In a book edited by John Piper, Calvinist philosopher Mark R. Talbot writes: God . . . brings about all things in accordance with his will. In other words, it isn’t just that God manages to turn…
Providence
Did God Fix the Outcome of the Seahawks/Packers Game?
The Seattle Seahawks have been in the news recently because of their improbable last minute win over the Green Bay Packers. With four minutes left in the game, the Packers had a 99.9% statistical chance…
Robert E. Picirilli, “Toward a Non-Deterministic Theology of Divine Providence”
Robert E. Picirilli, “Toward a Non-Deterministic Theology of Divine Providence,” Journal for Baptist Theology and Ministry (Spring 2014) Volume 11.1, 38-61. (The original article and the entire journal issue in which it appeared may be found here.)…
Roger Olson, “Review of Oliver Crisp’s *Deviant Calvinism* Part Three”
This is Part Three of my series of review essays of Oliver Crisp’s new book Deviant Calvinism: Broadening Reformed Theology and deals with Chapter 3 : “Libertarian Calvinism.” I invite those reading the book with…
Roger Olson, “Can a Single Act Be Both Determined and Free?”
Some Calvinists (and perhaps others) argue that, in a world ruled by God, the God of the Bible, a single creaturely act can be both determined (pre-programmed by God) and free. And they claim that…
God’s Exploitation of the Devil’s “Thorns”
God’s sovereignty should never be seen as unilaterally determining or decreeing the evil actions or intentions of free agents (human or demonic) before the foundation of the world. Rather God’s sovereignty is best understood as…
Roger Olson, “When I Say ‘Calvinism'”
Whenever I write about Calvinism, someone who considers himself a Calvinist accuses me of setting up and striking down a “strawman.” And others claim what I say about Calvinism does not apply to them. What…
Do Arminians Hate the Sovereignty of God?
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…
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?’ (Part 2)”
In Part 1 of this series on the theology of Charles Hodge I claimed that Hodge remains the “gold standard” for Reformed theology for most American Calvinist evangelical theologians. Again, as I said there, that…
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…
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…
Roger Olson, “A Question to Calvinists”
One of my most faithful blog visitors and participants signed off recently, telling me in a message not to be posted that he would no longer read my blog. He is a self-identified Calvinist and…
How do we come to love God?
How can we obtain the basis of love which unites our will with God’s will? How can we be made to possess that which we are not possessed of, by being made to love that…
Roger Olson, “What Is the Duty of a Christian Care-giver (Such as a Chaplain)?”
I recently had a fascinating discussion with a couple hospital chaplains about theology and what I would call “therapeutic ministry” to the suffering. By “the suffering” I mean those who are ill or wounded and…
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…
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…
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…
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).…
