The essence of the Calvinist gospel is this: I was dead and in need of a resurrection. (This combines the Calvinist doctrines of Total Inability and Irresistible Grace.) Naturally, then, Calvinists feel that Jesus’ raising…
Ordo Salutis
Ben Henshaw, “Addressing the Calvinist Claim That Being Dead in Sin Necessarily Implies That Regeneration Precedes Faith”
We have a lot of material addressing and refuting this oft repeated Calvinist claim on the site, so I thought it would be good to archive them into a single post for easy reference: An…
Ben Henshaw, “Does Arminianism Imply That we Can Boast in Our Salvation Over Those Who do Not Believe?”
Out of all the arguments for Calvinism, this is the one that I probably hear the most. It comes in a variety of forms but usually imagines two people under the influence of prevenient grace,…
X-Calvinist Corner Files: Testimony # 28
The X-Calvinist Corner is a page on this website that shares the stories of people who were once Calvinist but have left Calvinism for a more Arminian theology. This series (The X-Calvinist Corner Files) highlights one of…
An Arminian Response to John Hendryx on the Meaning and Implications of Spiritual Death Part 3: John Hendryx Concedes That it is a Plain “Fact” that Faith Precedes Regeneration
[You can find part one of this series here, and part two here] John Hendryx continues his response to the “synergist” visitor: Finally, your attempt to overturn the doctrine of total depravity relies entirely too…
An Arminian Response to John Hendryx on the Meaning and Implications of Spiritual Death Part 2: Dead Reckoning
Continuing from Part 1… Hendryx begins his response to the visitor: (John) Dear Brother …You say, “monergists take the ‘dead in sin’ phrase too far” but, I would turn that around to say that you…
An Arminian Response to John Hendryx on the Meaning and Implications of Spiritual Death Part 1: What Does it Mean to be “Dead in Sin?”
Calvinist John Hendryx takes a “synergist” to task in an article entitled Can We Make an Exact Analogy Between Unbelievers’ who are “Dead in Sin” and Believers who are “Dead to Sin”?(Excerpts From Debate in…
David L. Allen, “Does Regeneration Precede Faith?”
Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry 11.2 (Fall 2014) pp. 34-52 Please click here to read the article
Some Questions about Total Depravity Answered by Ben Henshaw
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. The following…
When Does The Day End?
I’ve been thinking about this question for a little while now, but what actually determines when the day ends? I don’t mean physically, but rhetorically, like when someone says, “At the end of the day…
Arminius – Nine Theological Questions
THE NINE QUESTIONS: NINE OPPOSITE QUESTIONS 1. Which is first, Election, or Faith Truly Foreseen, so that God elected his people according to faith foreseen? 1. Is the decree “for bestowing Faith on any one,”…
James Arminius’ 20 Reasons for Rejecting Theodore Beza’s Supralapsarian Predestination
1. It is not the foundation of Christianity of salvation, or of its certainty. 2. It comprises within it neither the whole nor any part of the Gospel. 3. It was never admitted, decreed, or…
Ben Henshaw, “Responding To Dominic’s Second Rebuttal on Regeneration Preceding Faith”
Below is my response to Dominic’s follow-up rebuttal of my post concerning the purpose of regeneration in Calvinism. You can read my response to his first reply here. It is quite lengthy because the discussion primarily turns on issues of exegesis, and…
Ben Henshaw, “Addressing Dominic’s Response to the Purpose of Regeneration in Calvinism”
Below is an answer offered by “Dominic” to my post on the purpose of regeneration in the Calvinist scheme, with my response to his answer interspersed. He also touches on my post concerning the Arminian ordo. I was originally…
Ben Henshaw, “What Purpose Does Regeneration Serve in Calvinism?”
Calvinists make a big deal out of the need for regeneration before one can believe. For them this is the primary function of regeneration. Regeneration irresistibly causes a faith response, and without this regeneration, faith…
Brian J. Abasciano, “Does Regeneration Precede Faith? The Use of 1 John 5:1 as a Proof Text”
Please click on the link to view Brian J. Abasciano, “Does Regeneration Precede Faith? The Use of 1 John 5:1 as a Proof Text,” Evangelical Quarterly 84.4 (2012), 307-322. Here is the author’s abstract of…
Great Quotes: Merrill C. Tenney on John 1:12-13 And Faith Preceding Regeneration
This provides the initial definition of ‘believe’ by equating it with ‘receive.’ When we accept a gift, whether tangible or intangible, we thereby demonstrate our confidence in its reality and trustworthiness. We make it part…
Ben Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 14”
BEN: It seems reasonably clear that Arminius took the Calvinistic view that regeneration precedes conversion. I suppose it depends on what one means by regeneration— the ability to repent? In any case, various later Arminians…
Arminian Theology Superior to Calvinism Regarding God’s Decrees
[Editor’s note: While SEA vigorously opposes supralapsarianism, it does not question whether supralapsarian Calvinists worship the God of the Bible as the author seems to. We generally accept both supralapsarian and infralapsarian Calvinists as brothers…
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…
Recent Posts
Why Does God Deny the Opportunity of Choice for or Against Him to Young Children Who Die and the Mentally Impaired?
Mark K. Olson, “Wesley’s ‘Warmed Heart’ at Aldersgate – What Really Happened?”
Adam Roe, “The Crucial Thread of Prevenient Grace: A Wesleyan Perspective on Divine Drawing”
Video: Joel Korytko, “How Romans 9 Doesn’t Support Calvinism”
