21st century theologian “Hall of Fame”?

[clawrence9008]

As it stands now in 2024, who do you think (if any) will be the theologians of the 21st century that people centuries from now will esteem as being particularly important and influential in church history? The main one that comes to my mind right now is Matthew Barrett.

(If this isn’t the right forum for this, please feel free to move it.)

 

[davejonescue]

Schreiner, Frame, Bray, Beeke, and Horton.

 

[TylerRay]

Richard Muller.

 

[alexanderjames]

When they find the Puritan Board archives I'd say me. And that's not me being modest.

 

[Charles Johnson]

The theologians that matter most in history are those that trained and influenced younger men, and therefore shaped the course of denominations, movements, and countries.

Guys that come to mind in the 20th and 21st centuries are the founders of Westminster Seminary (Machen, Van Til, Stonehouse, Woolley), the major lights at Princeton (Robert Dick Wilson, Warfield, Vos), and guys like R.C. Sproul and John Macarthur (who, let's face it, has had a huge influence through Masters Seminary on the dispensational baptist world).

If PRTS is around in 50 or 100 years people might look at Joel Beeke as a very important figure. I don't know how many people will be reading Beeke's books in 100 years; it might not be that many, although I could of course be wrong about that. But through the institutions he's influenced his legacy is likely to live on.

I don't think almost any books written so far this century will be read in 100 or 200 years. They're just not that good for the most part. Muller might be an exception.

I would be absolutely shocked if anyone is reading Frame, Oliphant, Horton, Clark, etc in the year 2100.

 

[Ben_Leevey]

My first thought would be, why even mention the guys? In themselves they matter nothing. Point to their LORD!

 

[davejonescue]

My first thought would be, why even mention the guys? In themselves they matter nothing. Point to their LORD!

Certain teachers and theologians can have significant impact on large populations of Christians. For instance Rushdoony has inspired many, maybe millions. Erberle, and his manual for the NAR has inspired millions of Charismatics to embrace the model. Chafer set the tone for almost a century of dispensationalism. Many times, the influence of the writers (whether one respects them as teachers or not) have very real effects and consequences on large populations of believers. The list could go on of influential people within their circles whose writings sway the fabric of those movements to this day. And every single one of them not only believe they are being faithful to the bible, but also to the Lord.

 

[Polanus1561]

Honestly I am thinking guys like CS Lewis, NT Wright, Richard Bauckham. Do you mean Reformed World only? Then surely Van Til which has WTS preserving his legacy

 

[Knight]

Honestly I am thinking guys like CS Lewis, NT Wright, Richard Bauckham. Do you mean Reformed World only? Then surely Van Til which has WTS preserving his legacy

21st century

 

[Frisian Gardener]

Michael Heiser. We may agree or disagree with his Divine Council paradigm, but everyone the next fifty years doing serious work on the subjects he touched on will in some way be responding to him.

 

[retroGRAD3]

I think Sproul will endure. But I hope NT Wright is forgotten along with his NPP.

 

[Pomopu]

My first thought would be, why even mention the guys? In themselves they matter nothing. Point to their LORD!

I could think of probably five to twenty-five reasons to mention them, if I thought hard enough about it.

 

[RamistThomist]

I hate to say it, but Peter Leithart. I oppose FV with every fiber of my being, but Leithart is published by well-respected publishers and writes for First Things.

 

[Reformed Covenanter]

The main one that comes to my mind right now is Matthew Barrett.

I concur with the Matthew Barrett nomination; L. Michael Morales might be another, though I need to read more of his writings. The fact that we are scraping the barrel to find teachers in this century whose works will endure indicates that things are currently at a low ebb. Father Brakel was on to something when he viewed the Reformation and post-Reformation era as a time of special providence. Given the abundance of teachers given to the church in that period, whose works have long endured, I think he was correct.

 

[alexanderjames]

Michael Heiser.

Peter Leithart.

I couldn't name you a single book by either of these two.

The best theology writers of today are simply returning to the reformers, puritans, and reformed scholastics.
The best novel work of the 21st century is being done in biblical studies and biblical theology in my opinion. I'm thinking people like G.K. Beale, and Morales more recently. But I doubt they will be well known past a couple of generations.

 

[Knight]

I think that theologians who master multiple languages (like 4+, and I'm not talking about biblical languages either) will probably have rising influence.

 

[RamistThomist]

The best theology writers of today are simply returning to the reformers, puritans, and reformed scholastics.

No doubt, but are those the guys people will be reading in 50 years? Admittedly, we can't know, but at the same time our Reformed bubble is very very small.

 

[ReformedMario602]

As it stands now in 2024, who do you think (if any) will be the theologians of the 21st century that people centuries from now will esteem as being particularly important and influential in church history? The main one that comes to my mind right now is Matthew Barrett.

(If this isn’t the right forum for this, please feel free to move it.)

Due to Wayne Grudem the late Robert L Reymond, Bruce Ware and James White all subscribing to, pushing ESS and EFS

People had to come out and show people Eternal generation is where it's at.
So my picka would be

Robert Letham
Scott R Swain
Matthew Barrett
And Fred Sanders

Barrett, Swain and Sanders work on the Triniy alone are going to bring people back to Eternal generation if they take a serious look study at grudem and find out what kind of problems those beliefs are

The book that Letham wrote on the trinity which is Father Son Holy Spirit in scripture Theology and worship wipes the floor with everything in Grudems systematic theology chapters on Jesus the trinity and his chapters on God the Father all by itself

Like someone else set up top I think Dr Michael Heiser would get in if such a thing were created dear to his understanding of the near Eastern ancient context and his books supernatural the unseen realm demons and angels and reducing Hermon

Dr Sproul would get in based on his work in Reformed Theology and his scholarly work on the difference between Rome and protestantism

I'm thinking Graeme goldsworthy for his work on hermeneutics and exegesis a lot of people think of him when they're on Amazon or any reformed publisher when they want to think of exegesis and hermeneutics rather than Gordon fee


Michael Horton would arrive based on his clarity and ability to break down the Creeds and confessions almost with laser precision and his two theology volumes Pilgrim Theology and the Christian faith.. I also think Kevin deyoung- the guy wrote a book structurally cohesively breaking down the canons of Dordt

When people think reformed in African-American there's only two to Four people

Voddie Bauchem, Dr Carl Ellis Jr, Anthony Carter and H.B Charles Jr,

For covenant theology among other names people are going to remember and go seek out O Palmer Robertson

Edited: forgot Conrad Mbewe

 

[davejonescue]

When people think reformed in African-American there's only two to Four people

Voddie Bauchem, Dr Carl Ellis Jr, Anthony Carter and H.B Charles Jr,

Dont forget about Conrad Mbewe. Though I think he may just be African and not African-American.

 

[Ploutos]

When they find the Puritan Board archives I'd say me. And that's not me being modest.

You're not even that smart, and yet... you're one of the best we've got!

 

[retroGRAD3]

Due to Wayne Grudem the late Robert L Reymond, Bruce Ware and James White all subscribing to, pushing ESS and EFS

People had to come out and show people Eternal generation is where it's at.
So my picka would be

Robert Letham
Scott R Swain
Matthew Barrett
And Fred Sanders

Barrett, Swain and Sanders work on the Triniy alone are going to bring people back to Eternal generation if they take a serious look study at grudem and find out what kind of problems those beliefs are

The book that Letham wrote on the trinity which is Father Son Holy Spirit in scripture Theology and worship wipes the floor with everything in Grudems systematic theology chapters on Jesus the trinity and his chapters on God the Father all by itself

Like someone else set up top I think Dr Michael Heiser would get in if such a thing were created dear to his understanding of the near Eastern ancient context and his books supernatural the unseen realm demons and angels and reducing Hermon

Dr Sproul would get in based on his work in Reformed Theology and his scholarly work on the difference between Rome and protestantism

I'm thinking Graeme goldsworthy for his work on hermeneutics and exegesis a lot of people think of him when they're on Amazon or any reformed publisher when they want to think of exegesis and hermeneutics rather than Gordon fee


Michael Horton would arrive based on his clarity and ability to break down the Creeds and confessions almost with laser precision and his two theology volumes Pilgrim Theology and the Christian faith.. I also think Kevin deyoung- the guy wrote a book structurally cohesively breaking down the canons of Dordt

When people think reformed in African-American there's only two to Four people

Voddie Bauchem, Dr Carl Ellis Jr, Anthony Carter and H.B Charles Jr,

For covenant theology among other names people are going to remember and go seek out O Palmer Robertson

Edited: forgot Conrad Mbewe

James White does not subscribe to or teach eff/efs. He wrote a book on the Trinity and you can read what he believes.

 

[ReformedMario602]

James White does not subscribe to or teach eff/efs. He wrote a book on the Trinity and you can read what he believes.

I've read The forgotten Trinity but from my time over on r/reformed (Reddit) a few people that have been studying him day today have said that he's switched and gone off the rails towards it . (as I've been told willing to put forward that I don't know at what point they saw this change)

 

[retroGRAD3]

I've read The forgotten Trinity but from my time over on r/reformed (Reddit) many people that have been studying him day today have said that he's switched and gone off the rails towards it .

I would disagree with that assessment. Not that long ago he affirmed everything he wrote in that book. The cool kids reformed club likes to straw man him though. He has several issues like speaking sloppy sometimes and things you wish he would change, but efs is not one of them.

 

[ReformedMario602]

I would disagree with that assessment. Not that long ago he affirmed everything he wrote in that book. The cool kids reformed club likes to straw man him though. He has several issues like speaking sloppy sometimes and things you wish he would change, but efs is not one of them.

Thank you for your wisdom. I appreciate and I'm still willing to learn what it is and what is not for and against trinitarianism as it's one of my favorite subjects

 

[LightBringer]

Kevin Deyoung and RC Sproul

 

[Ben_Leevey]

Certain teachers and theologians can have significant impact on large populations of Christians. For instance Rushdoony has inspired many, maybe millions. Erberle, and his manual for the NAR has inspired millions of Charismatics to embrace the model. Chafer set the tone for almost a century of dispensationalism. Many times, the influence of the writers (whether one respects them as teachers or not) have very real effects and consequences on large populations of believers. The list could go on of influential people within their circles whose writings sway the fabric of those movements to this day. And every single one of them not only believe they are being faithful to the bible, but also to the Lord.

Most of them, agreed.

I could think of probably five to twenty-five reasons to mention them, if I thought hard enough about it.

 

[TheInquirer]

My first thought would be, why even mention the guys? In themselves they matter nothing. Point to their LORD!

It can be a godly acknowledgement of who God is using to advance His truth in this day and age. The Bible gives credit to men and women all the time while still giving glory to God.

When I think of highly influential theologians, I think of those that make a significant, unique contribution to the field of theology. Has anyone mentioned in this thread really accomplished that?

 

[Jake]

N.T. Wright has to be near the top of the list even if he's not as well regarded in our circles. He's very prolific and influential.

Tim Keller and J.I. Packer are probably the best selling Reformed authors who published in the 21st century but they write more for a popular audience.

 

[clawrence9008]

When I think of highly influential theologians, I think of those that make a significant, unique contribution to the field of theology. Has anyone mentioned in this thread really accomplished that?

To me, the only people listed thus far that I would consider to meet these criteria is Barrett, Beale, and Muller. Probably Sproul as well.

As much as I respect guys like Horton, I don’t think that he will really be mentioned outside of (maybe) his work refuting NPP. I don’t see guys like Schreiner or Frame being mentioned at all.

I definitely don’t think that someone like Michael Heiser or Peter Leithart will be mentioned. One is only relevant on a super niche issue and the other has serious theological errors.

 

[Ben_Leevey]

It can be a godly acknowledgement of who God is using to advance His truth in this day and age. The Bible gives credit to men and women all the time while still giving glory to God.

When I think of highly influential theologians, I think of those that make a significant, unique contribution to the field of theology. Has anyone mentioned in this thread really accomplished that?

I guess when I think of someone I want to pattern my life after, because they are Christlike, I think of men who have poured themselves out, no one here would know most of their names, but they have laid down more of their lives for Christ than most theologians in universities (though by no means all).