Geoffrey Paxton

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Geoffrey J. Paxton has been an ordained minister in the Anglican Church of Australia.

Contents 1 Biography 1.1 Interaction with Adventists 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Biography

Paxton was principal of the Queensland Bible Institute (now the Bible College of Queensland; webpage) in Brisbane, Australia for 7 years.

[edit] Interaction with Adventists

Paxton has had significant interaction with the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and a "keen interest" in its theology.^[1] This began through his acquaintance with Robert Brinsmead, as both were critical of the charismatic movement.^[2] One source described the pair as "anti-Charismatic crusaders" after one meeting.^[3] They held public meetings supporting belief in justification by faith alone. Paxton contributed to Brinsmead's Present Truth Magazine.

He published The Shaking of Adventism in 1977, about the struggle within the Adventist church over what it means to be saved, and also over the nature of Christ.^[4] It evaluates the Adventist claim to being heirs of the Protestant Reformation.^[1] The title comes from a traditional concept in Adventism of a "shaking". For example, Adventist church co-founder Ellen G. White described a vision of this concept in Early Writings, section "The Shaking", p269–73.

The Adventist magazine Spectrum devoted a special section to the book (see below). Also Adventist Richard Rice affirmed the book's review of past and then-present views of salvation in Adventism as "well informed and generally accurate", yet claims the standard by which Paxton compares Adventist views as "artificial". He says, "Paxton reads more into their claim to be heirs of the Reformation than most Adventists do," and "the Reformers themselves held that justification and sanctification are inseparable."^[1]

Paxton lost his job at the Bible school because of his association with Adventists,^[5] or as Desmond Ford puts it, "because of his refusal to lay aside his interest in the Adventist 'cult'."^[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c} Rice, Richard (March 1980). "Dominant Themes in Adventist Theology" (PDF). Spectrum 10 (4): 58–74. Roseville, California: Adventist Forums. ISSN 0890-0264.  See page 65 especially
2. ^ ^{a b} "The Truth of Paxton’s Thesis" by Desmond Ford. Spectrum 9:3 (July 1978)
3. ^ "Baptists in Queensland and the Charismatic Movement" by David Parker. Queensland Baptist Forum, December 2004. Accessed 2008-04-18
4. ^ "Seventh-day Adventist Orientation", chapter 2 in Crosscurrents in Adventist Christology by Claude Webster
5. ^ "An Interview with Paxton" by Jonathan M. Butler. Spectrum 9:3, p58–60

Other resources:

• Erwin R. Gane. Review of The Shaking of Adventism. Andrews University Seminary Studies Autumn 1978, v16, p420–22

[edit] External links

• The Shaking of Adventism by Paxton, reprinted on the Present Truth Magazine website (formerly of Robert Brinsmead). Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1977
• "A Discussion of Holiness Theology: Summary of an Interview with Geoffrey J. Paxton". Present Truth Magazine, vol. 6
• The 9:3 (July 1978) issue of Spectrum ran a "Special Section: The Shaking of Adventism?":
  • "A View from the Outside" by Fritz Guy
  • "Paxton’s Misunderstanding of Adventism" by Herbert Douglass
  • "The Truth of Paxton’s Thesis" by Desmond Ford
  • "Paxton and the Reformers" by Hans LaRondelle
  • "An Interview with Paxton" by Jonathan M. Butler, p58–60
  • Responses: "On Paxton", letters to the editor from Richard B. Lewis, George W. Colvin, Jr. and Eric C. Webster. Spectrum 9:4, p63–64.
  • Responses: "On Paxton", letters to the editor from Douglas Hackleman and (brief) Thomas J. Zwemer. Spectrum 10:1, p60–63