Arminianism
Arminianism vs. Calvinism: The FACTS vs. TULIP Acronyms
Submitted by Martin Glynn on Thu, 03/11/2010 - 9:34amOne of the most frustrating aspects of the Arminian and Calvinist debate is the amount of misunderstanding that goes on about the two positions. We have found that caricatures of both sides seem to be more common than honest descriptions. This site has been devoted to bringing clarity as to what defines the Arminian position, and promoting the position while being fair to Calvinism.
We have just set up a new primary link that gives a detailed comparison between the Arminian and Calvinist sides. You will find it under An Outline of the FACTS of Arminianism vs. the TULIP of Calvinism
An Outline of the FACTS of Arminianism vs. The TULIP of Calvinism
Arminianism may be represented by the acronym FACTS:
Freed by Grace (to Believe)
Atonement for All
Conditional Election
Total Depravity
Security in Christ
Calvinist Scholar Finds: "The Remonstrants Clearly Were Not Pelagians"
Submitted by SEA on Mon, 03/08/2010 - 8:57am- “The Remonstrants clearly were not Pelagians.”
You would think that such a statement comes from the lips or pen of an Arminian scholar or pastor, but it originally came from Reformed Baptist scholar Mark A. Ellis, who had even pastored a Reformed Baptist church. This quote appears in Ellis' introduction to his landmark scholarly translation of The Arminian Confession of 1621 (Mark A. Ellis [trans. and ed.], The Arminian Confession of 1621 [Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2005]). We are excited to be able to make this introduction available.* Click on this link to read the story behind this historically significant document.
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Mission Possible: A Response to Shai Linne
Submitted by WilliamBirch on Tue, 03/02/2010 - 7:48amThe following is an edited response to Shai Linne's Limited Atonement rap
song, "Mission Accomplished." The original version was posted by "Murray" in the comments at the Gadgetry, Thoughts, Unleashed! blog. What is in brackets has been re-written or re-worded for this posting on SEA.
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Well excuse me Mr. Linne, but I think you’re confused.
And there are one or two verses which you have misused.
It’s true – God only saves the group He’s elected.
But that doesn’t mean we’re born preselected.
The "children of promise" He’s chosen to save;
All who seek God through works remain in the grave.
And God truly desires all men to believe;
His words in The Book weren’t meant to deceive.
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And the elect themselves were just like all others,
Once children of wrath, just like their brothers.
So even if His death was selective,
Mark A. Ellis, "Introduction to *The Arminian Confession of 1621*"
Please click on the attachment to view Mark A. Ellis, "Introduction to The Arminian Confession of 1621", which is Ellis' introduction to his scholarly translation of the historic confession (Mark A. Ellis [trans. and ed.], The Arminian Confession of 1621 [Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2005]). The Society of Evangelical Arminians would like to thank Mark Ellis for providing the Introduction to his translation and Wipf and Stock Publishers for giving us special permission to post it at SEA.
1618 OPINIONS OF THE REMONSTRANTS with a MEMORIAL TO JAMES ARMINIUS
Taken from http://www.christianheritageworks.com/arminianfaith.htm
From the Archives of The Christian History Library
Housed at The Christian History Center
Staunton, Virginia
THE OPINIONS OF THE REMONSTRANTS
1. ON PREDESTINATION. 1. God never decreed to elect any man to eternal life, or to reprobate him from it, by his mere will and pleasure, without any regard to his foreseen obedience or disobedience, in order to demonstrate the glory of his mercy and justice, or of his power or absolute dominion.
2. As the decree of God concerning both the salvation and the destruction of every man is not the decree of an end absolutely fixed, it follows that neither are such means subordinated to that decree as through them both the elect and the reprobate may efficaciously and inevitably be brought to the destined end.
Ben Witherington - “Christian Apostasy and Hebrews 6”
On Wed, February 13, 2008, Dr. Ben Witherington posted “Christian Apostasy and Hebrews 6” on his blog. It is an excerpt from a book he would later publish entitled The Indelible Image. Witherington is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary.
(Click on PDF to view article, PDF compiled by Steve Witzki)
Messianic Jew David Stern and the Security of the Believer
Article compiled by Steve Witzki. Below is the intro, click on the PDF link for the complete article.
"David Stern is a Messianic Jew who believes that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah. He has written The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) and The Jewish New Testament Commentary (JNTC). He provides a number of insightful translations in the CJB and comments in the JNTC. One of the things I found interesting was his comments on passages that Arminians typically use in support of conditional security and the possibility of apostasy (i.e., believers becoming unbelievers through unbelief manifested in sin and disobedience toward God and His Word). He clearly falls on the side of Arminianism. I have put his CJB translations in bold to offset his comments in the JNTC."
Church History vs. Calvinism (Part Two)
Submitted by WilliamBirch on Wed, 02/17/2010 - 9:01amEmperor Constantine (AD 272-337), according to Laurence M. Vance,
- became the sole ruler of the Western branch of the Roman empire after defeating Maxentius (c. 283-312) at the famous Battle of the Mulvian Bridge, near Rome, in 312. It was here that Constantine claimed to have seen a vision of a shining cross that led to his victory. . . .
After supposedly attributing his victory to the "Christian God," Constantine joined with Licinius (c. 265-325), one of the emperors of the East, in issuing in 313, at Milan, a decree of toleration toward Christianity.1
By this time, the marriage of the Church to the state would be her downfall. Thus, in many cases, the redeemed sat alongside the unredeemed in every church service. Theodosius, Constantine's successor, by AD 381, proclaimed to all people that they "steadfastly adhere to the religion which was taught by St. Peter to the Romans, which has been faithfully preserved by tradition."2
Church History vs. Calvinism (Part One)
Submitted by WilliamBirch on Tue, 02/16/2010 - 9:12amTo say that any semblance of a Calvinistic framework is entirely absent from the teachings of the early Church fathers, as will become evident shortly, is an understatement. Ironically enough, however, John Calvin was not the originator of a predestinarian construction, strictly speaking. The founder of this doctrine was none other than St. Augustine (AD 354-430).
According to Vance, "The influence of Augustine upon history in general and Christianity in particular is incalculable -- but not surprising -- since, like Calvin, he was an extensively prolific writer. . . . When a modern Calvinist endeavors to substantiate Calvinism by an appeal to men, the first name mentioned is always that of Augustine."1
