Calvinists often assume Calvinism in order to prove Calvinism, which is “Circular Logic.” Circular Logic involves presuppositional thinking. As an example, while it would be perfectly fine for two Christians who are debating Calvinism to…
Good and necessary consequences
Richard Coords, “Orwellian”
“Orwellian” is a term based upon a book entitled “1984” written by British author, George Orwell. It refers to the dystopian oppression imagined in a future totalitarian government which suppresses liberty and freedom. So, how…
Richard Coords, “Mystery”
The general perspective of Calvinists is that since we know that God is sovereign, who determines whatsoever comes to pass, and since we know that man is free, we must simply accept the mystery in…
How Do You Understand the Radical Diversity of Beliefs from Some Well Intentioned People Who Want to Believe but Can’t Bring Themselves to Commit to Belief?
On his website, Arminian Perspectives, Ben Henshaw has a questions page at which he answers questions about Arminianism and Calvinism that visitors to his site pose in the comment section of the page. Here is a question…
Richard Coords, “Logic”
If you’ve ever had a discussion with a Calvinist where you thought you had made a strong argument about the necessary implications of Calvinism (i.e. God being made into a divine tempter and puppet master…
Keith Stanglin, “Calvinism and Its Implications”
In a blog post earlier this year in which I discussed the resurgence of Calvinism and what we might learn from Calvinism, it occurred to me that I never really defined Calvinism. So, for those who don’t…
TULIP: All or Nothing
Why must the whole TULIP be accepted and not picked apart as each person chooses or desires? Let John MacArthur answer our question. In the book, The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented,…
Roger Olson, “Calvinist Attempts to Rescue God’s Character Considered and Refuted”
As anyone who has read me or listened to me (on the subject of Calvinism) knows, my main complaint about Calvinism is that it undermines the character of God. Of course, I do not mean…
Why I Care about Calvinism
[This post was taken from here at the Impefect Reflections blog, where comments can be posted.] A week or two ago, I mentioned a post I was working on to my friend James, about a…
Tim Keller: Private Calvinist, Public Arminian
[Editor’s note: SEA does not necessarily agree with any comments by the author of this post to the effect that Tim Keller, John Piper, or any particular Calvinists are intentionally misleading or disingenuous in their…
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).…
Roger Olson, “John Piper, Jonathan Edwards, Austin Fischer, and God”
So, John Piper has now responded to Austin Fischer’s book “Young, Restless, No Longer Reformed” (Wipf & Stock, 2013). (For those of you who don’t know, Austin is Teaching Pastor at The Vista Community in…
CALVINIST RHETORIC: Consistency
Or “Van Til It Hurts”
What I Mean By Consistency
In the 1920s a Dutch Theologian by the name of Cornelius Van Til (hence the joke in the subtitle) revitalized an apologetic approach known as presuppositional apologetics. In essence, presuppositional apologetics assesses the validity of a philosophical view by its presuppositions (the underlying assumptions upon which the view is based) and whether these presuppositions contradict each other or are consistent with each other.* It is sort of like a monological Socratic argument.
Oh, and Van Til was a Calvinist.
Calvinism and Consistency
Admittedly, no systematic theology is perfect. That takes a load of pressure off of every sincere Bible student. Not one of us will ever have all of his or her doctrines correct. C. I. Scofield wrote that there will always exist a measure of false teaching in true, orthodox Christianity, due to our fallen nature and our design as finite creatures.
I was once convinced that Calvinism was right because people showed me a lot of proof texts to propagate this theology. I had read Chosen by God by R. C. Sproul and concluded that he, too, was correct. How could I have missed out on this teaching for so long? I will never forget what affect Sproul’s book had on my heart. How could God have chosen me and not others? Moreover, why would God have chosen me and not others?
