One of the curious things about political opinions is how often the same people line up on opposite sides of different issues. The issues themselves may have no intrinsic connection with each other. They may range from military spending to drug laws to monetary policy to education. Yet the same familiar faces can be found glaring at each other from opposite sides of the political fence, again and again. ..."
The field of theology is no different. Frequently, the same theologians line up on opposite sides of different, seemingly unrelated theological issues. Whether one is discussing eschatology or soteriology, Romans 9 or Revelation 20, there is a certain consistent grouping. Now and then we discover certain anomalies, but among trained, knowledgeable Bible students we discover that birds of a theological feather, generally, also flock together. And when we do have major anomalies, perhaps it is because some subgroups either fail to fully grasp the hidden, subterranean presuppositions affecting these groupings or they are at some level, willingly inconsistent. In theology, like politics, Bible students often have different visions of how God works in history, salvation, and eschatology. This is certainly true in the field of sanctification and spiritual growth. ...
