BEN: When the Gospel of Matthew presents us with Jesus saying that he is submitting to baptism to ‘fulfill all righteousness’ he is of course talking about the righteousness that comes from obedience to the…
Arminian Heritage
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 15”
BEN: Your discussion of open theism is interesting, and I wonder if since your book was published (2006), you’ve settled the matter in your mind. For my part, I have rejected open theism. I think…
7 Quotes About “Free Will” That Arminians Agree With (this may surprise you!)
The doctrine of Total Depravity is a doctrine that is not only Biblical, but has also been embraced by both Calvinists and Arminians throughout church history. And, likewise, the heresy of Pelagianism is not only…
John Wesley, Contemporary Wesleyanism and the Reformed Tradition
INTRODUCTION Wesleyans are often surprised to discover how Reformed John Wesley is in his understanding of original sin and salvation. Conversely, many Calvinists are forced to re-evaluate their simplistic caricatures of Wesley as they examine…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 14”
BEN: It seems reasonably clear that Arminius took the Calvinistic view that regeneration precedes conversion. I suppose it depends on what one means by regeneration— the ability to repent? In any case, various later Arminians…
A. W. Tozer Sermon: Calvinism & Divine Sovereignty
From the sermon’s YouTube page, which can be accessed here: A. W. Tozer preaches a powerful sermon on the sovereignty of God and the false doctrine of Calvinism. Aiden Wilson Tozer (1897 – 1963) was…
A Roundup of Obituaries for Distinguished Wesleyan-Arminian Theologian Thomas Oden
Christianity Today’s obituary for Thomas Oden: “Died: Thomas Oden, Methodist Theologian Who Found Classical Christianity.” Mark Tooley’s Gospel Coalition obituary: “Thomas Oden (1931–2016), Theologian and Friend.” Michael Bird’s notice: “The Passing of Thomas Oden (1931-2016).” The…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 10”
BEN: How would you distinguish the Calvinist notion of God’s providence from the Arminian one? It is interesting to me that if one reads Wesley’s Journal, one finds the phrase ‘a singular providence of God’…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 9”
BEN: The issue of how to interpret the phrase ‘only begotten of the Father’ has bedeviled Christological debates forever it seems. Is this Scriptural notion the basis of Arminius and various his successors arguing that…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 7”
BEN: I take it as given that you have established both that there are some strong incompatibilities between Calvinism and Arminianism, but at the same time there are some strong agreements between the two theological…
Prevenient Grace: An Introduction
Understanding the doctrine of prevenient grace was one of the most valuable studies for me after leaving Calvinism. It provided an answer to one of the simplest arguments I used to make for Calvinism: I…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 5”
BEN: One of the major emphases in Stanglin and McCall’s fine book on Jacob Arminius is that Arminius did not agree with Beza et al. on the issue of monergism, which is to say that…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 3”
BEN: On p. 51 you quote the Westminister Confession about ‘the chief end of humans being to glorify God and enjoy him forever’. You go on to quote Arminius to that effect. But what that…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 2”
BEN: Roger you seem to spend a good deal of effort trying to say that Arminian theology could rightly be called a form of Reformed theology, though one distinct from high Calvinism at various points.…
Ben Witherington, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology– Part One”
Roger Olson’s fine book entitled Arminian Theology. Myths and Realities (IVP, 2006, 266 pages) is a must read for those who don’t really know much about the differences and similarities between Arminian theology and Calvinist…
Wesley’s 22 questions
These are 22 questions the members of John Wesley’s Holy Club asked themselves every day in their private devotions over 200 years ago. Interesting how they are still relevant today. 1. Am I consciously or…
Gospel Coalition Interview of Arminian Scholar Matt Pinson: “Meet a Reformed Arminian”
Jeff Robinson, a senior editor for The Gospel Coalition, interviewed Arminian scholar Matt Pinson on Robinson’s Gospel Coalition blog. Please click on the link to view the interview: “Meet a Reformed Arminian”.
The Gift of Faith
When Calvinists accused Jacobus Arminius of insisting that faith in Christ is not the gift of God, he responded: “I never said this, I never thought of saying it, and, relying on God’s grace, I never…
Reformed Forum Interview of Arminian Scholar Keith Stanglin
Please click on the link to listen to the interview. Here is the Reformed Forum’s description of the interview from the interview’s web page, which also has a bibliography of Dr. Stanglin’s works: Dr. Keith…
The Loss of Arminius to the Remonstrants
One of the most frustrating aspects for the followers1 of Jacob Arminius’ teachings on God’s nature, character, salvation — including grace, election unto salvation, justification and conditional perseverance with an accompanying final or ultimate salvation…
Recent Posts
Roy Ingle, “Calvinism and the Atonement”
Why Does God Deny the Opportunity of Choice for or Against Him to Young Children Who Die and the Mentally Impaired?
Mark K. Olson, “Wesley’s ‘Warmed Heart’ at Aldersgate – What Really Happened?”
Adam Roe, “The Crucial Thread of Prevenient Grace: A Wesleyan Perspective on Divine Drawing”
