Calvinism
Recent responses to Against Calvinism
Submitted by drwayman on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 8:05amRecent responses to Against Calvinism
By Roger E. Olson, PhD
Here I post two e-mails that typify responses I’ve received from individuals about Against Calvinism.
I’m not going to comment on them, just reproduced them here. I’ll let you, my faithful readers, decide what you think and comment on them. I’ve removed anything that would identify their authors.
Words that Arminians and Calvinists Define Differently
Submitted by Kevin Jackson on Thu, 05/03/2012 - 6:34amArminians and Calvinists define some theological terms differently. This has a tendency to cause us to talk past each other when discussing theological issues. Here are some of the words that Arminians and Calvinists have different meanings for:
Decree
Arminians - A plan of God to establish parameters for the way something will work. For example, God can decree for humans to have and make decisions.
Calvinists - A plan of God to cause things to happen in a predetermined way.
Election
Arminians - God chooses Christ. Those who follow Christ benefit from his election.1
Calvinists - God unconditionally chooses certain individuals to be saved. The chosen are elected.
Faith
Arminians - Faith means to trust God. Because of God's drawing grace, it is possible for each person to trust God.
Does Ephesians 1:1-11 Support Calvinism?
Submitted by drwayman on Wed, 05/02/2012 - 6:36amThe following is from Dr. Jack Cottrell. While he is neither a member of SEA or a self-declared Arminian, his thoughts on Ephesians 1 are very insightful.
QUESTION: Calvinists say that Ephesians 1:1-11 clearly establishes the absolute and all-inclusive sovereignty of God, including the unconditional predestination of the elect to salvation. How do you interpret this text?
ANSWER: A right understanding of Ephesians 1:1-11 begins with the recognition that God's purpose for Israel was from the beginning limited to preparing for the coming of the Messiah, namely, for the incarnation of God the Logos as the human person Jesus of Nazareth. Once the Messiah came, it was God's eternal purpose to merge all believing Israelites and all believing Gentiles into one new body called the church. This is the main point of the book of Ephesians, and it is the key to understanding the often misused passage in Ephesians 1:1-11.
On Theological Certainty
Submitted by drwayman on Fri, 04/27/2012 - 11:51am“Theology is the study of God and his ways. For all we know, dung beetles may study us and our ways and call it humanology. If so, we would probably be more touched and amused than irritated. One hopes that God feels likewise.”[1]
Pretention and Certainty
“And you think your stuff doesn’t stink.” The adage may sound crass, but the problem it highlights is crass: pretention. There are few things more repulsive than pretention. The teenager who knows it all, the sports fan who has never lost an argument, the theology major who has unlocked all the mysteries of the universe. An hour locked in a room with any of the aforementioned persons is enough to make the strongest heart weak.
Defining Arminian Soteriology
The purpose of this post is to define Arminian soteriology. Arminianism in general is the views of James Arminius. Of course, Arminius’ views span more then just salvation. They include the freewill of man, God’s providence, the entrance of sin into the world and foreknowledge. This post is specific to the topic of salvation.
The One Purpose of Prayer
Submitted by drwayman on Tue, 04/24/2012 - 7:40am"Now, the whole thought in prayer is to get the will of God like that done in our lives and upon this old earth. The greatest prayer any one can offer is, "Thy will be done." It will be offered in a thousand different forms, with a thousand details, as needs arise daily.
But every true prayer comes under those four words. There is not a good desirable thing that you have thought of that He has not thought of first, and probably with an added touch not in your thought. Not to grit your teeth and lock your jaw and pray for grace to say, "Thy will be endured: it is bitter, but I must be resigned; that is a Christian grace; Thy will be endured." Not that please. Do not slander God like that.
Another Round in the Theodicy Debate (This Time Involving Bob Dylan!)
Submitted by drwayman on Fri, 04/20/2012 - 12:14pmRoger E. Olson, PhD writes:
“Theodicy”–The attempt to justify the ways of God in the face of the problem of evil.
A friendly correspondent sent me this URL to an article in today’s Chronicle of Higher Education:
http://chronicle.com/article/The-Naked-Truth-at-Stanford/131428/
The article is entitled The Naked Truth by Ron Rosenbaum (author of Explaining Hitler). It states the classical theodicy problem very powerfully–using an obscure line from an obscure Bob Dylan lyric.
In a nutshell, the author’s argument is that, in light of the holocaust, people must give up believing in God.
Roger Olson on “judging God’s morality” (snippet)
Submitted by drwayman on Wed, 04/18/2012 - 7:42amThis is a brief snippet from Dr. Roger Olson's post: "About judging God's morality"
Recently, an acquaintance asked me if I am guilty of “judging God’s morality.” He explained that his reason for asking is my answer to my student’s question, “If it were revealed to you in a way you could not doubt that God is as Calvinism says, would you still worship him?” My answer was “No.”
Apparently this response caused my acquaintance some consternation. I responded that I didn’t see why. He further explained that it seemed to him inappropriate to judge God. “But, I said, I’m not judging God. God is worshipful; I worship him. How is that judging God?”
An Explanation of Simple Foreknowledge
Submitted by Kevin Jackson on Mon, 04/16/2012 - 12:08pmIn the book Against Calvinism, Roger Olson asserts that Calvinism damages God's reputation, and that it (unintentionally) turns God into a moral monster who is hardly distinguishable from the devil. Olson doesn't argue that Calvinists affirm that God is like the devil. Rather, in his view it is the logical implication of Calvinism. It's a strong assertion, but I agree. John Wesley did also.
CALVINIST RHETORIC: Prooftexting
Submitted by Martin Glynn on Thu, 04/12/2012 - 10:58amOr "Say hello to my little friend!"
What I mean by Proof-texting
There are four different ways to interact with Scripture within a discussion:
- Exegesis: Carefully breaking down the meaning of a text through grammar, definitions, and context.
- Quoting: Repeating word for word what a particular passage says.
- Referencing: Just naming the Book, chapter, and verses to which you are referring.
- Inferencing: Integrating Scripture into what you are saying without reference to origin, by summarizing, partial quotation, or other means.
Naturally, we would like to exegete whenever possible. However, anytime in which you quote, reference, or inference Scripture in order to demonstrate the validity of the point which you are arguing, you are in a sense proof-texting.
