In the last post, we explored Owen’s admission that there is a distinction between Christ obtaining spiritual blessings and the application of these blessings, which are given on the condition that a person believes. Owen’s solution, used…
Posts By g1antfan
Mike Barlotta, “The Death of John Owen’s Argument That a General Atonement Means God Failed to Achieve His Goal (Part 3)”
In part 1, we examined Owen’s contention: Christ’s death does not make salvation possible. It actually and infallibly applies the benefits of the cross to everyone that Christ died for. the [purpose] of our Saviour’s coming, … [was] namely, to “save sinners;”…
Mike Barlotta, “The Death of John Owen’s Argument That A General Atonement Means God Failed to Achieve His Goal” (Part 2)
In part 1 of this series the dilemma that Owen poses to those who reject a limited/particular atonement was explored. According to Dr. Owen the options are: Universalism Accepting that God had no purpose or intention behind the…
Mike Barlotta, “The Death of John Owen’s Argument That a General Atonement Means God Failed to Achieve His Goal (Part 1)”
In the Death of Death in the Death of Christ (1647), Dr. John Owen offers a famous argument for a limited atonement. That was explored in another post. In chapter 1 of Book I there is another challenge presented…
Book Review: Free Will Revisited by Robert Picirilli
Opening my inbox, I saw an email that caused me to pause. The subject line was Arminian Theology and the author was Robert Picirilli. Expecting anything but an email from the noted theologian of that name, I clicked…
If I only had free will (parody)
I could make a decision not bound by decreed precision I’m certain to fulfill. Nor would I be a puppet, strings pulled like Jim Henson’s muppet if I only had free will I’d unravel just…
Mike Barlotta, “John Owen on Preaching the Gospel to those whom Christ did not die for”
John Owen was well aware of the arguments against limited atonement regarding the preaching of the gospel. Particularly that the gospel, preached to the non-elect (or reprobate), was vain and useless. Opponents make this claim,…
Grace for All: What Is Hebrews All about Anyway?
This post is a part of a series that is examining each essay in the recently published book Grace for All. This is the final essay in the book Grace for All, and the second…
I Find Your Definition of Faith Disturbing
Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. – Acts 16:31 A friend recently gave me a copy of Grace, Salvation & Discipleship by Charles C. Bing to review. The author, a strong…
Augustine’s Evolving Views on God’s Sovereignty (Part 2)
We have been examining Augustine’s changing views on faith, free will, and God’s sovereignty. His original views on these topics evolved from a synergistic model (where God and man cooperate in coming to faith) to…
Augustine’s Evolving Views on God’s Sovereignty (Part 1)
In a previous post we examined Augustine’s changing views on free will. His original view regarding free will and faith mirrored that of the other early church writers and theologians. But later, Augustine articulated views…
John Wesley On Regeneration
John Wesley was someone who focused on the practical matters of living out the Christian life. But he did not ignore the essential doctrines of the faith. In sermon #45, entitled “The New Birth”,…
Life is like a …
On one of the Society of Evangelical Arminian (SEA) forums, we were exploring illustrations on how we might describe the world, specifically how can we describe the interactions between God’s sovereignty and man’s freedom and…
Blogging through Grace for All: Evil Is a Tough Pill to Swallow When One Holds to Theological Determinism
Glen Shellrude, Professor of New Testament at Alliance Theological Seminary (link, blog) offers us, what may be the longest titled article in Grace For All, “Calvinistic and Problematic Readings of the NT Texts, or Why…
Does God Want All to Be Saved? A Response to Dr. Kruger
Dr. Kruger is the President and Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS). His interests in the formation of the NT canon and the early history of the church align with…
Free Grace for All (Seussical)
What if Dr. Seuss entered the debate on Calvinism & Arminianism? It might go something like this… Grace for all Grace for all That grace for all! That grace for all! I do not like…
The Parable of the Midwives
BREAKING: the midwife murderers have just entered the court room. Tamar and Gomer are each charged with 10 counts of infanticide. In the process of helping young Hebrew parents deliver their babies, Tamar and Gomer…
What If: Could Anakin Skywalker Have Chosen Not to Become Darth Vader?
In Star Wars Episode III, The Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Master Mace Windu and Sith Lord Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) are engaged in battle when Anakin Skywalker enters the room. As Anakin watches on,…
Mike Barlotta – Neutral Zone Infraction
The neutral zone is an area that is no larger than the width of a football. It is the zone that separates the offense and defense before the play starts. When a defensive player enters…
Rich Davis, “Calvinism’s Misplaced Culpability”
Calvinism and TULIP go hand in hand. When you think of the one, it’s rather hard not to think of the other. However, certain qualifications are in order. “The truth is,” says Michael Horton, “there…
