This post is a response to Scott Christensen’s article “Prevenient Grace and Semi-Pelagianism”. (link) One of the main aspects of Mr. Christensen’s article is calling Arminians Semi-Pelagian. Pelagius was a heretic condemned by the early…
Author/Scholar Index: Calvinist
Misplacing Romans: John Wesley and Hermeneutics
Another great article from the Seedbed ministry at Asbury Seminary. This article is written by Dr Howard Snyder In the thick of theological controversies and church conflicts I often think: It’s all about hermeneutics! Battles…
The Tweet After the Tweet
By Derek Ouellette in response to John Piper’s Oklahoma debacle By now you are probably aware of another tweet by John Piper which fired up an otherwise friendly Christian community (<– yes, facetious). For…
John Wesley: Neither Pelagian nor Augustinian
written by by Henry Knight III A common criticism of Wesley’s theology, especially from those of a more Calvinist inclination, is that it grounds salvation not on grace but human decision. This is, to put…
Dr. Michael Brown vs. Pastor Bruce Bennett on Who Makes The Final Choice in Salvation…God or Man?
Here is the debate between Arminian and SEA member Dr. Michael L. Brown with Calvinist Pastor Bruce Bennett at Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Merrick, Long Island, on May 11, 2013. Note: The video contains the whole debate,…
Free Will Debate with Turretinfan
Turretinfan and I recently debated if the bible teaches libertarian free will. I hope that you find it useful. Here was the format we used with links to the transcript: Introduction: The Bible teach…
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 5: Taking The Mystery Out of Mr. Patton’s Strange Arguments
Part 5: Taking the Mystery Out of Mr. Patton’s Strange Arguments
Patton: These two issues, human freedom and sovereign election, are not contradictory when put together, but they are a mystery.
This is the same claim Mr. Patton made in his first post called “Why Calvinism is the Least Rational Option.” We have already begun to highlight the problems with this claim.
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 4: Returning the Favor (Reversing the Argument)
Part 4: Returning the Favor (Reversing the Argument) Patton: To the Calvinists, man is fully responsible for his choice, yet God’s election is unconditional. This creates a problem. It creates great tension. I agree that…
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 3: False Assumptions and Question Begging
Part 3: False Assumptions and Question Begging
Patton: Therefore, [according to Arminianism] God’s predestination of people is “fair” and makes sense. After all, there are too many questions left unanswered when one says that God chooses who will be saved and who will not. Why did he choose some and not others? Did God make people to go to hell? Is God fair? “Why does he still find fault, for who resists his will?”
The Arminian chooses this position because, for them, it is the only way to reconcile human freedom and God’s election.
Here is where Mr. Patton really missteps.
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 2: Theological Imprecision and Misrepresentations
Part 2: Theological Imprecision and Misrepresentations
Patton: However, I think we need take a step back and see that while the shoe fits when it comes to some particular issues in Calvinism these accusations are far from forming the bedrock of the primary issues in Calvinism. You see, one of the many reasons I am a Calvinist has to do with the tension that is allowed within the Calvinistic system that is not allowed in other systems.
The central core of Calvinism primarily centers on one doctrine: predestination. While the sovereignty of God has its place, it does not ultimately determine where one lands.
This is highly debatable among Calvinists. This may be Mr. Patton’s opinion, but I think that he is probably in the minority.
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 1: The Set Up
C.Michael Patton is the President of Credo House. He has now written two separate and similar posts defending the “irrationality” of Calvinism as actually being a strength of the system, specifically over and above Arminianism.…
Another Calvinist Misrepresentation of Arminianism
Another Calvinist Misrepresentation of Arminianism written by Roger E Olson, PhD As anyone knows who comes here regularly, I am a self-appointed defender of the truth about classical Arminianism. That often brings me into conflict…
Dr. Michael Brown vs. Dr. James White on Predestination, Election, and the Will of God
Here is the debate between Arminian and SEA member Dr. Michael L. Brown and Calvinist Dr. James White at Southern Evangelical Seminary, February 14, 2013. You can also order the debate on high-quality DVD here.…
Phillip M. Way, A Five Point Calvinist Speaks Out Against Requiring Calvinism for Salvation
This article was written by Pastor Phillip M. Way, a five point Calvinist! We include it on our site because it criticizes the hyper-Calvinistic view that one must believe Calvinism to be saved, as represented…
Michael Brown/James White Debate CD
Arminian scholar and SEA member Dr. Michael Brown debated with Calvinist scholar and apologist James White on predestination, election, and the will of God at Southern Evangelical Seminary on February 14, 2013. To order the…
James Beilby, “DIVINE ASEITY, DIVINE FREEDOM: A CONCEPTUAL PROBLEM FOR EDWARDSIAN-CALVINISM”
Please click on the attachment to view James Beilby, “DIVINE ASEITY, DIVINE FREEDOM: A CONCEPTUAL PROBLEM FOR EDWARDSIAN-CALVINISM”, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 47/4 (December 2004) 647–58.
Jack W. Cottrell, Response to Calvinist Bruce Ware Concerning Unconditional, Individual, Infralapsarian Election
This is Cottrell’s response to Bruce A. Ware’s essay, “DIVINE ELECTION TO SALVATION: UNCONDITIONAL,INDIVIDUAL, AND INFRALAPSARIAN”, both in Perspectives on Election: Five Views (Ed. Chad Owen Brand; Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2006). Click on the…
Robert Hamilton: The Wills of God
Does God have contradicting wills? Hamilton presents an Arminian perspective on the “two wills of God”. He argues that this is a question that presents problems for both Calvinism and Arminianism. Click on the link…
Thomas McCall, “We Believe in God’s Sovereign Goodness: A Rejoinder to John Piper”
This article continues McCall’s critique of a popular Calvinistic view of God’s sovereignty as represented by John Piper, which can be applied to the standard view of Calvinism, i.e., exhaustive determinism, which includes God’s unconditional…
Q&A with Dr. Olson on Calvinism & Arminianism
City On A Hill Church in Seattle WA invited Dr. Roger Olson to be part of a “Forum on Calvinism and Arminianism,” during which over 30 of the most common questions related to Calvinism and…
Recent Posts
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”
Video: Joel Korytko, “How Romans 9 Doesn’t Support Calvinism”
