Arminius spent his later life refuting what people said about him and his teachings, Some of his interlocutors were responsible and represented his views accurately, others seemingly intentionally distorted what he taught. An apparent…
Supralapsarianism
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 Witherington and Roger Olson, “Roger Olson’s Arminian Theology – Part 9”
BEN: The issue of how to interpret the phrase ‘only begotten of the Father’ has bedeviled Christological debates forever it seems. Is this Scriptural notion the basis of Arminius and various his successors arguing that…
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…
Ben Witherington and Keith Stanglin, Jacob Arminius, Theologian of Grace – Part Six
BEN: In regard to the old chestnut about God’s knowing and willing it seems clear that Calvin would say God knows it because he wills it, and therefore Calvin makes God’s will (and its exercise…
Understanding the Controversy of Former Supralapsarian Calvinist Arminius
The title of this post is a bit controversial in itself: Was Arminius a supralapsarian Calvinist at one time? That is a possibility. I believe that he was a supralapsarian. At least twice in Arminius’…
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…
Quick Overview of Lapsarianism
Quick Overview of Lapsarianism
written by SEA member Roy Ingle
In Calvinism, there are three major views regarding the divine viewpoint of the atonement of Christ and the purpose of the atonement. They describe this viewpoint by ordering a series of decrees that God supposedly made at the beginning of creation. I will present all three views below.
Arminius’ Impact on Calvinism
[Editor’s note: It appears that the author uses the term “sublapsarian” as equivalent to the term “infralapsarian.” Many use this language in that way. But some use these terms to refer to different positions.] Arminius…
Bavinck on supra/infra-lapsarian predestination
I recently read Herman Bavinck on supralapsarian and infralapsarian predestination (link). Bavinck’s approach is intriguing. He argues that both the supralapsarian and infralapsarian systems have their strengths and weaknesses, so he cherry-picks the strengths and…
Infralapsarian (Moderate) Calvinism’s Doctrine of Unconditional Election
from The Arminian site. Did God create some souls for hell and others for heaven, as John Calvin1 insisted? Calvinist C. H. Spurgeon, quoted from Kenneth D. Keathley, Professor of Theology and Dean of Graduate…
Does the Atonement Actually Save Anyone?
Calvinist James White insists that the message Christians should give to the lost is that Jesus does not “merely try” to save them but that He “saves them perfectly” (Youtube video link, beginning at 28:15).…
Supralapsarian Calvinists Criticize Infralapsarian Calvinist C. Michael Patton
Calvinist C. Michael Patton recently did a post entitled Calvinism and the Divine Decrees – Correcting a Misunderstanding. In the post Patton argues for the Infralapsarian view of Calvinism. The infralapsarian view is a less…
Supralapsarianism and the Sovereignty of God
Supralapsarianism is the teaching that before God decreed to create human beings He first planned to elect and to reprobate. Millard J. Erickson gives the ordered decrees within supralapsarianism as: 1) God decreed to save…
Predestination As Temporal Only
Predestination As Temporal Only
From the Wesleyan Theological Journal
J. Kenneth Grider
One of the most interesting theological finds I have made in recent years is that God’s predestinating of us does not seem to have to do with eternal destiny.
God does indeed predestinate us in certain ways. Six times the word for “to predestinate” is used in the NT. Besides the instances of cognates of that very word “proorizo,” other “pro” words are found in both Testaments which also show that God makes pre-decisions on various matters. And God sometimes makes decrees, even as kings do, according to Scripture. But my recent study suggests that none of these references has to do with our eternal destiny, but only with other matters.
The Differences between Pelagians, semi-Pelagians, Arminians, Sub-lapsarians and Supra-lapsarians
Ever wonder what the differences between Pelagians, semi-Pelagians, Arminians, Sub-lapsarians and Supra-lapsarians are? These terms often get thrown around, and people sometimes get mad when they are labeled in one group or another. The best…
Arminius on the Doctrine of Election (An Introduction)
“Most of Arminius’ theological career was a process of discovery and Christology was at the very centre of this. Hence it would necessarily somewhat distort the picture to begin with a crystal-clear thesis . .…
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”
