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Pharisees and Jesus – A Study in "Arminian" Logic
First Caveat: I’m using “Arminian” here to refer to a broad range of non-Calvinists – and specifically to refer to those representative of the population of non-Calvinists that regularly criticize Calvinism. I realize that there are Arminians out there who take a very different approach. This is not directed to them. Spurred on by Triablogue’s…
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Myths and Realities about Arminianism
Paul Manata of Triablogue has provided a thorough and detailed (and consequently lengthy) review of and response to Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities, by Roger E. Olson (link to review). Olson is a self-described Arminian responding to what he views as various misconceptions about Arminianism both those of Calvinists and those of self-identified Arminians. I…
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Common Grace vs. Prevenient Grace
One reader asked, “How does the Arminian concept of prevenient grace differ from the Calvinist concept of common grace? It seems to me that they each describe one and the same thing.” In Calvinist circles, the term “common grace” is used to describe a number of things. One definition provides three aspects: 1) “a certain…
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30 Seconds on God’s Knowledge of the Future
Team Pyro has a post that takes 30 seconds to read but concisely states one of the arguments against the Arminian world-view (link). I’ve expanded on this same theme in a previous post, entitled, “The Diary” (link). -TurretinFan To God be the Glory!
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So You Want to Root Out Calvinism?
Here’s a video that humorously (or at least that is the intent) illustrates a number classic errors that are frequently used by opponents of Calvinism. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OebZJzB7W_c&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&feature=player_embedded&fs=1] There is some nice marching music in the background, but no verbal material in the audio – so if you need to turn off the audio, you won’t miss…
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Real Varieties of Calvinism
Can there be real, recognizable varieties of Calvinism? My previous post may have suggested that there could not be such recognizable varieties. That’s not the case. There are several ways in which Calvinism could be divided. For example, with respect to the salvation of infants who die in infancy, there are four Calvinist views, namely…
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Five Points Compared to a Few Soteriologies
For those interested, I thought it would fun to provide a tableshowing acceptance of TULIP’s various petals (T = Total Depravity, U =Unconditional Election, L = Limited Atonement, I = Irresistible Grace,P = Perseverance of the Saints). T U L I P Pelagian No No No No No Pelagian ES No No No No Yes…
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Calvinism Distinguished Historically
Nomenclature is important. Generally speaking, Calvinism as distinct from Arminianism is the result of the controversy provoked by the Remonstrants and addressed by the Synod of Dordt. People seem to lose site of this important historical concept. This controversy essentially provided a definition of Calvinism as distinct from Arminianism, characterized by five points. The “five…
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Calvinism and Determinism: a Response
Godismyjudge (GIMJ) has provided a post with the title “Calvinism and Determinism,” in which his thesis is: “It seems Calvinism is simply determinism in the context of soteriology.” (source) I have a number of reactions to this sort of comment: 1) Let’s suppose the thesis is correct. Then what? Applying the label “determinism” to Calvinism…
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Arminianism and Natural Birth
Joshua Lim at Reformed Blogging has an interesting post on Arminianism and Natural Birth (link) (Mitch has pointed out that there is something wrong with the link. The post can be found via the following link, about 3/4 of the way down the page – backup link). He states fairly succinctly this particular problem that…