“God created things which had free will. That means creatures which can go wrong or right. Some people think they can imagine a creature which was free but had no possibility of going wrong, but…
Arminianism
The Making of a Classical Arminian
The lovely picture to your right is a Dutch-Calvinist work naming Arminianism a five-headed, four-footed, part man, part beast, monster. The five-fold head of this monster represents the head of Avarice, Deceit, Riot (or Sedition),…
Christian Philosopher Lydia McGrew on Calvinism
This conversation took place in the comment section of one of Dr. Lydia McGrew’s posts at her blog Extra Thoughts: C. M. Granger said… Hi Lydia, why aren’t you a Calvinist? 11/26/2015 6:25 PM Lydia McGrew said……
Understanding the Controversy of Former Supralapsarian Calvinist Arminius
The title of this post is a bit controversial in itself: Was Arminius a supralapsarian Calvinist at one time? That is a possibility. I believe that he was a supralapsarian. At least twice in Arminius’…
Steve Sewell, “The Incompatibility of Calvinism and Fulfillment Theology”
All Scripture quotes are from the 1901 American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. Introduction It’s widely known that many Calvinists hold to Fulfillment Theology (FT). The reason that matters is because, I believe, FT and Corporate…
Roger Olson, “My Response to ‘An Assemblies of God Response to Reformed Theology'”
The Assemblies of God denomination is one of the largest, if not the largest, evangelical Christian denomination that is historically-theologically primarily, if not exclusively, Arminian in theology. I grew up Pentecostal but not “AG.” However,…
Arminius the Gadfly
A gadfly is a “persistent irritating critic; a nuisance.” (link) The late Anglican priest John R.W. Stott comments that the Church needs gadflies to “sting and harry us into action for change,” even though gadflies…
The Motive for Arminius’ Theology
What we must first understand about Arminius’ theological thought process is his positional biblicistic framework. Calvinist theologian Richard A. Muller confesses as much: “Had Arminius been a biblicistic pietist,” i.e., a devotional writer, “promulgating a…
Steve Sewell, “Calvinism’s Unsound Interpretation of John 6:37, 44-45”
All Scripture quotations are from the 1901 American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. John 6:44-45 44 No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will…
The Unjust Persecution of the Arminians
After the death of Arminius in 1609 the Remonstrants petition the States for protection and safe conduct. Why? Why would the early Arminians fear for their physical safety? By the era of Arminius’ death in…
Steve Sewell, “Get God’s Character Right, You’ll Get His Sovereignty Right”
Get God’s character right, and you’ll get His sovereignty right. God’s character defines His sovereignty, not the other way around. What separates Calvinists and Arminians, primarily, is our view of God. Calvinists are determinists. There…
The Five Points of Arminianism
If not for the early Dutch Reformed Arminians rejecting five tenets of Calvinistic ideology, there would be no TULIP today, as TULIP is merely a reaction to Arminian theology. After the death of Arminius, in…
Ben Henshaw, “Grace For All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation (Book Review)”
John D. Wagner has produced an updated and expanded version of “Grace Unlimited”, originally edited by the late Clark H. Pinnock. This updated version is called “Grace For All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation.” This…
Reward and Punishment Necessitate Libertarian Freedom
As is stated in previous posts on this site, libertarian free will is assumed throughout the tenor of the entire Bible, and determinism is exposed as not merely flawed but erroneous and damaging to the…
Steve Sewell, “If Christ Died Only for “The Elect” …
… then faith only applies to “The Elect.” Jesus said, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the…
Matt O’Reilly, “Common Grace vs. Prevenient Grace: What’s the Difference?”
The question was put to me over lunch earlier this week and not for the first time. So I thought it worthwhile to post here a few reflections on the difference between the Reformed doctrine…
Book Review: Grace for All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation
John D. Wagner assembled inputs from a wide range of authors to put together Grace for All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation. The book starts off with Roger Olson defending Arminianism from the charge of…
Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, *A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism*
Please click on the link to view Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1972). A modern classic of Arminian theology.
The Genius of Arminian Theodicy
I do not accept what is known as a Greater-Good theodicy1 — that all sin and evil serve a purpose in the mind and plan of God, from which He will bring about a greater…
Wayne Grudem’s Flawed View of Faith (and what prevents us from boasting)
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave…
