A Call for Continuity: The Theological Contribution of James Orr

James Orr (1844-1913) was one of the earliest and principal British critics of the Ritschlian reconstruction of Christian theology and a strong opponent of the Wellhausen reconstruction of Old Testament history. He rejected all evolutionary interpretations of man's moral history and held firmly to orthodox Christological formulations in the face of alternative assessments of the historical Jesus. His impeccable scholarship and encyclopedic knowledge of theology and religion made him a member of a small but distinguished group (including B.B. Warfield and James Denney) of capable opponents to modern theology in its germinal period. Scorgie examines Orr's theological contribution in its historical setting. He offers us a definitive treatment of James Orr and his times and makes an excellent start in a badly neglected field of inquiry.