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Free Will

The Fallacies of Calvinist Apologetics

April 7, 2011 , JC_Thibodaux , No Comment

Related Fallacies:
Red Herring
Equivocation

“All I have tried to do here is show how clearly, succinctly and simply that Calvinism does NOT charge God with the authorship of sin and so (to employ the somewhat aggressive language of Scripture) to shut the mouths of the gainsayers. If any have a case against Calvinism, then let it be based on truth and not on falsehood and slander.” – Colin Maxwell, Do Calvinists believe and teach that God is the Author of Sin?

Colin Maxwell put up the page linked to above showing various quotes from prominent Calvinist sources indicating that they do not believe or teach that God is the author of sin. His point apparently, judging from the content and page’s title, is to stop non-Calvinists from ‘slandering’ them by claiming they teach such a thing.

Problems with this logic

Ben Witherington III, Review of Rob Bell, “Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived”

April 6, 2011 , SEA , Comment Closed

Distinguished Arminian scholar Ben Witherington III has reviewed Rob Bell’s Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived chapter by chapter in a series of posts at…

“The Prodigal Son” and Arminian Theology

March 31, 2011 , Kevin Jackson , No Comment

One of Jesus’ best known parables is the story of “The Prodigal Son” (Luke 15:11-32). The parable is particularly relevant to Arminian theology. It shows the extent of freedom that God gives to his children.…

Dr. Kyle Roberts, “Tsunamis: Or, Why I’m No Longer a Calvinist”

March 28, 2011 , SEA , Comment Closed

Dr. Kyle Roberts, “Tsunamis: Or, Why I’m No Longer a Calvinist” Kyle Roberts is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Lead Faculty of Christian Thought, Bethel Seminary (St. Paul, MN).

Michael Bird on Calvinistic Synergism

March 25, 2011 , SEA , Comment Closed

Some good comments from Calvinist Michael Bird, admitting that Calvinism (not just Arminianism) involves synergism (in the context of talking about Universalism): Calvinists like to tout themselves as holding to a form of monergism whereby…

The Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart

March 16, 2011 , Kevin Jackson , No Comment

The LORD said to Moses, “When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that…

James Arminius On the One Will of God

March 10, 2011 , , No Comment

There is a connection between the Understanding of God and His Will that is overlooked or neglected by those who hold to a two wills in God theory. In this post we will discover what Arminius believed about God’s Knowledge or Understanding, and its relation to the one Will of God, with its various distinctives.

THE UNDERSTANDING OF GOD

The Theological Fatalist’s Modal Fallacy

March 9, 2011 , bossmanham , 1 Comment

Theological fatalists posit that God’s foreknowledge of future events mean that it is not possible for anything other than what happens to happen. Since God knows every event that will happen, then aren’t those events…

J. Matthew Pinson, “Will the Real Arminius Please Stand Up? A Study of the Theology of Jacobus Arminius in Light of His Interpreters”

February 28, 2011 , arminianbaptist , No Comment

The article was originally published in Integrity 2 (2003) 121-139, and is posted here with permission by the author. Pinson on Arminius

The Arminian’s Doctrine of Divine Concurrence

February 24, 2011 , , 1 Comment

Concurrence is the cooperation of agents or causes ~ a combined action or effort. When we speak of the doctrine of concurrence, we mean the cooperation of God and a person in a combined effort…

Did You Catch the Calvinist Contradiction Alert?

February 10, 2011 , SEA , Comment Closed

Recently, we posted an analysis by one of our members (Robert) of a portion of Justin Taylor’s interview of Calvinist scholar, John Feinberg, about his book Ethics for a Brave New World. In that analysis,…

The Fallacies of Calvinist Apologetics

February 3, 2011 , JC_Thibodaux , No Comment

Related Fallacies:
Strawman
Begging the Question

“While libertarians uphold the philosophy that “choice without sufficient cause” is what makes one responsible, the compatibilist, on the other hand, looks to Scripture which testifies that it is because our choices have motives and desires that moral responsibility is actually established. Responsibility requires that our acts, of necessity, be intentional….” (Eleven (11) Reasons to Reject Libertarian Free Will, John Hendryx)

The Fallacies of Calvinist Apologetics – Fallacy #5: Choices Apart From Intent?

February 3, 2011 , JC_Thibodaux , No Comment

Related Fallacies: Strawman Begging the Question “While libertarians uphold the philosophy that “choice without sufficient cause” is what makes one responsible, the compatibilist, on the other hand, looks to Scripture which testifies that it is…

Orthodox Christian Matthew Gallatin on Eastern vs. Western Thinking

January 28, 2011 , postpre , No Comment

In the following YouTube video Matthew Gallatin, of Ancient Faith Radio, highlights the differences between Eastern and Western perceptions about God.

“When in Rome” and Irresistible Grace

January 21, 2011 , Kevin Jackson , No Comment

I recently saw the movie When In Rome. What’s fascinating about the movie is that the plot bears a lot of similarity to the Calvinistic concept of irresistible grace. [Warning, spoilers ahead] In the movie,…

Pascal’s Wager Against Calvinism

December 30, 2010 , TheMessianicDrew , 1 Comment

Many of you have heard of Pascal’s Wager as a motivator to believe in God, but I think it also applies to the Calvinist/Arminian debate. Here is Pascal’s Wager: Belief in God, if God exists,…

God’s Sovereignty in the Crucifixion of Jesus

December 8, 2010 , , No Comment

by Roger E. Olson One critic has argued against my maxim that, “God is in charge but not in control” by pointing to Acts 2:23, which says that Jesus was “delivered up according to the…

Eric Landstrom, God, Evil, and Grace in Calvinist and Arminian Theology

December 1, 2010 , Eric Landstrom , No Comment

As early as Episcopius Arminians have argued that if acts arise necessarily from decree, then God must have included within his decree for the implementation of how to bring the decree to fruition. Popularly it…

Robert Hamilton: Grace to Be Holy

November 24, 2010 , Kevin Jackson , No Comment

An essay by Robert Hamilton on grace, assurance and sanctification. “How can a Christian have any reasonable assurance that he will in fact persevere in the faith, not to mention experience consistent victory over deliberate…

Paul Copan, “Divine Exasperation”

November 18, 2010 , SEA , Comment Closed

Please click on the link to view Paul Copan, “Divine Exasperation”, which surveys biblical passages that express God’s exasperation with sinful, human resistance to his grace, revealing “God’s legitimate expectation of spiritual fruitfulness, repentance, or obedience.…