BEN: One of the greatest difficulties to overcome in trying to get people to see the Bible with ancient rather than modern assumptions, is the problem of modern radical individualism warping the way we read…
Election
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…
Ben Witherington and Chad Thornhill on *The Chosen People: Election, Paul and Second Temple Judaism*, Part 2
BEN: One of the things that surprised me about your response about the covenants is that it does not reflect the work of various OT scholars, like Meredith Kline, who made quite clear how similar…
Ben Witherington and Chad Thornhill on *The Chosen People: Election, Paul and Second Temple Judaism*, Part 1
One of the most important books I have read in a long time in regard to the theology of election in Paul’s letters is the recent book by Dr. Chad Thornhill of Liberty entitled The…
Arminius on the Gospel — The Gospel for All God’s Creatures
From my point of view, this post is one of the most significant on this site, for herein all the complaints from anti-Arminian Calvinists is laid to rest once for all. Calvinists, both historic and…
Steve Sewell, “Corporate Election in 1 Peter”
All Scripture quotations are from the 1901 American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. 1 Peter 2:3-10 3 if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious: 4 unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected…
Rich Davis, “Carter’s Calvinism — Once More”
[Editor’s note: Dr. Rich Davis, professor of philosophy at Tyndale University College & Seminary and chair of its philosophy department, wrote “A Demonstration Against Calvinism,” to which his colleague, Professor Craig Carter, replied with a piece “In…
Rich Davis, “On Carter’s Calvinism”
[Editor’s note: Dr. Rich Davis, professor of philosophy at Tyndale University College & Seminary and chair of its philosophy department, wrote “A Demonstration Against Calvinism,” to which his colleague, Professor Craig Carter, replied with a piece “In…
New Calvinist Bible – John (satire)
The following post is a satire, written from the perspective of an overzealous Calvinist. This post is part of a series on the New Calvinist Bible (NCB) – a new Bible translation designed to show…
Understanding the Controversy of Former Supralapsarian Calvinist Arminius
The title of this post is a bit controversial in itself: Was Arminius a supralapsarian Calvinist at one time? That is a possibility. I believe that he was a supralapsarian. At least twice in Arminius’…
Steve Sewell, “Calvinism’s Unsound Interpretation of John 6:37, 44-45”
All Scripture quotations are from the 1901 American Standard Version unless otherwise noted. John 6:44-45 44 No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him: and I will…
A. Chadwick Thornhill, “Election, Paul, and Second Temple Judaism”
Few issues exist in the interpretation of the New Testament which can become as contentious as questions of “sovereignty” and “free will.” Various terms like “election,” “predestination,” “foreknowledge,” etc., get thrown around in these discussions.…
Steve Sewell, “If Christ Died Only for “The Elect” …
… then faith only applies to “The Elect.” Jesus said, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the…
Video: William Lane Craig, “Evaluating Views of Appropriating God’s Grace and Salvation”
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…
Wayne Grudem’s Flawed View of Faith (and what prevents us from boasting)
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave…
Audio of Hank Hanegraaff Briefly Explaining that Romans 9 Does Not Teach Calvinism
Please click on the link to access the audio file of Hank Hanegraaff Briefly Explaining How Romans 9 Does Not Teach Calvinism.
Anthony Chadwick Thornhill, “To the Jew First: A Socio-Historical and Biblical-Theological Analysis of the Pauline Teaching of ‘Election’ in Light of Second Temple Jewish Patterns of Thought”
Please click on the attachment to view Anthony Chadwick Thornhill, “To the Jew First: A Socio-Historical and Biblical-Theological Analysis of the Pauline Teaching of ‘Election’ in Light of Second Temple Jewish Patterns of Thought.” This…
Steve Sewell, “Calvinism’s Shocking View of God’s Sovereignty”
Many attempt to explain how God carries out His will among mankind as Sovereign God, but they all fall short of the same understanding that God Himself has. However, as limited and imperfect as our…
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…
Roy Ingle, “A Free Will View of John 6:35-51”
One of the most difficult passages for Arminians to read and exegete is John 6:35-51. Various Calvinists have picked up on this difficulty and have written several books on the passages as they pertain to…
Recent Posts
VIDEO: “Where do we find Prevenient Grace in Scripture?”
Edward H. Dewart, “The Life & Theology of Arminius” (1875)
Wilbur F. Tillett, “The Holy Spirit’s Preparation of Man for Salvation” (1902)
Richard Watson on Mark 4:26-28: “The Success of the Gospel in the Hearts of Men Is as Certainly Produced by Divine Influence”
