Online Journal Article: "Is Prayer Redundant? Calvin And The Early Reformers On The Problem Of Petitionary Prayer" JETS 60/2 (2017): 333–48

https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/60/60-2/JETS_60-2-333-348_Woznicki.pdf

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https://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/60/60-2/JETS_60-2-333-348_Woznicki.pdf

From the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (JETS)

JETS 60/2 (2017): 333–48
IS PRAYER REDUNDANT? CALVIN AND THE EARLY
REFORMERS ON THE PROBLEM OF PETITIONARY
PRAYER
by CHRISTOPHER WOZNICKI
Abstract: Filling a glaring gap in Reformation studies addressing the problems of petitionary
prayer, this essay turns to the work of John Calvin and his fellow reformers in order to fill that
gap. I argue that despite rejecting a two-way contingency account of prayer, Calvin and most of
his contemporaries make a case for prayer being a worthwhile and effective spiritual practice by
appealing to something other than prayer’s role in giving God reasons to act. These Reformers
argued against the redundancy of prayer by appealing to the change that happens in the praying
agent. The argument of this essay is carried out with special reference to contemporary analytic
theology accounts of petitionary prayer.
Key words: analytic theology, Heinrich Bulling