Thomas More (weaver)

For the Lord Chancellor, see Thomas More.

Thomas More was a 17th-century weaver and lay theologian who resided near Wisbech in England. He gained prominence for his 1646 theological work, "The Universality of God’s Free Grace in Christ to Mankind," in which he advocated universal redemption.

Theological contributions and rception

More's book was groundbreaking in its time for arguing that God's grace through Christ was universally applicable to all of humanity, challenging the more selective or predestinarian viewpoints held by some theologians of his era.

His work ignited a storm of theological debate and led to multiple responses. Among these were Thomas Whitfield's 1646 counter-argument, "A Refutation of the Loose Opinions, and Licentious Tenets Wherewith Those Lay-preachers Which Wander up and Down the Kingdom, Labour to Seduce the Simple People," and Obadiah Howe's 1648 work, "The Universalist Examined and Convicted, Destitute of Plain Sayings of Scripture, or Evidence of Reason."

Influence on John Owen and legacy

Notably, the renowned theologian John Owen used More's work as a major point of contention in his own 1648 treatise, "The Death of Death in the Death of Christ." According to theologian J. I. Packer, Owen selected More's book "as the fullest statement of the case for universal redemption that had yet appeared in English," and utilized it as a 'chopping-block' to dismantle the arguments in favor of universal redemption.

While More's views were not universally accepted and led to considerable controversy, they nonetheless played a significant role in the theological discourse of the 17th century, contributing to the ongoing debate on the nature and scope of divine grace and redemption."