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Semipelagianism

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Also known as Semi-Pelagianism

Semi-Pelagianism (or semipelagianism) is a historical Christian theological and soteriological school of thought about the role of free will in salvation. In semi-Pelagian thought, a distinction is made between the beginning of faith and the increase of faith. Semi-Pelagian thought teaches that the latter half – growing in faith – is the work of God, while the beginning of faith is an act of free will, with grace supervening only later.

~11 min read

Encyclopedic overview

11 sections
Contents
  • Pelagian and semi-Pelagian theology
  • Patristic era
  • Development of the term and subsequent use
  • Early use of the term
  • Eastern Orthodoxy
  • Calvinism and Arminianism
  • Jansenism and the Jesuits
  • Modern
  • Notes
  • Sources
  • Further reading

Semi-Pelagianism (or semipelagianism) is a historical Christian theological and soteriological school of thought about the role of free will in salvation. In semi-Pelagian thought, a distinction is made between the beginning of faith and the increase of faith. Semi-Pelagian thought teaches that the latter half – growing in faith – is the work of God, while the beginning of faith is an act of free will, with grace supervening only later.

The term "semi-Pelagianism", a 16th-century coinage, is considered a misnomer by many modern scholars. "Semi-Pelagianism" has frequently been used in a pejorative sense.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Semipelagianism” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.