[This post was taken from Kevin Jackson’s website Wesleyan Arminian, where the original post and comments can be found]
Jackson. Kevin
Kevin Jackson, “Does God Have a Secret Will that Contradicts His Revealed Will?”
One of the cores of Arminian theology is that God wants everyone to be saved. Two passages that teach that are 1 Timothy 2:3-4, and 2 Peter 3:9. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who…
Kevin Jackson, “A Wesleyan-Arminian Defense of the Penal Substitution Theory of Atonement”
This post is about why I believe the Penal Substitution theory of Atonement is compatible with the Wesleyan-Arminian theology. It is scripturally supported, it is easy to understand, it is advocated by Wesleyans and Arminians…
Kevin Jackson, “Book Review- Free Will Revisited: A Respectful Response to Luther, Calvin, and Edwards, by Robert E. Picirilli”
Free Will Revisited is a book by Robert E Picirilli, a Free Will Baptist theologian and professor emeritus of Greek and New Testament studies at Free Will Baptist College. As the title suggests, the book is a…
Kevin Jackson, “Man Goes Bankrupt After Refusing to Sign Check”
Local resident Calvin deKlein declared bankruptcy today after refusing to sign a check that would have paid off the debt for him. deKlein was reportedly heard muttering, “If I sign the check, it means I…
Kevin Jackson, “Does Our Choosing of God Take Away from His Glory?”
I recently received an email from a reader asking this question. I thought it would be worth sharing, as it comes up occasionally. I’ve received permission to share our correspondence, but have removed the specifics…
Kevin Jackson, “Can God Answer Prayers About the Past?”
Roger Olson has recently done a couple of interesting posts about whether or not God can change the past. He argues that God cannot change the past. Here are the links: Can the Past Be…
Book Review: Arminian and Baptist, Explorations in a Theological Tradition by J. Matthew Pinson
Arminian and Baptist is a book about the history of Arminian theology in the General Baptist and Free Will Baptist tradition. It is written by J. Matthew Pinson, a Free Will Baptist, and the president…
Arminian Principles for Interpreting Romans 9
Romans 9 is often the “go to” text for Calvinists. They hold that it is about individual election to salvation — that God unconditionally chooses to save certain individuals, and that he unconditionally rejects and…
Did God Fix the Outcome of the Seahawks/Packers Game?
The Seattle Seahawks have been in the news recently because of their improbable last minute win over the Green Bay Packers. With four minutes left in the game, the Packers had a 99.9% statistical chance…
‘The Case for Inclusivism’: An Arminian Response
I recently read a 2012 blog post written by Kevin Jackson over at Wesleyan Arminian on The Case for Inclusivism. This blog particularly interests me as a classical Arminian, as I am an Exclusivist, yet Kevin also believes, “All Arminians ought to reject…
The Case for Inclusivism
This article is by Kevin Jackson of Wesleyan Arminian Inclusivism is the Christian doctrine that teaches it is possible to be justified through Jesus Christ without explicit or complete knowledge of who he is. Specifically,…
Musings on the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant and its Relation to the Atonement
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant is recorded in Matthew 18:23-35. Here it is in full (NIV): “Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As…
How Can a Dead Person Believe Unless God Makes Him Alive?
How can a dead person believe unless God first makes him alive? This is a question that is asked by Calvinists. Ephesians 2:1-9 states that we are dead in sin, that we are saved by…
Why Does One Person Believe in Jesus and Not Another?
This is a question I sometimes get from Calvinists. They ask, “Why does one person believe in Jesus and not the other?” The short answer to the question is: One person chose to believe and…
Only Paul [Satire]
What was the purpose and extent of the atonement? Was it to merely make salvation possible for all and secure it for none? Or was it to definitely secure salvation for Paul? After setting aside…
Calvinist Christmas Songs – Humor
These are meant in good fun. Most come from the Twitter hash CalvinistChristmasSongs. ——————————————————————————– Joy to the Elect Deck the Shelves With Books by Piper Good Christian Men Read Boice Oh Come All Ye Chosen…
Theologians Explain Why the Chicken Crossed the Road (Humor)
Greg Boyd: It’s a possibility that the chicken crossed the road.
Rick Warren: The chicken was purpose driven.
Mark Driscoll: The chicken crossed because of the rooster’s leadership.
Rachel Held Evans: We’re talking about chickens here, not pigs.
Pelagius: Because the chicken was able to.
John Piper: God decreed the event to maximize his glory.
Irenaeus: The glory of God is the chicken fully alive.
C.S. Lewis: If a chicken finds itself with a desire that nothing on this side can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that it was created for the other side.
Billy Graham: The chicken was surrendering all.
Pluralist: The chicken took one of many equally valid roads.
Universalist: All chickens cross the road.
Words That Arminians and Calvinists Define Differently
Arminians and Calvinists define some theological terms differently. This has a tendency to cause us to talk past each other when discussing theological issues. Here are some of the words that Arminians and Calvinists have different meanings for:
Decree
Arminians – A plan of God to establish parameters for the way something will work. For example, God can decree for humans to have and make decisions.
Calvinists – A plan of God to cause things to happen in a predetermined way.
Election
Arminians – God chooses Christ. Those who follow Christ benefit from his election.1
Calvinists – God unconditionally chooses certain individuals to be saved. The chosen are elected.
Faith
Arminians – Faith means to trust God. Because of God’s drawing grace, it is possible for each person to trust God.
An Explanation of Simple Foreknowledge
In the book Against Calvinism, Roger Olson asserts that Calvinism damages God’s reputation, and that it (unintentionally) turns God into a moral monster who is hardly distinguishable from the devil. Olson doesn’t argue that Calvinists affirm that God is like the devil. Rather, in his view it is the logical implication of Calvinism. It’s a strong assertion, but I agree. John Wesley did also.
