has fueled theological conflicts across denominations for centuries. Thuesen reexamines not only familiar predestinarians such as the New England Puritans and many later Baptists and Presbyterians, but also non-Calvinists such as Catholics and Lutherans, and shows how even contemporary megachurches preach a "purpose-driven" outlook that owes much to the doctrine of predestination. For anyone wanting a fuller understanding of religion in America, Predestination offers both historical context on a doctrine that reaches back 1,600 years and a fresh perspective on today's denominational landscape.

About the Author
Peter J. Thuesen is Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. He is author of In Discordance with the Scriptures: American Protestant Battles over Translating the Bible (OUP, 1999) and editor of The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 26, Catalogues of Books.

Reviews
Theology still matters in American religious history, and I cannot think of a book that makes that case more effectively than Peter Thuesen's subtle, learned account of predestination's fate (pun intended) in American history. * Thomas S. Kidd, Journal of Church History 2011 *
fascinating * Ava Chamberlain. Journal of the American Academy of Religion *
I began to read and was so drawn into the subject that it was difficult to put the bookdown...Whatever your theological background or country of origin, you will be informed and helped to view the issues from a fresh perspective. * Philip H. Eveson. Now *
In a ground-breaking historical work... Thuesen considers predestination and its inseparable links to other questions of Christian belief, including the exsistance of purgatory and hell and the extent of Gods's providential involvement in human affairs. * News Letter (Northern Ireland) *


Awards
Winner of Christianity Today Book Award (History/Biography) 2010.



Book Information
ISBN 9780195174274
Author Peter J. Thuesen
Format Hardback
Page Count 328
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 590g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 236mm * 25mm