November 2009
Interesting Links 11-29-09
Submitted by Kevin Jackson on Sun, 11/29/2009 - 2:14amDr. Jeffrey E. Greenway, a UMC Pastor gives a review of the Wesley Study Bible. He comments on the Calvinist resurgence. "In my opinion, the trend of the majority of modern evangelicalism has a Calvinist/Reformed bent...However, I also believe that the world and culture in which most of us find ourselves is ripe for a resurgence of a Wesleyan approach to faith and practice."
Looks like Bill O'Reilly is not a Calvinist. In this video he mentions (in passing) some of the problems of Calvinism. Go to 2:45 for the pithy version. (HT: Contemporary Calvinist)
Interesting Links 11-14-09
Submitted by Kevin Jackson on Sat, 11/14/2009 - 2:17amWesley the Movie premiers tonight in Winston-Salem, NC. The Winston-Salem Journal has an article about the production. For more info see the movie website or Facebook page.
Vision.org has a good short biography about Calvin: John Calvin - Geneva's Iron Hand.
SLW presents a cure for the TULIP.
Exciting News in the Addition of Two New Resources
Submitted by SEA on Thu, 11/05/2009 - 12:09amWe have added two new resources to the site. The first to mention is the really exciting addition: The Puritan Arminian John Goodwin's (1593-1665) magisterial Redemption Redeemed, which some believe to be the best defense of Arminianism ever written, a powerful, classic, comprehensive, biblical defense of five point Reformation Arminian theology weighing in at 740 pages. You can find it here. We want to thank John Wagner for bearing the cost of getting this important work into electronic files and making them available to us.
The second resource is an excellent concise summary of the corporate election view of election, predestination, and foreknowledge, which maye be viewed here.
We hope that these resources will be helpful to you as you seek God's truth.
John Calvin on Limiting Our Understanding of God to His Self-revelation in Scripture
Submitted by Ben Henshaw on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 9:03am"Let us beware lest our words and thoughts go beyond what the Word of God tells us…We must leave to God His own knowledge,…and conceive Him as He makes Himself known to us, without attempting to discover anything about His nature apart from His Word." (Quoted in The Story of Christianity Vol. 2, by Justo L.Gonzalez, pg. 61)
If only John Calvin had followed his own advice and discovered God through His self-revelation alone, rather than positing a secret divine will that contradicts God’s will as revealed in Scripture and making “secret decrees” the foundation of his soteriology, decrees that the Bible nowhere mentions or describes.
John Goodwin, *Redemption Redeemed*
- Apostasy
- Arminianism
- Assurance
- Atonement
- Bible Passages
- Calling
- Calvinism
- Depravity
- Determinism
- Election
- Faith
- Foreknowledge
- Free Will
- General
- Grace
- Hermeneutics
- Monergism & Synergism
- Ordo Salutis
- Perseverance
- Predestination
- Prevenient Grace
- Providence
- Regeneration
- Reprobation
- Sovereignty of God
- Union with Christ
Now available here online, John Goodwin's Redemption Redeemed may be the best defense of Arminianism ever written. Published in 1651 by the Arminian Puritan John Goodwin (1593-1665), it is written in seventeenth century English with a Puritan writing style, which can make for challenging reading. But it contains tremendous biblical exegesis. The patient reader will be rewarded with a powerful, classic, comprehensive, biblical defense of five point Reformation Arminian theology.
A Concise Summary of the Corporate View of Election and Predestination
Here is an excellent concise summary of the doctrines of conditional election and predestination from the corporate election perpective, which differs from the traditional Arminian view of individual election based on foreseen faith. Both the traditional view and the corporate election view are allowed in SEA, for both conceive of election and predestination as conditional on faith in Christ. This material comes from Zondervan's NIV Life in the Spirit Study Bible.
Is the "New Heart" of Ezekiel 36:26-27 a Reference to Regeneration Preceding Faith?
Submitted by Ben Henshaw on Mon, 11/02/2009 - 11:36amCalvinists will often quote Ezekiel 36:26-27 as a proof text for regeneration preceding faith. The Calvinist doctrine insists that one must be given a new heart before that person can believe the gospel. For that reason, Ezekiel 36:26-27 is often called into service to demonstrate this principle. Below is the passage with verse 25 included:
- I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. (ESV)
Does this passage give the Calvinist what he needs to defend his doctrine? Does it truly demonstrate that regeneration precedes faith and that God must give a sinner a new heart before he or she can believe unto life?
Interesting Links 11-01-09
Submitted by Kevin Jackson on Sun, 11/01/2009 - 10:00amThe Spokane Examiner has an article entitled: A Methodist's Take on Predestination and Free Will. (HT: Wesley Wong)
Richard Coords takes a look at a dissertation that explores the potential Gnostic influence on Augustine’s doctrine of Predestination.
Blogger Josh Taylor has an excellent piece on Justification by Faith.
Calvinist Kevin DeYoung asks: Can God Know Everything and Still Give Us Free Will? Be sure to see Adam O's comment.