John Piper argues that, when kings are “in their God-appointed place, with or without Satan’s agency, they are in the sway of God’s sovereign will.”1 He quotes Daniel 2:20-21; 4:17, and Proverbs 21:1, failing to…
Character of God
Ben Witherington and Keith Stanglin, Jacob Arminius, Theologian of Grace– Part Four
BEN: Arminius seems to work hard to avoid making God the author of sin, or of anything evil for that matter, including the Fall. He is very willing to talk about God’s ‘permissive’ will when…
Vic Reasoner, “An Arminian Covenant Theology”
Too many Arminians have pushed their tray through the theological cafeteria, accepting a helping of whatever sounded good. Before we accept all the popular theology of the celebrity teachers, we had better determine upon what…
The Devious and Duplicitous Mind of God in Calvinism
In Calvinism, God commands the angels and the devils to do His bidding.4 Calvin explains: “[W]e infer that God was the author of that trial of which Satan and wicked robbers were merely the instruments.”5…
Ben Witherington and Keith Stanglin, Jacob Arminius, Theologian of Grace– Part Two
BEN: Jacob Arminius seems to be a frequently misrepresented theologian, whose works have been neglected, and lack readily accessible translations into English from the Latin and Dutch. To what would you attribute this neglect, and…
That Wonderful (Mind-Controlling) God?
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are…
J. Warner Wallace, “The Problem of Evil: The Role of Eternity and Free Will (Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast #57)”
From the video’s YouTube page: In this episode of the Cold-Case Christianity Broadcast, J. Warner Wallace examines the classic problem of evil and offers a cumulative case response. In this first of several related broadcasts, J.…
God Is Not Impassive
It is sometimes said of God, that, being infinite and perfect, he is beyond the reach of emotionality; in other words, is an “impassive” existence, a being without feeling. The truth seems to us to…
Joshua Thibodaux, The Fallacies of Calvinist Apologetics – Fallacy #6: Is God Cruel If He Lets a Believer Fall Away?
Related Fallacies: Special Pleading (Double Standard) Equivocation Straw man “Of course, this raises the question, why does their God save a person to damn him? Why not simply leave him in his unsaved state?” –…
Steve Sewell, “The Fruit of the Spirit Disproves Determinism”
All Scripture quotations are from the 1901 American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. Galatians 5:16-25: 16 But I say, Walk by the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For…
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…
What if God Were the Only One Who Loved You?
Is that an odd question: What if God were the only one who loved you? If you have ever experienced the feeling of being unloved, even if from a cognitive distortion, you more fully identify…
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…
Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, *A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism*
Please click on the link to download and view Mildred Bangs Wynkoop, A Theology of Love: The Dynamic of Wesleyanism (Kansas City: Beacon Hill Press, 1972). A modern classic of Arminian theology.
Video: Sean McDowell, “Why Does God Allow Evil?”
Evil is one of the most common objections raised against the existence and goodness of God. Sean briefly provides one reason God may allow evil and how evil, when it is properly understood, is an…
Dr. Grudem’s Erroneous Description of the Arminian View of Providence
In his otherwise excellent Systematic Theology, Dr. Wayne Grudem falls into some unsightly errors regarding Determinism and soteriology. He covers the doctrine of God’s Providence in chapter 16 (or chapter 8 in the abridged version).…
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,…
Michael McGhee Canham, “Potuit Non Peccare or Non Potuit Peccare: Evangelicals, Hermeneutics, and the Impeccability Debate”
Please click on the link to view Michael McGhee Canham, “Potuit Non Peccare or Non Potuit Peccare: Evangelicals, Hermeneutics, and the Impeccability Debate,” The Master’s Seminary Journal 11/1 (Spring 2000) 93-114. Abastract: The debate over whether Christ was…
Roy Ingle, “God Loves Me!”
I stand in awe of the reality that God loves me. The Scriptures clearly reveal this truth (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; Ephesians 2:4; 1 John 4:9-10). Over and over again I have failed to live…
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”
