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…
Arminianism
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…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 6”
BEN: At one point you say (p. 70) “Scripture alone cannot prove one side right and other side wrong”. I think I must disagree. Scripture is consistent on these issues precisely because it reflects the…
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”,…
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…
Can One Be Both a Calvinist and a Molinist?
Can one be both a Calvinist and a Molinist? Many Reformed Christians have deemed this an impossibility, while some prominent Reformed philosophers like Alvin Plantinga and Del Ratzsch profess to be simultaneously Calvinists and Molinists.…
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…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 4”
BEN: On p. 55, you talk about Wesley’s treatise on divine sovereignty compared to Calvin’s view. Would you say that while Wesley agrees with Calvin that God is sovereign, absolutely so, and could do what…
Why I May or May Not Respond to Every Comment
Originally posted on Arminian Theology. Any hitherto reference to “this site” is a reference to Arminian Theology. While this represents that site’s official policy, we felt it apt to recommend this policy to other bloggers. …
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…
“(Re)Thinking through Romans 9”
Share This: Via Twitter | Via Facebook *All scripture quotations are from NASB, unless otherwise noted. In his song “Context”, Calvinist recording artist Flame says: “exegesis is the careful systematic study of scripture for the…
Wesley’s Question, “How’s Your Doing?”
When Christians gather in small groups together, we usually greet one another with the colloquial “How are you doing?” This question can also be used to describe what happens thereafter. Many small groups that focus…
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.…
Randy L. Maddox, “Theology of John and Charles Wesley”
Please click on the link to view Randy L. Maddox, “Theology of John and Charles Wesley,” in T&T Clark Companion to Methodism, 20–35. Edited by Charles Yrigoyen, Jr. New York: T&T Clark, 2010.
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 Creedal Faith
Wesley once stated that early on the Oxford Methodists were tenaciously orthodox, “firmly believing not only the three creeds, but whatsoever they judged to be the doctrine of the Church of England, as contained in…
The Arminian Conundrum
John Owen, seventeenth-century Calvinist theologian who insists that Arminians are “tares in the field” of God’s kingdom, emissaries and mouthpieces of Satan, who “by their words, which are smoother than oil, [an individual can] taste…
Can God Love All People?
Calvinist John Piper answers the question he himself frames and thus poses: “Why can’t God eternally love those who don’t believe in Him?” (link) Is there not at least one obvious and inherent flaw in…
Calvinist Misconceptions: The Arminian View Of Man’s Fallen State
Calvinists often accuse Arminians of being Pelagian, or Semi-pelagian at best, when it comes to original sin and the depravity of man. And it’s no wonder, as many Calvinist websites paint quite an inaccurate picture…
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”
