Jack Cottrell
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jack Cottrell (April 30, 1938 – September 16, 2022) was a
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
theologian, philosopher and author in the
Christian churches and churches of Christ The group of churches known as the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ is a fellowship of congregations within the Restoration Movement (also known as the Stone–Campbell Movement and the Reformation of the 19th Century) that have no form ...
. He was a professor of theology at
Cincinnati Christian University Cincinnati Christian University (CCU) was a private Christian university in Cincinnati, Ohio. CCU was supported by the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ, which are part of the Restoration Movement. The university was accredited by the Hi ...
from 1967 to 2015. He authored many books on Christian philosophy, doctrine and theology.


Early life and education

Jack Cottrell was born in
Stamping Ground, Kentucky Stamping Ground is a List of cities in Kentucky, home rule-class city in Scott County, Kentucky, Scott County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 643 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington, Kentucky, ...
. Cottrell received a BA from Cincinnati Christian University in 1959 and also a BS from the
University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati, informally Cincy) is a public university, public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1819 and had an enrollment of over 53,000 students in 2024, making it the ...
. He earned an M.Div. from
Westminster Theological Seminary Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian theology, theological seminary in the Reformed theology, Reformed theological tradition in Glenside, Pennsylvania. It was founded by members of the faculty of Prince ...
and a Ph.D. from
Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...
. His book "BAPTISM: Zwingli or the Bible" is a "layman's" version of his doctoral thesis. Cottrell married his wife Barbara in 1958.


Cincinnati Christian University

Cottrell returned to Cincinnati Christian University in 1967 holding a conservative view of the
Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...
and
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
. He taught at CCU for 49 years.


Books & Articles

Cottrell authored 45 books on Christian theology and doctrine, including 24 books in the last five years of his life. Topics included
grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uni ...
,
faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...
,
baptism Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...
, Biblical accuracy, Biblical consistency, and the nature of God. He also wrote on leadership and gender roles in Christianity. His books include: * Baptism: A Biblical Study * The Holy Spirit: A Biblical Study * The Faith Once for All: Bible Doctrine for Today * Bible Prophecy and End Times * Set Free! What the Bible Says About Grace * Power From On High: What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit * Tough Questions * Biblical Answers Parts One and Two * 13 Lessons on Grace and His Truth: Scriptural Truths About Basic Doctrines * Faith's Fundamentals: Seven Essentials of Christian Belief * God Most High: What the Bible Says about God the Creator, Ruler, Redeemer * Solid: The Authority of God's Word * Studies in First Peter: 35 Lessons for Personal or Group Study * Saved by Grace: The Essence of Christianity * The Collected Writings of Jack Cottrell (Volumes 1 - 18) ** The Unity of Truth - Vol. 1 **God's Word is Truth - Vol. 2 **The God of the Bible - Vol. 3 **The Bible Versus Calvinism - Vol. 4 **One Baptism Into Christ - Vol. 5 **Biblical Anthropology: Man, Sin, and Death - Vol. 6 **Jesus:  Lord and Savior – Vol. 7 **Spirits:  Holy and Unholy – Vol. 8 **God's Amazing Salvation (Vol. 1)  – Vol. 9 **God's Amazing Salvation (Vol. 2)  – Vol. 10 **The Church of Jesus Christ – Vol. 11 **From Now to Eternity – Vol. 12 **The Gender Roles Debate – Vol. 13 **Living the Sanctified Life – Vol. 14 **The Ten Commandments – Vol. 15 **Cults and the Occult – Vol. 16 **The Reasons for Our Hope – Vol. 17 **Studies in Bible Doctrine – Vol. 18 *Studies in Ephesians: 25 Lessons for Personal or Group Study *Studies in Romans - Part 1 *Studies in Romans - Part 2 *BAPTISM: Zwingli or the Bible He has also authored Biblical commentaries. Including: * Romans NIV Commentary A prolific writer, Cottrell wrote articles in a variety of Christian publications. His articles appeared most frequently in ''The Restoration Herald'', published monthly by The Christian Restoration Association ("C.R.A.") in Mason, Ohio. Cottrell served as a Trustee of the C.R.A. from 2003 to 2021. In December 1961, he submitted an opinion piece for ''The Restoration Herald'' and then in June of the following year his article "The Use of Scriptural Terminology by Disciples of Christ Leaders" was published in a four-part series. In April 2011, he began penning the "Ask the Professor" column which appeared monthly.


Theology

Cottrell supported conservative beliefs of inerrancy and infallibility of the Bible and that baptism by
immersion Immersion may refer to: The arts * "Immersion", a 2012 story by Aliette de Bodard * ''Immersion'', a French comic book series by Léo Quievreux * ''Immersion'' (album), the third album by Australian group Pendulum * ''Immersion'' (film), a 2021 ...
is the Biblical method. Cottrell was critical of
Calvinism Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Christian, Presbyteri ...
and mostly supported
Arminianism Arminianism is a movement of Protestantism initiated in the early 17th century, based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic supporters known as Remonstrants. Dutch Arminianism was origina ...
, despite attending theological institutions associated with the Reformed tradition.


Trinity

Cottrell believed that the "Father, Son and Spirit are distinct persons who exist simultaneously and interact with one another." He rejected modalism, which says that there are no distinctions between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Cottrell called modalism heretical and a "seriously false doctrine" but believed someone who believes in modalism can be saved.


Original Sin

Cottrell denied
original sin Original sin () in Christian theology refers to the condition of sinfulness that all humans share, which is inherited from Adam and Eve due to the Fall of man, Fall, involving the loss of original righteousness and the distortion of the Image ...
, at least in the traditional sense. He believed tha
Romans 5:12-18
actually states that any original sin that might have existed is wiped out by "Original Grace" given to everyone through the death and resurrection of Jesus. When a person sins, they receive partial depravity. Cottrell defined partial depravity as, "no matter how evil sinners may be, they all have the ability to make a free-will choice to accept the gospel."


Temporality of God

Cottrell posited that God is temporal, although not bound by time.


Baptism

Cottrell believed that baptism is "commanded in a salvation situation",https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hTLkr_7tJ5jarvZIqEL2YZEIeFO7r6UEKQ3USKafQko/edit?hl=en stating that baptism is required for salvation. He said that "repentance and baptism are ... obedience to the gospel, and are works in the same sense that faith is."


Anti-Feminism

Cottrell was a leading opponent in the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ of equality for women. In the late 1980s, Cottrell became alarmed by the incursion of feminism in the church, which he believed was against God's original design for the church. He published the book ''Feminism and the Bible: An Introduction to Feminism for Christians'' in 1992. The book dismissed every version of feminism, including evangelical feminism, as unscriptural. Cottrell sat on the
Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) is an evangelical Christian organization promoting a complementarian view of gender issues. According to its website, the "mission of The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood is to set fo ...
. The mission of CBMW stats that it is "primarily to help the church defend against the accommodation of secular feminism." (CBMW Mission and Vision Statement)Mission vision
/ref> As enumerated in its anvers Statement CBMW is an evangelical organization that seeks to encourage women to the roles assigned to them by the Bible. Moreover, in every walk of life, men are expected to "exercise headship" while women are to "be in submission".( Danvers Statement) Cottrell published two more books, ''Gender Roles and the Bible: Creation, the Fall, and Redemption: A Critique of Feminist Biblical Interpretation'' (1995), and ''Headship, Submission, and the Bible: Gender Roles in the Home'' (2008).


References


External links


Cottrell's personal blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cottrell, Jack 1938 births 2022 deaths 20th-century American Protestant theologians 21st-century American Protestant theologians Cincinnati Christian University alumni People from Scott County, Kentucky Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Systematic theologians Westminster Theological Seminary alumni Members of the Christian churches and churches of Christ