Skip to main content Skip to Search Box

predestination

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in theology, doctrine that asserts that God predestines from eternity the salvation of certain souls. So-called double predestination, as in Calvinism , is the added assertion that God also foreordains certain souls to damnation. Predestination is posited on the basis of God's omniscience and omnipotence and is closely related to the doctrines of divine providence and grace . A predestinarian doctrine is suggested in St. Paul, but it is not developed (Rom. 8.28–30). St. Augustine's interpretation of the doctrine has been the fountainhead for most subsequent versions, both Protestant and Roman Catholic. Pelagianism argued against St. Augustine that by granting every individual freedom of choice, God wills the salvation of all souls equally, a view that became popular in liberal Protestant theology. The Roman Catholic view, as stated by St. Thomas Aquinas, maintains that God wills the salvation of all souls but that certain souls are granted special grace that in effect foreordains their…
590 results

Full text Article predestination

From Chambers Dictionary of the Unexplained
The theological doctrine that whatever is to happen has been unalterably fixed by God from the beginning of time, especially with regard to which souls will be saved and which will not. The doctrine of predestination has been the subject of much controversy in Christianity for centuries. …
| 318 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Predestination

From World of Sociology, Gale
Predestination refers to the religious belief that people’s place in the afterlife is determined at or before birth. Predestination is a fundamental belief of the Calvinist sect of Protestantism, which Max Weber argued was the necessary impetus for the development of capitalism . In The Protestant…
| 291 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article predestination

From Philip's Encyclopedia
Christian doctrine that a person's ultimate spiritual salvation or condemnation by God has been ordained in advance. According to this doctrine, people are at birth committed to the events of life, and their fate at death is already mapped out for them. As possible solutions to the problem of how…
| 137 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Predestination

From Cambridge Dictionary of Christian Theology
‘Predestination’ refers to the eternal purpose of the triune God to save a particular number of human beings. Sometimes the term ‘predestination’ is used broadly to refer to God’s foreordination of whatsoever will come to pass (Eph. 1:11, 22). More properly it refers to God’s eternal purpose to save…
| 530 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article predestination

From Encyclopedia of World Religions: Encyclopedia of Protestantism
Predestination is the belief that God has chosen or elected some for the gift of salvation, sometimes extended to include the idea that God chooses the rest of humankind for damnation. The most relevant biblical quote on the subject is Romans 28–30: “Whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to…
| 720 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article predestination

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
in theology, doctrine that asserts that God predestines from eternity the salvation of certain souls. So-called double predestination, as in Calvinism , is the added assertion that God also foreordains certain souls to damnation. Predestination is posited on the basis of God's omniscience and…
| 306 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article PREDESTINATION

From Encyclopedia of Ancient Christianity
In the opinion of many, the doctrine of predestination is inextricably tied to the name of St. * Augustine . It is, therefore, helpful to recall that the Augustine was not the first or the only among the ancient *fathers of the church to discuss this theological teaching. He only developed—even…
| 3,061 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article Predestination

From The SAGE Encyclopedia of the Sociology of Religion
Predestination is a theological theory based on the conviction that there is a God who is almighty and knows everything. Nothing happens unless it is God’s will. Hence, God has decided who will be saved. The French theologian John Calvin (1509–1564), active in Geneva during the Protestant…
| 1,042 words

Full text Article predestination

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
In Christianity , the doctrine that God has long ago determined who will be saved and who will be damned. Three types of predestination doctrine have developed. One doctrine holds that God singled out the saved because he foresaw their future merits. A second doctrine (often identified with John…
| 137 words
Key concepts:

Full text Article predestination

From The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In Christian theology, the doctrine asserting that God has determined all events beforehand, including the ultimate salvation or damnation of the individual human soul. Today Christianity in general accepts that humanity has free will, though some forms, such as Calvinism, believe that salvation can…
| 117 words
Key concepts:
Mind Map

Stack overflow
More Library Resources