This exposition discusses the earliest, historical beliefs of the Arminian theological tradition regarding the effects of the fall upon man, the nature of the will of man and the mode of grace in salvation. The…
Depravity
John Mark Hicks, “Righteousness of Saving Faith: Arminian Versus Remonstrant Grace”
This article originally appeared in the Evangelical Journal 9 (1991) 27-39, and was taken from the website of John Mark Hicks, specifically this page: http://johnmarkhicks.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/righteousness-of-saving-faith.doc. Please click on the attachment to view John Mark Hicks,…
The Awakening of God to Our Sins
The Awakening of God to Our Sins written by SEA member, Roy Ingle Salvation is of the Lord. We affirm that but let us consider that truth played out in our lives. When I was…
William Brennan, “John Wesley’s Experimental Religion and Evangelism in a Postmodern Age”
John Wesley’s Experimental Religion and Evangelism in a Postmodern Age
written by William Brennan (PhD cand)
EVANGELISM AND THE POSTMODERN CONDITION
That postmodernity is a hazy concept, ill-defined and worse-employed, is by now a sad truism, only worsened by its many variants and broad influence over multiple areas of contemporary life and thought. It must be acknowledged, though, with however much reserve, that there is such a thing as postmodernity which is not only pervasive within the philosophy, ethics, and aesthetics of our day, but which also has deep roots at the popular, cultural level. And though the Church need never capitulate to predominant cultural models, she must ever ask: how will we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to this generation? When this question is asked with reference to this present generation, the phenomena of cultural postmodernity—however it is to be more precisely defined—cannot be ignored.
“The Glory Which Is Ours”
“The Glory Which Is Ours Written by B. P. Burnett ~ “God does not wish to do everything, in order not to take from us our free will and that part of the glory which…
John M. Wiley, “Distinguishing Classical Arminianism from Semi-Pelagianism: An Attempt to Liberate Jacobus Arminius from Fallacious Claims and Popular Misconceptions about His Theology”
Please click on the attachment to view: John M. Wiley, “Distinguishing Classical Arminianism from Semi-Pelagianism: An Attempt to Liberate Jacobus Arminius from Fallacious Claims and Popular Misconceptions about His Theology.” This is a graduate paper…
Roger Olson, Thoughts about “A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation”
Recently a group of non-Calvinist Southern Baptists wrote and signed “A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation.” I certainly have no objection to a group of non-Calvinists pushing back…
Roger Olson, “Prevenient Grace: Why It Matters”
“Prevenient Grace: Why It Matters”
by Roger Olson
This is a follow up to my earlier post regarding the statement of the traditional Southern Baptist view of salvation by certain Southern Baptist non-Calvinist, non-Arminian pastors and theologians. If you have not read that post, go back and read it before reading this one. Here I am picking up where I left off there and taking some comments subsequent to it into account.
Also, here, I am not delving into the debate between Calvinists and Arminians over the nature of prevenient grace as irresistible or resistible. That’s certainly interesting and much discussed in evangelical and Baptist circles, but here I am simply talking about prevenient grace AS IT IS BELIEVED BY BOTH CALVINISTS AND ARMINIANS.
A New Perspective on Ephesians 1 and 2
This post was originally published as the third installment of a series, the first two numbers being “The New Perspective on Paul” and “The New Perspective and the Development of Reformed Doctrine.” The background for…
Jeremiah 13:23 – Proof of Man’s Inability?
Often cited as a proof text for the doctrine of Total Inability is Jeremiah 13:23, which reads, Jeremiah 13:23 “Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots? Then also you can do…
Is Faith a Work?
Is Faith a Work?
This post is written by SEA member, Roy Ingle
In Romans 4:4-5 we read the following:
4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
Do Arminians Believe in Total Depravity?
Leading Calvinist John MacArthur asserts that,
“The contemporary idea today is that there’s some residual good left in the sinner. As this progression came from Pelagianism to Semi-Pelagianism, and then came down to some contemporary Arminianism, maybe got defined a little more carefully by Wesley, who was a sort of, ah, um, messed up Calvinist, because Wesley wanted to give all the glory to God, but as you well know, but he wanted to find in man some place where man could initiate salvation on his own will… So that the sinner, un-aided by the Holy Spirit, must make the first move. That’s essentially Arminian theology: The sinner, un-aided, must make the first move.”(Bold Emphasis mine)1
Loraine Boettner writes,
What Fell in
What Fell in “the Fall”?
written by SEA member, Roy Ingle
F. Lagard Smith in his book Troubling Questions for Calvinists (and all the rest of us) asks 15 questions about the Fall in Genesis 3:1-7.
I post his questions here without comment.
[Editor’s note: Smith is not an Arminian, but a Semi-Pelagian. Yet these questions can still be helpful in thinking about the issue of human depravity.]
1. What do you think? Were Adam and Eve free moral beings, fully able to decide between obeying and disobeying God without any predetermined secret eternal will of God preempting their freedom to choose right from wrong?
a) If not, is there any way that God Himself is not responsible for their sin and “the Fall”?
b) If so, were they simply exceptions to an otherwise universal rule of predestination and sovereign causation?
2. Were Adam and Eve either totally or partially depraved before “the Fall”?
3. What about immediately after “the Fall”?
Adam Heard the Voice of God
Adam Heard the Voice of God written by SEA member, Roy Ingle Some Calvinists such as R.C. Sproul asserts that one must be regenerated before faith because of the nature of total depravity. Since mankind…
Arminius on The Effects of the Sin of Our First Parents
Arminius on The Effects of the Sin of Our First Parents
provided by SEA member Roy Ingle
DISPUTATION XXXI
ON THE EFFECTS OF THE SIN OF OUR FIRST PARENTS
I. The first and immediate effect of the sin which Adam and Eve committed in eating of the forbidden fruit, was the offending of the Deity, and guilt — Offense, which arose from the prohibition imposed — Guilt, from the sanction added to it, through the denunciation of punishment, if they neglected the prohibition.
II. From the offending of the Deity, arose his wrath on account of the violated commandment. In this violation, occur three causes of just anger:
(1.) The disparagement of his power or right.
(2.) A denial of that towards which God had an inclination.
(3.) A contempt of the divine will intimated by the command.
Jesus Says the Dead Will Hear Unto Spiritual Life
I want to recommend Chris Chapman’s article available at SEA called, The Extent of Spiritual Death. Chapman’s article does an excellent job of demonstrating from Scripture that the spiritual death described in the Bible does…
Arminius on What the First Sin Produced
Arminius on What the First Sin Produced written by SEA member, Roy Ingle What were the results of Adam’s transgression against God? Arminius answers thus: The proper and immediate effect of this sin was the…
Adam Clarke on Romans 7:14
Adam Clarke on Romans 7:14 provided by SEA member, Roy Ingle Romans 7 is a debated passage. It was here, in his teaching through the book of Romans, that Arminius differed with the Calvinists of…
John Wesley’s Approach to Spiritual Formation
This post was written by Ben Espinoza on the Seedbed.com website Perhaps my greatest research interest as of late is studying how various theologians and church leaders throughout history sought to form and educate believers…
The Common Ground of Lutherans and Arminians With Regard to the Free Will of Men
In combating charges of Pelagianism and heresy, Lutherans and Arminians have both expressed clear sentiments defining the orthodoxy of man’s limited freedom of the will. Philip Melancthon, Martin Luther’s contemporary friend and colleague, systematized Lutheran…
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”
