Many of you have heard of Pascal’s Wager as a motivator to believe in God, but I think it also applies to the Calvinist/Arminian debate. Here is Pascal’s Wager: Belief in God, if God exists,…
Free Will
God’s Sovereignty in the Crucifixion of Jesus
by Roger E. Olson One critic has argued against my maxim that, “God is in charge but not in control” by pointing to Acts 2:23, which says that Jesus was “delivered up according to the…
Eric Landstrom, God, Evil, and Grace in Calvinist and Arminian Theology
As early as Episcopius Arminians have argued that if acts arise necessarily from decree, then God must have included within his decree for the implementation of how to bring the decree to fruition. Popularly it…
Robert Hamilton: Grace to Be Holy
An essay by Robert Hamilton on grace, assurance and sanctification. “How can a Christian have any reasonable assurance that he will in fact persevere in the faith, not to mention experience consistent victory over deliberate…
Paul Copan, “Divine Exasperation”
Please click on the link to view Paul Copan, “Divine Exasperation”, which surveys biblical passages that express God’s exasperation with sinful, human resistance to his grace, revealing “God’s legitimate expectation of spiritual fruitfulness, repentance, or obedience.…
Brian P. Irwin, “Yahweh’s Suspension of Free Will in the Old Testament: Divine Immorality or Sign-Act?”
Please click on the attachment to view Brian P. Irwin, “Yahweh’s Suspension of Free Will in the Old Testament: Divine Immorality or Sign-Act?” Tyndale Bulletin 54.2 (2003) 55-62.
The author’s summary:
Several passages in the Old Testament portray Yahweh as behaving in
ways that seem unfair or immoral. Two such narratives are the
episodes describing the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart and the spirit
dispatched to deceive Ahab. In each of these two cases, careful
attention to the literary context and the final form of the MT shows that
Yahweh’s behaviour is best understood as a sign-act directed toward a
specific end.
The First Fatal Flaw in the Calvinist System Revisited
by Roger E. Olson Recently I wrote about flaws and fatal flaws in theological systems. All have flaws. Some also have fatal flaws. One I mentioned that I see in the Calvinist system (as articulated…
Roger Olson, “Theological Flaws and Fatal Flaws”
by Roger E. Olson Recently I argued that every theological system has flaws that should be acknowledged so that the entire system is held somewhat lightly and open to revision. One problem is when a…
God and Evil
by Roger E. Olson Obviously, one posted message cannot begin to solve the problem(s) of God and evil. All I want to accomplish here is clear up some misconceptions about the Arminian view and ask…
On Omnitemporality
One of the problems with attempting to discuss the issue of Foreknowledge as it relates to Free Will is that the term itself prejudices the discussion, bending it in a certain argumentative direction that the…
God’s Self-Limitation
by Roger E. Olson Several readers seem to me to ignore an important presupposition of classical Arminian theology and of open theism. (I could probably list some other theologies that also affirm God’s self-limitation, but…
Dealing With a Dealt-With Deal: An Overview of the Author of Sin Controversy
Even though many of us Arminian e-pologists (as we are affectionately known) have dealt with this issue (see here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here, and here), it is still…
Jerry Walls, “WHAT IS WRONG WITH CALVINISM?”
Taken from http://www.catalystresources.org/issues/351Walls.htm
WHAT IS WRONG WITH CALVINISM?
One of the most longstanding debates in the history of theology concerns the relationship between predestination and human freedom. On one side of this dispute, the most famous name is John Calvin, and on the other the most noted name is probably John Wesley. Although Wesley was primarily concerned with evangelism and church renewal, the very nature of his work required him to take positions on certain controversial issues. Perhaps the most significant of these involved his disputes with Calvinism; indeed, his work on these issues represents one of his most important contributions to historical theology.
Grace and Free Will: A Parable
by Roger E. Olson
A Calvinist seminary professor lectured on the incompatibility of salvation by grace alone through faith alone, and belief that, in order to be saved, a person must freely accept the grace of God. “Arminianism makes the individual person’s free choice the decisive factor in his salvation. Therefore, in his theology, salvation cannot be a free gift. By choosing it freely the person is contributing something to his own salvation. That’s a meritorious work and therefore his salvation would not be absolutely the work of God.”
Friday Files: Foreknowledge, Freedom, and the Future by Robert E. Picirilli
One of the basic questions that many Calvinists have for us is “how does God’s omniscience allow for the freedom of the human will?” Picirilli attempts to answer this question in this wonderful article. Robert…
Capstone on “Choice” debate with Paul Manata
This is the final part of a debate with Paul Manata on determinism.
Arminian Minute: Eye of the Tiger & Romans 9
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21g_zKK_FTk
Arminian Confession of 1621 and Apostasy
Arminian Confession of 1621 and Apostasy – an article about the Remonstrants’ position on the possibility of apostasy. Click on the pdf to view Arminian Confession of 1621 and Apostasy
Arminian Minute: Is Unconditional Election Good News for the Despairing Soul?
Does Calvinism (with its upholding of unconditional election) really have good news for the despairing sinner? At most, a Calvinist can tell a disturbed soul that they could be among God’s elect. But, is such…
The Awakening of the Freewill Baptists: Benjamin Randall
The Awakening of the Freewill Baptists: Benjamin Randall and the Founding of an American Religious Tradition, by Scott E. Bryant, Ph.D. and William H. Brackney, Ph.D. Please click on the attachment to view the article: Benjamin…
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”
