An epistemological corrective to doctrines of assurance
Abstract
Many Christian traditions affirm a doctrine of assurance. According to this doctrine, those who are saved have assurance of their own salvation; that is, the doctrine of assurance tells us that the elect can know their status as elect. In this paper, I explore two developments of the doctrine of assurance by theologians (i.e. John Calvin & Kenneth Keathley) and argue that they fail to accommodate the fallibilistic nature of human knowing. I then develop a fallibilistic doctrine of assurance, which makes such assurance available to most Christians, and respond to an objection from the camp of pragmatic encroachment.
Citation
Rutledge , J C 2017 , ' An epistemological corrective to doctrines of assurance ' , European Journal for Philosophy of Religion , vol. 9 , no. 1 , pp. 163-177 . https://doi.org/10.24204/ejpr.v9i1.1869
Publication
European Journal for Philosophy of Religion
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1689-8311Type
Journal article
Collections
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