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…
![](https://evangelicalarminians.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Circus-125x125.jpg)
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…
Evil is one of the most common objections raised against the existence and goodness of God. Sean briefly provides one reason God may allow evil and how evil, when it is properly understood, is an…
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…
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).…
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…
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…
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,…
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]
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Please click on the link to view, Robert B. Chisholm Jr., “Does God ‘Change His Mind’?”, Bibliotheca Sacra 152 (October-December 1995) 387-99.
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…
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…
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…
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……
The neutral zone is an area that is no larger than the width of a football. It is the zone that separates the offense and defense before the play starts. When a defensive player enters…
The doctrine of original sin, to define the issue very simply, maintains that the effects of Adam and Eve’s sin, which is known as the first human sin, were passed ontologically (related to being or…