Defenders is Dr. William Lane Craig’s weekly Sunday school class on Christian doctrine and apologetics. This video is part 17 of his material on the doctrine of man. His is a link to the video…
Determinism
Compatibilism and Wireless Technology, Part 2: The Wireless Transmitter Analogy
In this post I hope to show by way of analogy the incompatibility of soft determinism with human freedom. I will first lay out the technological terms and give a brief explanation of how they work. I…
Compatibilism and Wireless Technology, Part 1: Why Calvinism’s Explanation for Human Freedom and Responsibility Doesn’t Satisfy Me
In this post I will discuss why Compatibilistic Calvinism really offers no satisfactory explanation of how genuine human choice (in the common understanding of the word) is possible within the scheme of divine determinism. William Birch…
Günther H. Juncker, “The Dilemma of Theistic Determinism”
Please click on the link to view Günther H. Juncker, “The Dilemma of Theistic Determinism,” Journal for Theology and Ministry 12.2 (Fall 2015) 15-22. The link goes to a download of a pdf of the entire edition of…
Jerry L. Walls, “Why No Classical Theist, Let Alone Orthodox Christian, Should Ever Be a Compatibilist”
Please click on the link to view Jerry L. Walls, “Why No Classical Theist, Let Alone Orthodox Christian, Should Ever Be a Compatibilist,” Philosophia Christi 13.1 (Summer 2011), 75-104. The author’s abstract of the article: I argue…
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…
God’s Circus
The Bible everywhere assumes free will within the context of God’s sovereignty. This renders any semblance of determinism erroneous at best and damaging to the character and integrity of God at worst. If God influences our…
The Parable of the Midwives
BREAKING: the midwife murderers have just entered the court room. Tamar and Gomer are each charged with 10 counts of infanticide. In the process of helping young Hebrew parents deliver their babies, Tamar and Gomer…
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).…
Cheryl Schatz, “Purposeless Evil”
Is there purposeless evil if God did not foreordain all things? Calvinists often talk about “purposeless evil”. In fact, Dr. James White, a Calvinist apologist from Alpha and Omega Ministries, has stated that if God did…
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,…
J. Warner Wallace, “Do Neurological Studies Prove Free Agency Is an Illusion?”
Please click on the link to view J. Warner Wallace, “Do Neurological Studies Prove Free Agency Is An Illusion?” [Original post at the author’s website]
J. Warner Wallace, “Are Atheists Right? Is ‘Free Will’ An Unnecessary, Unimportant Illusion?”
Please click on the link to view J. Warner Wallace, “Are Atheists Right? Is ‘Free Will’ An Unnecessary, Unimportant Illusion?” [Editor’s note: The point Wallace makes that if determinism is true, then there is no use…
Martin Glynn, “A Critique of ‘Do We Have Free Will?’ by Geoff Ashley, Part II: Considering the Considerations of the Objections”
In part 1, I looked at a short essay written by a Geoff Ashley that has apparently been making the rounds through Calvinist circles as an explanation of the Calvinist perspective of the will. I agree that…
Martin Glynn, “A Critique of ‘Do We Have Free Will?’ by Geoff Ashley, Part I”
Recently, I was pointed to a presentation of the Calvinist view of the will that has been circling the internet (here). When I read it, I found it to be well written, and an excellent…
Robert B. Chisholm Jr., “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?”
Please click on the link to view, Robert B. Chisholm Jr., “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?”, Bibliotheca Sacra 152 (October-December 1995) 387-99.
Cheryl Schatz, “Was Judas Predestined to Be Lost?”
Is Judas a problem for your theology? He can be a problem if some of your beliefs come from tradition and not from the Scriptures. In this article I would like to discuss the full…
My Final Post on Choice/Determinism Debate with Steve
Steve Hays and I have been discussing choice and determinism. However our last two posts have shown a significant increase in talking past each other rather then moving deeper into the topic. While I could…
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…
Dan Chapa, “Calvinism & Determinism”
It seems Calvinism is simply determinism in the context of soteriology. Determinism is the cause and TULIP is the result. Let’s walk through TULIP to see if we can spot determinism. Total Depravity – Hum……