"As Abrahamse observes, it takes a village to raise a child and ‘... a local community to minister the Christian faith’ (292). In many ways that takes us to the heart of his book’s message. He successfully retrieves the life and thought of an early Separatist to offer, in words from his introductory chapter, ‘new pathways of formulating a viable theology of ordained ministry from a Free Church perspective’." — Michael I. Bochenski, Nottingham (UK), in: European Journal of Theology, Volume 30.2 (2021).In ‘retrieving’ the covenantal theology of Robert Browne, the author skilfully combines historical theology with systematic theology, as he develops a theology of ordained ministry in a congregational tradition. He achieves a remarkable conversation both with a significant (though under-regarded) theologian of the past, and with present-day theologians such as Stanley Hauerwas and Kevin Vanhoozer. With scrupulous scholarship, yet also in a thoroughly interesting style, he measures Browne’s grounding of ordained ministry in a covenantal theology against challenges raised by contemporary critiques of ordination. Making a consistent argument that Browne advocates a ‘prophetic’ understanding of ministry, he demonstrates the relevance of this to current questions with an authority and conviction. The book is essential reading both for those who hold a ‘free church’ perspective, and for those who enquire about its place in the modern world. — Paul Fiddes, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of OxfordThe 1982 Lima Document challenged all Christian churches to strive toward ecumenical consensus on the faith and practice of baptism, eucharist, and ministry. Free Churches have made significant strides on the first two, but theological work on the third has lagged behind. Jan Martijn Abrahamse’s study of Robert Browne marks an important contribution in ecumenical conversation. It shows how ordination among Free Churches is more than a particular congregation consecrating the call of a minister or a denominational body recognizing action by a congregation. By revisiting the origins of congregational ecclesiology in early English Separatism, Abrahamse offers a constructive proposal for how ordination may be understood as being set apart for ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ. — Curtis W. Freeman, Research Professor of Theology, Duke University Divinity School.What happens when a young scholar does not echo established scholars but explores the sources himself? Jan Martijn Abrahamse shows the result with this study of Robert Browne’s theology of ordained ministry. With his fresh and accurate reading of Browne’s works, the author succeeds in going beyond the old and well-trodden path of a sharp distinction between Presbyterian and congregational models of church. Browne’s emphasis on the covenantal character of the community of the church helps to understand ordained ministry as a gift to the community, not as replacement of the communal christocracy. In all, Abrahamse has provided us with a must-read in ecumenical theology. — Cornelis van der Kooi, Professor Emeritus Systematic Theology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.This book offers a timely perspective on the understanding of ordained ministry in the times of a crisis of authority, doubts regarding the permanency of divine gifts, and human commitments. Retrieving the 16th and 17th century debate in religiously divided England, Abrahamse shows a paradoxical insight learned from the separatist “gathered churches”: the value of catholicity emerges most clearly when it is in danger of being lost. Ordained ministry as a lasting and yet vulnerable gift to vulnerable people and a vulnerable church is placed into a broader ecclesiological vision, complementing the Free Church Tradition with previously excluded voices. — Ivana Noble, Professor of Ecumenical Theology, Protestant Theological Faculty of Charles University, Prague
