Dr. Meredith G. Kline passed away on Friday night, April 13, 2007. He was a great scholar and theologian. He taught seminary students for over 50 years and also is responsible for some very original work. Though many may disagree with some of the points of his theology, we should all agree that he will go down into the books as one of the great/influential reformed theologians. The Church militant lost a great warrior, the Church triumphant received a great sinner who trusted and rested in Christ alone.
You can go here to read many Kline articles.
what were some of the controversial things about him?
ReplyDeleteI've heard good things associated with his name but do not know him myself
To take two examples, he did a lot to popularize the framework hypothesis in Reformed circles.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, his extreme and idiosyncratic disjunction between the holy and the common led, in circuitous fashion, to the heresy trial of his protege, Lee Irons.
Lee Irons and his wife Misty support civil same-sex unions. This is based on Kline's holy/common disjunction, which leads to the secularization of the law.
At the time, Lee was an OPC minister. That ignited a firestorm of controversy. For example:
http://www.upper-register.com/irons_trial/musingson/chronology_musingson.html
It also led Lee Irons to take the position that neither believers nor unbelievers are under the law of God.
Kline is very useful on some things, and very wrong on others.