Roger E. Olson

Roger Eugene Olson (born 1952) is an American theologian and Professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at Baylor University.

Biography

Personal life

Olson was born on February 2, 1952, in Des Moines, Iowa. He is married and he and his wife have two daughters and one granddaughter. He is a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Waco.Template:Sfn

Education

Olson studied at Open Bible College in Des Moines, North American Baptist Seminary, and Rice University, where he obtained his Ph.D. in Religious Studies in 1984, under the supervision of Nields Nielsen.Template:Sfn He is also an ordained Baptist minister.Template:Sfn

He was influenced by Donald G. Bloesch,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Robert Jenson,Template:Sfn Jürgen Moltmann,Template:Sfn Bernard Ramm,Template:Sfn and Jack Rogers.Template:Sfn

Career

Since 1999, Olson has been Holder of the Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University, Waco, Texas.Template:Sfn Olson retired in December 2021.Template:Sfn

Theological contribution

Advocacy of Arminianism

Olson identifies himself as a classical Arminian, and is known for his stance in favor of Arminianism.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He has written several books including Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities (2006) in which he defined and defended his vision of Arminianism.Template:Sfn Olson fundamentally defines Arminianism by God's "limited" mode of providence and by God's "predestination by foreknowledge" mode of election.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

According to him, adherence to classical Arminianism is defined by being classically Protestant, affirming total depravity, conditional election, unlimited atonement, prevenient grace, and that God is in no way, and by no means the author of sin and evil but that these are only permitted by him.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Olson's definition, without taking a position on the conditional preservation, is close to the view of the Remonstrants prior to 1618.Template:Sfn

For Olson, "classical Arminianism" as defined is centered on God's graceTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn and sovereignty,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn and is intrinsically an evangelical theology.Template:Sfn Olson also refers to "classical Arminianism" as "evangelical synergism":Template:Sfn synergism referring to cooperation between God and creatureTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn and evangelical to distinguish it from Catholic or Eastern Orthodox synergism.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Olson says that the first principle of Arminianism is "Jesus Christ as the full and perfect revelation of the character of God".Template:Sfn This principle has a particular significance within the Calvinism-Armininian debate, where the character of God (and especially his love) as revealed by Jesus Christ, is for Olson, better represented by the Arminian view.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Olson says that, as a consequence of this point, Arminians only believe in libertarian free will to avoid making God the author of sin and evil, and because it is an experienced reality necessary for responsibility.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Theology history and analysis

Olson wrote a popular and widely acclaimed survey of Christian theology titled The Story of Christian Theology (1999).Template:Sfn

He is noted for a broad view of what constitutes Protestant "orthodoxy." For example, on annihilationism he commented in his 2002 book The Mosaic of Christian Belief that some evangelical theologians have "resurrected the old polemical labels of heresy and aberrational teaching" in order to marginalize other evangelicals holding the view.Template:Sfn

Olson has described two "loose coalitions" developing within evangelical theology in response to postmodernism, which he referred to as "Traditionalists" and "Reformists."Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn

Olson coined the label "Pannenberg's Principle" for Wolfhart Pannenberg's argument (1969) that God's deity is his rule – "The divinity of God and the reign of God in the world are inseparable."Template:Sfn

He was the editor and author of the Handbook of Denominations in the United States, 14th edition (2018).Template:Sfn

Bibliography

Books

• Template:Cite thesis

External links

• Olson's personal blog