Five-point Calvinists insist that the offer of salvation is sincerely granted to and attainable by all by the grace of God, in and through faith in Christ, and yet God has not provided an unconditional…
Character of God
James Pedlar, “John Wesley on Predestination”
All his life, John Wesley stood within the tradition of English Arminianism, but from the early days of the Methodist revival, his position on predestination became a particularly important and divisive issue. Of course, his…
Roy Ingle, “Did God Predestine the Fall of Man?”
One of the difficult elements of Calvinism is that when you logically work through the doctrine of predestination you ultimately come to the conclusion that God caused Adam to sin or that He predestined the…
Roger Olson, “What’s Wrong with Calvinism?”
This is a talk I (Dr Roger Olson) gave recently at City on a Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. (City on a Hill is a mostly Russian evangelical church. It’s leaders are concerned about infiltration…
Humanity Needs a Personal God
Humanity demands a [personal] God who can thus be recognized and worshiped. The instinct of reverence and homage, which evidently pervades the human heart, so much so that it has found its place as an…
A. Philip Brown II, “Does God Harden People’s Hearts?”
Please click on the link to view A. Philip Brown II, “Does God Harden People’s Hearts?” God’s Revivalist and Bible Advocate 121.3 (April 2009), 14.
Roger Olson, “Calvinist Attempts to Rescue God’s Character Considered and Refuted”
As anyone who has read me or listened to me (on the subject of Calvinism) knows, my main complaint about Calvinism is that it undermines the character of God. Of course, I do not mean…
Roger Olson, “C. S. Lewis Said It: God’s ‘Goodness’ Cannot Be Wholly Other”
For years now I have been insisting that the main reason I am not a Calvinist (or any kind of divine determinist) is that, taken to its “good and necessary consequences,” Calvinism makes God morally…
God’s Care for Every Person
It is interesting to see how many passages there are in the Scriptures which speak of God’s protection of animals, even of those which are the least considerable. He takes care of the cattle of…
Some Helpful Replies from Austin Fischer to Objections to His Recent Post on Calvinism Not Being Beautiful
Here are some helpful comments Austin Fischer made in the comment thread of his recent post “Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed a Year Later: Calvinism (Still) Isn’t Beautiful” at his blog (the post can be found on this…
Austin Fischer, “Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed a Year Later: Calvinism (Still) Isn’t Beautiful”
“They’re not going to embrace your theology unless it makes their hearts sing.”[1] -John Piper One of the more persistent myths regarding art (broadly defined) is that the artist understands what he or she…
Mike Barlotta – 3 Characteristics of Predestination
In “The Softer Face of Calvinism” (Christianity Today), it is argued that, rather than appealing to theologians to understand Reformed theology, one should use the Reformed confessions and creeds. The confessions, therefore, form an important…
Roger Olson, “Review of Oliver Crisp’s *Deviant Calvinism: Broadening Reformed Theology* Part Five”
This is Part Five of my series of review essays of Oliver Crisp’s new book Deviant Calvinism: Broadening Reformed Theology and deals with Chapter 5 : Universalism and Particularism.” I invite those reading the book…
Roger Olson, “Review of Oliver Crisp’s *Deviant Calvinism* Part Four”
This is Part Four of my series of review essays of Oliver Crisp’s new book Deviant Calvinism: Broadening Reformed Theology and deals with Chapter 4 : “Augustinian Universalism.” I invite those reading the book with…
Steve Sewell, “Election and the Character of God”
When studying any doctrine of the Bible, it’s important to have a correct starting point, and that is especially true when studying the doctrine of election. An incorrect starting point will lead us down the…
Steve Sewell, “God’s Plan of Election (Commentary on Romans 9 – Part Two)”
Scripture quotations are from the English Majority Text Version (EMTV) unless noted otherwise. Does God Harden Hearts? (Still addressing verses 17 and 18): 9:17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose…
Steve Sewell, “God’s Plan of Election (Commentary on Romans 9 – Part One)”
Scripture quotations are from the English Majority Text Version (EMTV) unless noted otherwise. Introduction Romans 9 is a very controversial chapter, but it shouldn’t be. All through the Word of God we learn about all…
Craig Keener, “Did God love the Egyptians?”
Please click on the link to view Craig Keener, “Did God love the Egyptians?”
God’s Exploitation of the Devil’s “Thorns”
God’s sovereignty should never be seen as unilaterally determining or decreeing the evil actions or intentions of free agents (human or demonic) before the foundation of the world. Rather God’s sovereignty is best understood as…
Calvinism vs. Arminianism: Should We Tell Unbelievers That God Loves Them?
Last week on the way to my small group Bible study at church, I had an interesting conversation with a pastor friend who’s a Calvinist. I said something about hoping my son would get saved…
