Monthly Archives For February 2013

Supercalvinisticexpialidocious

, , Comment Closed

One of our memnbers commented that Bob Passantino was a great apologist for the Christian faith, extremely well read and knowledgeable, who died prematurely and that he was also an outspoken critic of Calvinism. Here…

Read Post →

Why I Am an Arminian, Part 2 of 2

, , Comment Closed

This is the second half of a paper, the first half of which attempted to make a positive case for Arminianism. This second half deals with objections that Calvinists have traditionally made to Arminianism, and offers answers to those objections from the Arminian point of view.

Objections from Reformed Theology
The above outline [in part 1] of the Arminian position purposely makes its case without reference to the Calvinistic objections that have been made to the various points. A summary of these follows. (It should go without saying that this section does not pretend to give an orderly or complete presentation of the Calvinist position. It merely responds point by point to the Arminian position represented above.) Letters in parentheses refer to the acronym TULIP, and thus to the various points of “five point” Calvinism.

Read Post →

Why I Am an Arminian, Part 1 of 2

, , Comment Closed

The following paper is meant to be an overview of what I believe with regard to the doctrine of Divine election. The first half, contained in this post, will explain why Arminianism–the rejection of unconditional divine election of specific individuals to salvation–is so often defended only in reaction to the Calvinist position, and will attempt to make a positive, Biblical case for Arminianism, without specific reference to the Calvinist position. The second half of the paper will discuss the Calvinist critique of Arminianism and attempt to respond to that critique from the Arminian point of view. The paper as a whole is merely intended to be an overview, not an exhaustive examination of the issues that surround divine election; a close exegetical study of the Biblical passages that bear upon divine election is necessary to decide upon one position or another.

Read Post →

Why Christians Don’t React With Violence

, , Comment Closed

This post came from SEA member Dale Wayman’s blog Ironstrikes which was taken from the blog of Mike Lee While He was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, suddenly arrived. A large mob, with…

Read Post →

Daniel L. Migliore on Election as Corporate

, , Comment Closed

The following quotes are from Daniel L. Migliore, Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004). The Westminster Confession of Faith, for example, states that by God’s secret decrees…

Read Post →

William Lane Craig on Romans 9

, , 3 Comments

Here are some excellent comments on Romans 9 from Dr. William Lane Craig. (This is an excerpt from Dr. Craig’s answer to a question from an atheist, taken from http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6675.)

[L]et’s talk about Paul’s doctrine of election in Romans. I want to share with you a perspective on Paul’s teaching that I think you’ll find very illuminating and encouraging. Typically, as a result of Reformed theology, we have a tendency to read Paul as narrowing down the scope of God’s election to the very select few, and those not so chosen can’t complain if God in His sovereignty overlooks them. I think this is a fundamental misreading of the chapter which makes very little sense in the context of Paul’s letter.

Read Post →

The Sermons of Dr. Vincent G. Artese Online

, , Comment Closed

The sermons of Wesleyan-Arminian pastor Dr. Vincent G. Artese, who serves at Pilgrim’s Pathway Christian Church in Monroe, Connecticut, may be found online here: http://www.pilgrimspathway.org/Sermons.htm.

Read Post →

The Arminian vs. Calvinist Recall Notice

, , Comment Closed

One of our members drew attention to a clever comparison of God’s offer in the gospel to a manufacturer issuing a recall notice. It struck me as Arminian in orientation. So, I thought it would…

Read Post →

Roger Olson, “Prevenient Grace: Why It Matters”

, , Comment Closed

“Prevenient Grace: Why It Matters”

by Roger Olson

This is a follow up to my earlier post regarding the statement of the traditional Southern Baptist view of salvation by certain Southern Baptist non-Calvinist, non-Arminian pastors and theologians. If you have not read that post, go back and read it before reading this one. Here I am picking up where I left off there and taking some comments subsequent to it into account.

Also, here, I am not delving into the debate between Calvinists and Arminians over the nature of prevenient grace as irresistible or resistible. That’s certainly interesting and much discussed in evangelical and Baptist circles, but here I am simply talking about prevenient grace AS IT IS BELIEVED BY BOTH CALVINISTS AND ARMINIANS.

Read Post →

Steve Witzki, Early Christian Writers on Apostasy

, , Comment Closed

In the attached article, Steve Witzki surveys the thought of the early church on the topic of apostasy, concluding: “It seems rather apparent that the Ante-Nicene Fathers believed that a Christian could sever their saving…

Read Post →