P. Andrew Sandlin is a Christian minister, cultural theologian, and author; the founder and president of the Center for Cultural Leadership in

Coulterville, California Coulterville (formerly Maxwell's Creek) is a census-designated place in Mariposa County, California, Mariposa County, California, United States. It is located on Maxwell Creek northwest of Mariposa, California, Mariposa, at an elevation of . Coul ...

; De Yong Distinguished Visiting Professor of Culture and Theology at Edinburg Theological Seminary in

Pharr, Texas Pharr is a city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 79,715, and in 2022, the estimated population was 80,187. Pharr is connected by bridge to the Mexican city of Reynosa, Tamaulipas. Pharr is ...

; and core faculty at Evan Runner International Academy for Cultural Leadership of the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity in

Grimsby, Ontario Grimsby is a town on Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Niagara, Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. Grimsby is at the eastern end of the Hamilton, Ontario, Hamilton List of census metropolitan areas and agglomerations in Canada, Census Met ...

. He was formerly president of the National Reform Association and executive vice president of the

Chalcedon Foundation The Chalcedon Foundation is an American Christian Reconstructionist organization, founded by Rousas John Rushdoony in 1965. Named for the Council of Chalcedon, it has also included theologians such as Gary North, who later founded his own or ...

Education

Sandlin holds a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

liberal studies Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refer to st ...

concentrating in English,

history History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

, and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and Power (social and political), power, and the analysis of political activities, political philosophy, political thought, polit ...

from the

University of the State of New York The University of the State of New York (USNY, ) is the state governmental umbrella organization that oversees all educational institutions, including schools, libraries, and museums in New York State. It is governed by the Board of Regents. D ...

(1991), an M.A. in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

from the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA) is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, UNISA has over 400,000 student ...

(1993), and an S.T.D. in

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and

Ecclesiastical History Church history or ecclesiastical history as an academic discipline studies the history of Christianity and the way the Christian Church has developed since its inception. Henry Melvill Gwatkin defined church history as "the spiritual side of the ...

from Edinburg Theological Seminary (2007), United States extension of Universidad Juan Calvino of Mexico City. He also did Ph.D. studies in English at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a Public university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

in 1994.

Ministries

He is a minister in the Fellowship of Mere Christianity and was pastor at Church of the Word,

Painesville, Ohio Painesville is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Grand River (Ohio), Grand River, it is a northeast suburb of Cleveland. Its population was 20,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Pa ...

(1984-1995) and Cornerstone Bible Church,

Scotts Valley, California Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, about south of downtown San Jose and north of the city of Santa Cruz, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. As of the 2020 census, the city populati ...

(2004-2014).

Theology

Evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

committed to the neo-Reformational paradigm of

Abraham Kuyper Abraham Kuyper ( , ; 29 October 1837 – 8 November 1920) was the Prime Minister of the Netherlands between 1901 and 1905, an influential neo-Calvinist pastor and a journalist. He established the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands, which upo ...

Herman Bavinck Herman Bavinck (13 December 1854 – 29 July 1921) was a Dutch Calvinist theologian and churchman. He was a significant scholar in the Calvinist tradition, alongside Abraham Kuyper, B. B. Warfield, and Geerhardus Vos. Biography Backgro ...

Herman Dooyeweerd Herman Dooyeweerd, also spelled Herman Dooijeweerd (7 October 1894, Amsterdam – 12 February 1977, Amsterdam), was a professor of law and jurisprudence at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam from 1926 to 1965. He was also a philosopher and princ ...

, and

Cornelius Van Til Cornelius Van Til (May 3, 1895 – April 17, 1987) was a Dutch-American Reformed theologian, who is credited as being the originator of modern presuppositional apologetics. A graduate of Calvin College, Van Til later received his PhD from Pr ...

, Sandlin is a critic of both

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

and progressive theological trends. He is considered an extreme Christian Reconstructionist by

Americans United for Separation of Church and State Americans United for Separation of Church and State (Americans United or AU for short) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that advocates for the disassociation of religion and religious organizations from government. The separation of chur ...

. He was targeted by

Right Wing Watch People for the American Way (PFAW ) is a progressive advocacy group in the United States. Organized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, PFAW was registered in 1981 by the television producer Norman Lear, a self-described liberal who founde ...

, a program of

People for the American Way People for the American Way (PFAW ) is a progressive advocacy group in the United States. Organized as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, PFAW was registered in 1981 by the television producer Norman Lear, a self-described liberal who founde ...

, for arguing that “Christians Must Be Conservative, And Conservatives Must Be Christian." He advocates a unity of

Law and Gospel Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

, traditionally distinguished among

Christians, and he was an early critic of "

Biblical Patriarchy Biblical patriarchy, also known as Christian patriarchy, is a set of beliefs in Evangelical Protestant Christianity concerning gender relations and their manifestations in institutions, including marriage, the family, and the home. It sees the f ...

Bibliography

He has written and edited several books: * ''New Flesh, New Earth: The Life-Changing Power of the Resurrection'' (Oakdown, 2003) * ''Backbone of the Bible: The Covenant in Contemporary Perspective'' (ed., Covenant Media, 2004) * ''Un-Inventing the Church: Toward a Modest Ecclesiology'' (Center for Cultural Leadership, 2007) * ''A Faith That Is Never Alone: A Response to Westminster Seminary California'' (ed., Kerygma, 2007) * ''Christian Culture: An Introduction'' (Center for Cultural Leadership, 2013). In addition, he has published numerous essays and articles, both scholarly and popular, in publications such as ''

Free Inquiry ''Free Inquiry'' is a bimonthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary published by the Council for Secular Humanism, a program of the Center for Inquiry. Philosopher Paul Kurtz was the editor-in-chief from its inception in 1980 un ...

'', '' Christian Statesman'', ''

The New Rambler ''The New Rambler'' is an online scholarly book review of new works in law, politics, and philosophy founded at the University of Chicago Law School in 2015. The publication's name is an homage to Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 Decemb ...

'', ''The Modern Age'', and the ''Reformation and Revival Journal''. His article on a neo-Reformational defense of environmental stewardship in ''

,'' published by The Council for Secular Humanism, was the first avowedly Christian article in that magazine's history.

References

External links

Christian Culture: Personal blogThe Center for Cultural Leadership"Toward a Catholic Calvinism,"
by P. Andrew Sandlin
Lutheranized Calvinism by P. Andrew Sandlin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sandlin, Andrew American Calvinist and Reformed theologians Living people American Calvinist and Reformed ministers University of South Africa alumni Kent State University alumni 20th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians 21st-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians People from Scotts Valley, California Year of birth missing (living people)