Mark R. Stevenson untersucht in seinem Artikel “Early Brethren Leaders and the Question of Calvinism” (Brethren Historical Review 6 [2010], S. 2–33) die Haltung der frühen „Brüder“ zum Calvinismus und kommt zu folgendem Schluss (Hervorhebungen durch mich):
Our study has shown that soteriological Calvinism was a firm conviction among the prominent leaders of the early Brethren movement. They were strict Calvinists who rejected the extremes of both high and hyper-Calvinism, and although they were not preoccupied with the doctrines of grace, neither were they afraid to profess their allegiance to those doctrines as precious truths of the faith. With Mackintosh we see a new attitude emerging. Although he accepted the basic tenets of Calvinism, he eschewed the Calvinist label not only to distance himself from the abuses of hyper-Calvinism that were common in his day, but also in an attempt to reject the wider Reformed system of theology which contradicted important Brethren distinctives. Mackintosh’s attitude is a logical outgrowth of the development of Brethren ideals, but later writers would abandon all vestiges of Calvinism, perhaps taking Mackintosh’s attitude to its logical conclusion. Be that as it may, it should now be obvious that the spirit of antagonism toward Calvinism that currently runs through the movement is, for better or worse, a departure from its origins.
Wichtig scheint mir hier der Hinweis, dass es nur um “soteriological Calvinism” geht, also um die „fünf Punkte“, und nicht um andere calvinistische Lehren wie z.B. Bundestheologie, „Kirche von Adam an“, Gültigkeit des Gesetzes usw. Aber auch bei den „fünf Punkten“ muss man sich fragen, ob die noch im Werden begriffene „Brüdertheologie“ der allerersten Jahre unbedingt als Vorbild für heute gelten muss. Von Darby z.B. werden fast nur Zitate aus der frühesten Zeit in Oxford angeführt; aus seiner Spätzeit kommen nur die bekannten Äußerungen zum freien Willen zur Sprache (inkl. Kontroverse mit Moody). Stevensons Einschätzung
In Darby’s voluminous literary output, he does not manifest a fixation on Calvinist doctrines. He did defend them when necessary, but for Darby those doctrines seemed to be settled; his attention was focused more on developing issues related to ecclesiology and eschatology.
scheint mir eine interessegeleitete Verharmlosung der Unterschiede zu sein, stehen doch gerade Darbys Ekklesiologie und Eschatologie in klarem Widerspruch zum Calvinismus.
