In the world of theology, you might be familiar with authors such as D.A. Carson, J.I. Packer, or N.T. Wright. You may have benefitted from their works on topics such knowing God, the resurrection, or suffering. You might even wonder if going by initials instead of a normal first name is a requirement for being a theologian. However, I’d be willing to bet not many of you are familiar with the late Dr. Jack Cottrell and his works. Allow me to introduce you to this professor and theologian whom I believe is most certainly an author you should know.
Dr. Cottrell was one of my professors in seminary and has had a major impact on my life, my ministry, and my understanding of God and the Bible. He is one of the most rigorous theologians I have ever met or studied. He published more than forty books in his lifetime and contributed to dozens of others, yet his works remain largely unknown among Christians today. This is no doubt because he taught and ministered within the Restoration Movement, also known as the Stone-Campbell Movement. This is a fellowship of churches made up of the independent Christian Churches and Churches of Christ. Yes, Cottrell was an Arminian (non-Calvinist) theologian. He even wrote a number of extensive critiques of Calvinist theology. While this may be a turn-off to some, one of his friends and contemporaries, Wayne Grudem, used to assign his students books by Cottrell to present the non-Calvinist view on certain issues.
The best place to begin when reading Cottrell is what I believe to be his best book, Set Free! What the Bible Says About Grace (College Press). Dr. Cottrell often mentioned how grace was his favorite subject to study and write about. Arminian believers are sometimes accused of having a low view of God’s grace, but Dr. Cottrell blew that notion out of the water. In fact, many in the Restoration Movement today credit Dr. Cottrell for being the first to show them why God’s grace is so amazing. In Set Free! you will find robust and deep theology, a thorough analysis of Scripture, and truths that lead you to worship.
Dr. Cottrell’s magnum opus (if you will) was his trilogy titled What the Bible Says About God (Wipf & Stock). The story of how Dr. Cottrell produced this massive work is fascinating. Back in the early 80’s, before personal computers and Bible software, Dr. Cottrell went through the Bible, cover-to-cover, and cut out every single verse that said anything about God. He then laid them all out on the floor and began to categorize them. Eventually, he landed on three major categories (God the creator, God the ruler, and God the redeemer) with many sub-categories. Those three major categories became these three books. As you can see, this trilogy is a doctrine of God that is thoroughly biblical. Recently, this trilogy has been condensed into one major work titled God Most High (College Press, 2002).
Finally, I would like to suggest an easy and accessible introduction to Dr. Cottrell’s works: his Collected Writings published in 18 volumes by the Christian Restoration Association (The Collected Writings of Jack Cottrell). Each volume in this series is relatively short and can be purchased individually, in print or Kindle. There are volumes on prophecy and the end times, the Ten Commandments, Calvinism, the authority of Scripture, the spiritual realm, baptism, and more.
Your valuable time and space prevent me from covering much more like Dr. Cottrell’s major book on the Holy Spirit or his significant contribution on what the Bible says about gender roles. And, as I mentioned earlier, he has been a contributing author to a number of books, journals, and magazines.
Dr. Cottrell passed away in September of 2022. He is no doubt the Restoration Movement’s greatest theologian and is also the greatest influence on my own ministry and writing. I miss him greatly. I will always remember him for being what I like to call an equal-opportunity offender in the realm of theology. Dr. Cottrell didn’t really care who might be rubbed the wrong way by his writing. He followed Scripture wherever it led and presented it clearly with no apologies. Sometimes he offended Calvinists. At other times, those within his own movement. But he knew his only judge, and the only one to fear, was God.
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