Is it possible for you to live a more holy life? Does God want you to sin? Does God grant grace to live in closer communion with Him? These questions are central to the Yield…
Early Church Fathers
Mark K. Olson, “Clement of Alexandria: An Early Church Wesleyan?”
[To view the footnotes on this page, scroll down to the bottom of the page. Clicking on the hyperlinked footnotes will take you off site to the notes in the original article location.] Introduction When…
Accepting/Rejecting Calvinism (Pt. 13: Calvinism, Church History, and Prevenient Grace)
This is from a series of posts which was copied with permission from Jordan Apodaca’s blog, “Thoughts & Anti-Thoughts,” which can be accessed here: https://jordanapodaca.wordpress.com/ This particular post, which allows comments, can be accessed here: https://jordanapodaca.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/acceptingrejecting-calvinism-pt-13-calvinism-church-history-and-prevenient-grace/…
Christopher T. Bounds, “The Scope of The Atonement in the Early Church Fathers”
Please click on the link to view Christopher T. Bounds, “The Scope of The Atonement in the Early Church Fathers,” Wesleyan Theological Journal 47.2 (Fall 2012) 7-26. Here is the author’s conclusion: In conclusion, while Thomas Oden in…
Ben Henshaw, “A Brief Review of ‘Free Will: Pagan and Unbiblical'”
A Calvinists site promoted this video on their site a few years ago: “Free Will: Pagan and Unbiblical”. I forced myself to watch it, which wasn’t easy. Here are my brief, informal comments on the…
Augustine’s Evolving Views on God’s Sovereignty (Part 2)
We have been examining Augustine’s changing views on faith, free will, and God’s sovereignty. His original views on these topics evolved from a synergistic model (where God and man cooperate in coming to faith) to…
Augustine’s Evolving Views on God’s Sovereignty (Part 1)
In a previous post we examined Augustine’s changing views on free will. His original view regarding free will and faith mirrored that of the other early church writers and theologians. But later, Augustine articulated views…
The Cause of God and Presuppositions: Irenæus
English Baptist and theological hyper-Calvinist John Gill (1697-1771), in his work, The Cause of God and Truth, is found guilty of not only committing numerous logical fallacies regarding the writings of the early Church fathers…
Loraine Boettner’s Botched Church History
The Church history of Loraine Boettner (1901-1990), as such intersects with Calvinism, is a world of fantastical claims not at all grounded in reality. From the Grace Online Library, Boettner is quoted as insisting, “It…
Grace: The Analogy of Sanctification
We bless thee, O God most high and Lord of mercies, who ever workest great and mysterious deeds for us, glorious, wonderful, and numberless; who providest us with sleep as a rest from our infirmities…
Mike Barlotta – Augustine’s Evolving Views on Free Will
Augustine (354-430) is considered one of the most influential Christian theologians and philosophers. In the Parchment and Pen Top 10 theologian series, he was ranked #1. As a young man, Augustine studied rhetoric. During his…
Eric Landstrom, “Thomas Oden’s Paleo-Orthodoxy”
12/09/02 “It is never too late to rediscover the joy of studying God.”1 Goal Setting “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.…
Micah Currado, “Early Church Fathers on the Freedom of the Will and Romans 9”
Please click on the link to view “Early Church Fathers on the Freedom of the Will and Romans 9.” The early church resoundingly affirmed the liberty of the will, in spite of the well-known philosophical option…
Church Fathers on Libertarian Free Will
Clement of Rome: (Knew Peter and Paul personally. He was the third or fourth bishop of Rome. Tradition has identified him with the Clement who is mentioned in Philippians 4:3) “For no other reason does…
Jack Cottrell, “Did The Early Christian Fathers Teach Calvinism?”
The following appeared on non-Calvinist scholar Jack Cottrell’s Facebook page (dated July 25, 2011): QUESTION: Some say that the doctrines of Calvinism did not begin with John Calvin, nor even with Augustine (died A.D. 430).…
David L. Allen, “Review of *From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective* – Part 3” (On the ancient church’s view)
Please click on the link to view David L. Allen, “Review of From Heaven He Came and Sought Her: Definite Atonement in Historical, Biblical, Theological, and Pastoral Perspective – Part 3,” which covers Michael Haykin’s chapter, “We…
Tertullian on the Problem of Evil and Free Will
This is part of a series of posts that captures the early church views on free will and determinism. The idea for this series was motivated by Calvinist claims that their view was held by the early…
Why I Am An Arminian
Part III: History
Many Calvinists claim that they represent historical orthodoxy. However, I believe that the opposite is true. In this post I intend to traverse Christian history and tease out, on a very basic and incomplete level,…
Steve Witzki, Early Christian Writers on Apostasy
In the attached article, Steve Witzki surveys the thought of the early church on the topic of apostasy, concluding: “It seems rather apparent that the Ante-Nicene Fathers believed that a Christian could sever their saving…
Church Fathers on Foreknowledge and Freewill
Some Calvinists suggest that God’s foreknowledge is based on His plan and/or knowledge of causal relations rather then based on the future. I thought I would look up what the church fathers had to say…
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