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……
Free Will
Mike Barlotta – Neutral Zone Infraction
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: Arminius vs. Episcopius
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…
Roger Olson, “Review of *Recanting Calvinism for A Dynamic Gospel* by Steven L. Hitchcock”
Over the years, since I “came out” publicly among evangelicals as an Arminian (beginning with my 1999 Christianity Today article “Don’t hate me because I’m an Arminian”) Ihave received many books and manuscripts about Calvinism…
Rich Davis, “Calvinism’s Misplaced Culpability”
Calvinism and TULIP go hand in hand. When you think of the one, it’s rather hard not to think of the other. However, certain qualifications are in order. “The truth is,” says Michael Horton, “there…
Phillip A. Gray, “Foreknowledge and Freedom in the Fourth Gospel: Another Look at Open Theism”
Please click on the link to view Phillip A. Gray, “Foreknowledge and Freedom in the Fourth Gospel: Another Look at Open Theism.”
Mike Barlotta – How Free is Free Will?
Over the last week I have been in a discussion over soteriology, which started with the request to define free will. Free will can be a hard concept to define because there are very different…
Compatibilism vs. Free Will
God’s relationship with not only His universe but also the creatures whom He created in His own image has been debated, fashioned, and refashioned throughout the history of the Church. From what one may gather,…
Brian Reynolds, Review of W. Brian Shelton, *Prevenient Grace: God’s Provision for Fallen Humanity*
Prevenient Grace: God’s Provision for Fallen Humanity Author: W. Brian Shelton Released August 1, 2014 Reviewer: Brian Reynolds Dr. Shelton’s treatise on prevenient grace is the best written work on the subject that I have…
A. Philip Brown II, “Does God Harden People’s Hearts?”
Please click on the link to view A. Philip Brown II, “Does God Harden People’s Hearts?” God’s Revivalist and Bible Advocate 121.3 (April 2009), 14.
Rich Davis, “The “C” in Calvinism?”
In 2009 Time magazine ran a story entitled “10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now” (Thursday, March 12). Not surprisingly, the top two spots were occupied by new trend setting thinking on career/workplace and life…
Book Review: Rowe — Can God be Free?
William Rowe’s book asks the question: Can God be Free? First, he gives an interesting historical introduction to the subject, covering the views of Gottfried Leibniz, Samuel Clarke, Thomas Aquinas and Jonathan Edwards; meanwhile he…
Molinists and Ockhamists on the Loose
[Editor’s note: This post comes from a Molinist perspective. SEA does not specifically advocate Molinism, but allows members to hold to either divine simple foreknowledge or Molinism.] This post is a response to Mark Linville’s…
Genesis 50:20 – Commentary in Light of Calvinism
Genesis 50:15-21 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong which we did to…
Death and Resurrection of the Human Will
Properly speaking, or perhaps we should rather say, in this case, psychologically speaking, man’s will can never die. A will is essential to man’s nature, as it is to the nature of every moral being.…
Regret Doesn’t Make Sense If Determinism Is True
Roger Olson, “A Reformed Theologian’s Critique of Divine Determinism”
Hearty thanks go to publishers Wipf & Stock for re-publishing theologian Emil Brunner’s three volume Dogmatics which was originally published in English by Lutterworth Press in England and subsequently by Westminster Press in America. At…
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…
Ron Callaway, “The Omniscience of God and Open Theism”
Please click on the link to view Ron Callaway, “The Omniscience of God and Open Theism” Integrity 3 (2006) 111-139.
Roger Olson, “Is There a Difference between ‘Permitting Evil’ and ‘Doing Evil?’”
They may make strange bedfellows but on one issue some Calvinists, many atheists, and most process theologians agree: there is no real difference between “doing evil” and “permitting evil.” For them, the traditional claim of…
