God gives man free-will, and man chooses to believe in determinism, instead. That is the sad irony that Calvinists introduce into Christianity. So, is “freewill” a pagan term? No, it is a biblical term: Philemon…
Richard Coords, “Gift Principles”
The Bible presents eternal life as a free gift. Romans 6:23 states:“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So, if we…
Richard Coords, “Gaslighting (Spiritualized)”
According to psychological experts, “gaslighting” is a form of manipulation that seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or in members of a targeted group, hoping to make them question their own…
Richard Coords, “Foreknowledge”
Foreknowledge is prescience, meaning knowing ahead of time. For instance, God said of Pharaoh: “‘But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. So I will stretch…
Friday Files: Molinism
SEA does not take an official stance on the subject of Molinism. There are some members who are openly Molinist, such as Dan Chapa and Evan Minton. There are others that think that Arminianism and…
Richard Coords, “Favoritism”
At Acts 10:34-35, the apostle Peter treated divine impartiality as a virtue, implying that it is something good and noble about God, perhaps which we should all emulate in our own interactions with our neighbors:…
Friday Files: Monergism
Calvinists often love the terms ‘monergism’ and ‘synergism’. The usefulness of these terms is dubious, and the use of the term ‘monergism’ as some test for orthodoxy can be question begging, but they have become…
Richard Coords, “Faith”
Faith is common to man, which Calvinists readily acknowledge, though while offering the caveat of a distinction between what they define as human “natural faith” vs. divine “saving faith.” For the Calvinist, “natural faith” never…
Richard Coords, “Failure”
Frequently, Calvinists contend that if God really wanted for someone to be saved but who ultimately died in unbelief and perished, then God would have proven to be a failure, and therefore only an effectual…
Friday Files: Depravity
It is a common strawman to say that Arminians do not believe in Total Depravity. It has been refuted so thoroughly and is in such contradiction to all Arminian literature, that it is amazing that…
Richards Coords, “Evangelism”
There certainly are Calvinists who are evangelists, but one issue worth discussing is how the theology of Calvinism impacts evangelism. Some are turned off from Calvinism because of how it is perceived that it would…
Friday Files: The Synod of Dort
The Synod of Dort was a national council held in what is now Dordrecht, Netherlands in 1618-1619. It is considered by many Calvinists to be a historically authoritative council on a similar level as Nicaea…
Friday Files- The Book of Ephesians
The different books of the Bible emphasize different parts of God’s message to us. It is therefore unsurprising that certain books address the topics relevant to the Arminianism and Calvinism debate more so than others….
Richard Coords, “Evanescent Grace”
Evanescent Grace John Calvin taught a doctrine known as Evanescent Grace which Calvinists nearly universally denounce, though without providing an alternative explanation. The basis for the doctrine was to explain why the non-elect sometimes take…
Richard Coords, “Eternal Security”
See also the discussion on Assurance. Three distinct doctrines on the matter of Assurance involve the following: The doctrine of Eternal Security (Traditionalism) [Editor’s note: “Traditionalism” is a movement related to the Southern Baptist Convention.]…
Coords, Richard, “Emotions”
According to Calvinism, God decreed whatsoever comes to pass. Such belief in exhaustive determinism has then led to the longstanding objections made against Calvinism in that God’s emotions would no longer make any sense if…
Coords, Richard, “Election”
Theological “election” deals with God’s choices. For instance, the Bible refers to an election of: Christ (Isaiah 42:1; Luke 9:35; 1st Peter 2:6) National Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6; Isaiah 45:4) Jerusalem (1st Kings 11:13) Disciples (John…
Friday Files: Faith Vs Works
I was recently talking to a friend of mine. He had recently encountered a Calvinist and was confronted with the old canard the Arminians believe that faith is a work. It is a tired argument,…
Richard Coords, “Elect”
Who are the “elect”? That is a frequently asked theological question. The answer is that it is a biblical term for those chosen by God for various reasons. Sometimes it is for service (1st Peter…
Friday Files: Sermons
Listed below are some Arminian sermons that we have collected over the years. Theologians are important of course, but the pulpit is the source of teaching that is part of worship, and deserves attention. Exegetical…
