Denial of Christ's Pre-Existence, or Socinianism

[TJ]

While here he contracted a very close and intimate acquaintance with Mr. William Manning, a very worthy Non-conformist Minister at Peasenhall in that neighbourhood...Mr. Manning took to the Socinian way, and strove hard to bring Mr. E[mlyn] into that way of thinking, but Mr. E[mlyn] never could be brought to doubt either of the pre-existence of our Saviour, as the Logos, or that God created the material world by him. Upon these points they had many friendly debates, as I find by several letters now before me, but the Socinian sense appear'd to our Author so forced and unnatural, that he could by no means give into it, nor did he at any time afterwards incline to this opinion: and yet so rash and daring are some in throwing out their scandal at all adventures, that upon occasion of his carrying a letter from Mr. Whiston to the Prolocutor of the lower house of convocation in the year 1711, he was without any regard to truth reflected on as a Socinian Preacher.

Memoirs of the Life and Writings of Mr. Thomas Emlyn, (Vol. 1; 1746. p. xiii-xiv)

[Greg Logan]

TJ

I much more prefer the statement that we affirm the man Christ Jesus (not manhood per se because of the obvious confusion) - rather than reject Christ's pre-existence. Our focus is affirmative - not negative.