Martin Examines Doctrine of Predestination

     Are some people destined to be saved, while others are not? Dr. Dean Martin, visiting professor of religion at Baylor University examined the doctrine of predestination as the Anne T. Moore Humanities lecturer Tuesday, March 29, on the Campbell campus. Martin is a former professor of religion and philosophy at Campbell.
     “The doctrine of predestination has been preached as a source of assurance and decried as bringing with it the threat of doubt,” Martin said. “The linchpin of the argument is that one is saved by grace; faith itself is a gift of God. So God, conceived as omnipotent and omniscient, is said to have foreordained some for salvation and some for damnation.”
     Martin referenced the works of Calvin, Martin Luther, and St. Augustine. “The problem with predestination is that it knocks free will flat,” Martin added. “It transmutes God into a concept shaped more by metaphysics than by biblical narrative. The traditional doctrine of predestination is unacceptable partly because it borrows on a notion of God’s power severed from its religious moorings.”
     A native of Lebanon, MO, Martin was a mainstay of Campbell’s Department of Religion and Philosophy for 28 years, who was known for challenging students and stimulating their intellectual curiosity. He graduated magna cum laude from William Jewell College in Liberty, MO, with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and received a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Yale University. Martin earned a Ph.D. in theological studies from Baylor University. His doctoral dissertation, “Christian Consciousness: Its Emergence with the Mastery of Concepts Within the Christian Community,” was recommended for inclusion in a dissertation series published by Mercer University Press. In 1999, Martin was appointed to the Baptist World Alliance Doctrine and Interchurch Cooperation Commission, a global fellowship of Baptists. He has presented papers at the Southeastern Commission for Study of Religion and the National Association of Baptist Professors of Religion. His writings have also appeared in theological and religious journals. Most recently, Martin co-authored a text, “A Journey of Faith: An Introduction to Christianity,” with Dr. Glenn Jonas and Dr. Donald Penny, of Campbell’s Department of Religion and Philosophy, and Dr. Wayne Ballard, of Carson-Newman College. Martin resigned his position at Campbell in 2002.
     Established in 1988, the Anne T. Moore Humanities Lecture is sponsored by the Department of Government, History, and Justice and made possible through the generosity of Dr. Anne T. Moore, professor emerita of history at Campbell University.
 

Bulletin 0079-3/31/05