John Wesley SERMON 128 (text from the 1872 edition) FREE GRACE Preached at Bristol, in the year 1740 TO THE READER Nothing but the strongest conviction, not only that what is here advanced is “the…
Predestination
Arminius: Why Unconditional Predestination Hurts Salvation
This doctrine is also hurtful to the salvation of men. 1. Because it prevents that saving and godly sorrow for sins that have been committed, which cannot exist in those who have no consciousness of…
4 Questions 4 Calvinists
1. If Calvinism were true, what is the point of the Final Judgment for the unbeliever? It would be like me walking into a courtroom and the judge telling me that I get a life…
Predestination and God’s Sovereignty
This post is taken from Seedbed and written by James E Pedlar* Beginning in the early days of the Methodist Revival, John Wesley’s position on predestination became a controversial issue. His friend and partner in…
A Day With Arminius
Session 3: Providence and Predestination
This is the third video in a fantastic series of lectures by Dr. Keith Stanglin and Dr. Thomas McCall on who Jacob Arminius was, and what he believed. McCall and Stranglin wrote the book Jacob…
What are you reading for?
written by SEA member, Roy Ingle After reading a commentary on the book of Romans and especially studying Romans 9 for a series of posts I was doing on the subject of prevenient grace, I…
The Tweet After the Tweet
By Derek Ouellette in response to John Piper’s Oklahoma debacle By now you are probably aware of another tweet by John Piper which fired up an otherwise friendly Christian community (<– yes, facetious). For…
G.K. Chesterton on Calvinism
“The Calvinists took the Catholic idea of the absolute knowledge and power of God; and treated it as a rocky irreducible truism so solid that anything could be built on it, however crushing or cruel.…
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 5: Taking The Mystery Out of Mr. Patton’s Strange Arguments
Part 5: Taking the Mystery Out of Mr. Patton’s Strange Arguments
Patton: These two issues, human freedom and sovereign election, are not contradictory when put together, but they are a mystery.
This is the same claim Mr. Patton made in his first post called “Why Calvinism is the Least Rational Option.” We have already begun to highlight the problems with this claim.
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 4: Returning the Favor (Reversing the Argument)
Part 4: Returning the Favor (Reversing the Argument) Patton: To the Calvinists, man is fully responsible for his choice, yet God’s election is unconditional. This creates a problem. It creates great tension. I agree that…
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 3: False Assumptions and Question Begging
Part 3: False Assumptions and Question Begging
Patton: Therefore, [according to Arminianism] God’s predestination of people is “fair” and makes sense. After all, there are too many questions left unanswered when one says that God chooses who will be saved and who will not. Why did he choose some and not others? Did God make people to go to hell? Is God fair? “Why does he still find fault, for who resists his will?”
The Arminian chooses this position because, for them, it is the only way to reconcile human freedom and God’s election.
Here is where Mr. Patton really missteps.
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 2: Theological Imprecision and Misrepresentations
Part 2: Theological Imprecision and Misrepresentations
Patton: However, I think we need take a step back and see that while the shoe fits when it comes to some particular issues in Calvinism these accusations are far from forming the bedrock of the primary issues in Calvinism. You see, one of the many reasons I am a Calvinist has to do with the tension that is allowed within the Calvinistic system that is not allowed in other systems.
The central core of Calvinism primarily centers on one doctrine: predestination. While the sovereignty of God has its place, it does not ultimately determine where one lands.
This is highly debatable among Calvinists. This may be Mr. Patton’s opinion, but I think that he is probably in the minority.
An Arminian Response to C. Michael Patton’s “The Irrationality of Calvinism” Part 1: The Set Up
C.Michael Patton is the President of Credo House. He has now written two separate and similar posts defending the “irrationality” of Calvinism as actually being a strength of the system, specifically over and above Arminianism.…
Arminius and Junius Show Us How To Debate
Arminius and Junius Show Us How To Debate submitted by SEA member, Roy Ingle I was struck by how graceful both Arminius and Francis Junius were toward one another in their correspondence over the issue…
Dr. Michael Brown vs. Dr. James White on Predestination, Election, and the Will of God
Here is the debate between Arminian and SEA member Dr. Michael L. Brown and Calvinist Dr. James White at Southern Evangelical Seminary, February 14, 2013. You can also order the debate on high-quality DVD here.…
Again . . . Am I Predestined To Be An Arminian?
It’s a relevant question to ask. Those who are predisposed to a deterministic viewpoint seem to have trouble with this inquiry. It strikes them as odd or perhaps insincere, even hypocritical in some manner. Now,…
Some Quotes from Hodgson’s Refutation of the Calvinistic Doctrine of Predestination
Some notable quotes from Francis Hodgson, The Calvinistic Doctrine of Predestination Examined and Refuted: Being the Substance of a Series of Discourses: “This doctrine (predestination) is at variance with man’s free agency and at variance…
Two Wills in God?
The following comments (slightly edited) are taken from a SEA member while discussing the subject of the problem with the Calvinist “two wills” view and the suggestion that the Arminian position must likewise adopt essentially…
A Calvinist and an Arminian Square Off
See the attachment for a little cartoon theological humor. Taken from http://ketch22.wordpress.com/2011/05/24/for-god-so-loved-the-world/. Calvinist and Arminian Square Off
Calvin & Hobbes on Predestination
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