John Wesley was someone who focused on the practical matters of living out the Christian life. But he did not ignore the essential doctrines of the faith. In sermon #45, entitled “The New Birth”,…
Free Will
Can One Be Both a Calvinist and a Molinist?
Can one be both a Calvinist and a Molinist? Many Reformed Christians have deemed this an impossibility, while some prominent Reformed philosophers like Alvin Plantinga and Del Ratzsch profess to be simultaneously Calvinists and Molinists.…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 4”
BEN: On p. 55, you talk about Wesley’s treatise on divine sovereignty compared to Calvin’s view. Would you say that while Wesley agrees with Calvin that God is sovereign, absolutely so, and could do what…
Hank Hanegraaff, “How Could Pharaoh Be Morally Responsible if God Hardened His Heart?”
Please click on the link to view Hank Hanegraaff, “How Could Pharaoh Be Morally Responsible if God Hardened His Heart?”.
Rich Davis, “Clary’s 10 Concerns”
In my “The ‘C’ in Calvinism?” (reproduced here), I set out three difficulties for Calvinistic choice. In his “Calvinism and Choice,” historical theologian Ian Clary lists ten points at which my thinking is in need…
Can God Love All People?
Calvinist John Piper answers the question he himself frames and thus poses: “Why can’t God eternally love those who don’t believe in Him?” (link) Is there not at least one obvious and inherent flaw in…
Calvinist Misconceptions: The Arminian View Of Man’s Fallen State
Calvinists often accuse Arminians of being Pelagian, or Semi-pelagian at best, when it comes to original sin and the depravity of man. And it’s no wonder, as many Calvinist websites paint quite an inaccurate picture…
Steve Sewell: Response to John Piper: “How Do Arminians Pray?”
John Piper video clip: How Do Arminians Pray? In Piper’s words, Arminians praying to God for someone’s salvation: “Arminians don’t believe that He has the right and authority and power to save anybody. Do they?…
Steve Sewell, “Does Compatibilism Make Sense?”
My definition of “Compatibilism” : A desperate attempt by Calvinists to exonerate God of evil doing. Calvinists believe that God has predetermined all things, that all things happen in the world — including all sin…
The Practical Implications of Free Will
In the follow-up post to “A Beginner’s Guide to ‘Free Will’,” entitled “Six Practical Reasons ‘Free Will’ Matters,” John Piper expounds upon the practicality of Free Will. After all, he states, “It is a great…
A Beginner’s Guide to Free Will
Free Will regards the ability to make choices — choices that were not necessitated and brought into reality by a proactive and eternal decree of God — choices that lead to belief systems resulting in…
God and Foresight
Bombastic Calvinist James White thinks that the deterministic-Calvinistic view of the sovereignty of God is “the single issue that separates the supernatural religion of Christianity from the man-centered religions that surround us.”1 James White, who…
Steve Sewell, “Rebuttal to Maverick Victor Witlouw” [Prevenient Grace vs. Irresistible Grace]
Maverick Victor Witlouw, of Sovereign Grace Messianic Blog, wrote a response to my article, “Why Irresistible Grace Doesn’t Work, and Why Prevenient Grace Does” [Responding to Steve Sewell’s Presentation of Prevenient Grace]. He happened to…
Ben Witherington and Keith Stanglin, Jacob Arminius, Theologian of Grace – Part Fourteen
BEN: As we conclude this discussion, let’s talk about the practical implications of Arminius’ thought for today. It seems clear to me that Arminius, and Wesley as well, would have rejected recent ideas that have…
Roger Olson, “Why I am an ‘Evangelical Arminian Christian’ Part 2: My Second Principle: Only I Can Decide What Is True (for Me)”
*First read “My First Principle…” which was the immediately preceding blog post. This essay is the second in a series about why I am an “evangelical Arminian Christian.” 2) My Second Principle: Only I Can…
Determinism in the Hebrew Scriptures: Hosea
What scholars refer to as the Minor Prophets, which include the books following the prophet Daniel (from Hosea to Malachi), we discover that the consistent theme of God’s sovereignty and humanity’s relative free will remain…
Determinism in the Hebrew Scriptures: Daniel
The prophet Daniel offers believers a startling portrait of our sovereign God while faithfully maintaining the biblical truth of genuine human freedom and responsibility. His doctrine of God’s sovereignty appears methodically organized in the exact…
Determinism in the Hebrew Scriptures: Ezekiel
As should be expected, the prophet Ezekiel promotes the same theoretical unCalvinistic and libertarian worldview as do both prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. This is not surprising, given the notion of Scripture as being wholly agreeable,…
Brian Abasciano, “True Love, Free Will, and Heaven”
Several years ago, a friend of mine asked the following question on his blog: The argument that there must be freedom of choice in order for their to be love towards God makes total sense…
New Study: Belief in Free Will Linked to Ability to Behave Morally and to Help Others
Please click on the link to view “New Study: Belief in Free Will Linked to Ability to Behave Morally and to Help Others.”
Recent Posts
Video: David Pallmann, “In Defense of God’s Goodness: An Arminian Challenges the Calvinist Interpretation of Romans 9”
William Burt Pope, “Attributes of the Absolute Essence of God Part 5: Observations”
Does Matthew 7:24-27 Support Once Saved Always Saved?
Richard Coords, “1 Kings 21:29”
