R.C. Sproul

Thomas didn't either.

You can challenge that if you want.

I will leave that open to debate and discussion.

The next man, there's no debate.

The next man definitely belongs with Augustine, and he is the reformer's reformer, the man who most emphasized predestination in the 16th century, in the Reformation, and who was that?

No, that wasn't John Calvin.

John Calvin was his junior partner.

The man who most adamantly defended the Augustinian view of predestination was Martin Luther.

Now that comes as a surprise because in the world today, Lutheranism lines up opposite Presbyterianism on this particular doctrine.

That's because of a little quirk in church history where shortly after Luther's death,

the Lutheran body under the leadership of Philip Melanchthon took a different turn and did not follow Martin Luther in his articulation of the view of predestination.

But I think it's safe to say that Luther wrote more on predestination than Calvin ever dreamed of and that there's nothing in the doctrine of predestination that I can think of that John Calvin ever taught that Luther didn't teach first and louder.

So then now we can stick Calvin in there as a junior partner, John Calvin, and then I would add to this side of the column, Jonathan Edwards.

Remember now, we're gonna be honest and fair and above board about all this.

Now if you would ask me this question, R.C., who do you think are the five greatest theologians that ever lived?

Okay.

I would have no difficulty identifying the five greatest theologians that ever lived.

They would be Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, and Edwards.

And I'll tell you what, they're way ahead of the next five, whoever they may be.

Now, as biased as that may be, I think that it would be safe to say that if we asked any hundred theologians from any different denominations,