The question “Why do Arminians hate the sovereignty of God?” was asked recently by a Calvinist named Avery who assumes as much about Arminians. But we could, in turn, ask: “Why do Calvinists presume that…
Free Will
Degrees of Union with God’s Will
There are different degrees of union with the Divine Will, some of which it may be proper to notice and discriminate. 1. Union With God in Submission The first degree may be described as union…
J.D. Walt, “Two Takes on the Sovereignty of God: Divine Puppeteer or Sovereign Stage Director?”
Acts 9:10-19 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight…
Roger Olson, “What Did Charles Hodge Say about ‘The Decrees of God?'”
First of all, who cares what Charles Hodge said about anything? Well, many conservative evangelicals care—whether they know it or not. Charles Hodge was and remains such an influential 19th century theologian that I included…
Martin Glynn, “Reponse to Jesse Morrell’s Video: Beyond Augustine”
Jesse Morrel has recently released a video where he argues that Calvinism is rooted in ancient gnostic theology. While many of you know that I am against Calvinism, I don’t completely agree with Morrel’s assessment of…
Micah Currado, A Review of Randy Alcorn’s Book *Hand in Hand: The Beauty of God’s Sovereignty and Meaningful Human Choice*
The following post is a review of Randy Alcorn’s recent book, Hand in Hand: The Beauty of God’s Sovereignty and Meaningful Human Choice. You may also view this review in a downloadable PDF file here: A Review of…
Roger Olson, “Calvinism and God-ordained Suffering: A Follow Up”
This is for those who have been following the recent discussion thread about what a Calvinist care-giver should say, if he or she chose to express a classical Calvinist view of God’s sovereignty, to a…
Jerry Walls, “Divine Predestination and Human Freedom”
Like divine sovereignty as we previously discussed here, predestination is not a Calvinist doctrine, it is a biblical doctrine. And indeed, as a theologian steeped in Scripture, Wesley not only affirmed the doctrine, he affirmed a…
Jerry Walls, “The Sovereignty of God”
The sovereignty of God is a vitally important truth Wesleyans badly need to recover. This is not only because it is crucial for understanding the biblical drama, but also because many Wesleyans have tended to…
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…
Debate about Predestination and Free Will between Bruce Ware and Thomas Schreiner vs. Joseph R. Dongell and Jerry Walls
Please click on the link to view this debate about predestination and free will between Bruce Ware and Thomas Schreiner (Calvinist side) vs. Joseph R. Dongell and Jerry Walls (Arminian side), which took place in April…
Do Arminians Really Pray Like Calvinists?
It is often said by Calvinists that when Arminians pray, they pray like Calvinists. Typically this is expressed in such a way as to imply that while Arminians may deny the theological claims of Calvinism,…
Doug Sayers, “Led Zeppelin, Calvinism and Words with Multiple Meanings”
[This post was taken from SBCToday where the original post and comments can be found.] Ed’s. note: SBCToday became aware of Doug Sayers through this blog site. His notation of being a former Calvinist piqued…
Susanna Wesley on Predestination
The following is from a letter written by Susanna Wesley to her son John. This quotation has been taken from John Kirk, The Mother of the Wesleys: A Biography (London: Henry James Tresidder, 1864), 284-86. Explanatory…
Roger Olson, “Arminianism FAQ 3 (Everything You Always Wanted to Know…)”
FAQ: Doesn’t Arminianism lead to open theism? A: Open theists and Calvinists both think so, but classical Arminianism don’t think so. According to classical Arminianism, God knows the future exhaustively–as already settled in his own mind although…
Roger Olson, “Arminianism FAQ 2 (Everything You Always Wanted to Know…)”
FAQ: What’s the difference between Arminianism and Wesleyanism? A: Not all Arminians are Wesleyans. Certainly Arminius wasn’t! He lived a century before Wesley. Free Will Baptists, many Pentecostals (e.g., Assemblies of God), and Restorationists (e.g., Churches of…
Addressing Two Really Bad Calvinist Objections
There are two objections from the Calvinist side against Arminians and Molinists which are really so terrible, I’m struggling to make a blog post of decent length about them. They’re such simple mistakes that they…
Roger Olson, “Is This the Best of All Possible Worlds? What I Would Think If I Were a Calvinist”
Most Calvinists I know believe in meticulous providence. Some have claimed here recently that a Calvinist does not have to believe in meticulous providence (that God plans, ordains and governs all that happens without exception).…
Predestined to Eternally Suffer? An Interview with Philosopher Jerry Walls
Please click on the link to view Predestined to Eternally Suffer? An Interview with Philosopher Jerry Walls. [Please note that while Jerry Walls believes in the possibility of post mortem salvation, that is not a…
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”
