Friday Files, 1 Dec 17

Yet again it’s time for The Friday Files, our weekly stack of links: We highlight older SEA posts of interest, and post some of the latest from Arminian and non-Calvinist blogs. Names in green indicate SEA members.

Inclusion isn’t necessarily approval or endorsement. (Some articles aren’t even Arminian!) We offer these links because they’re thought to be of potential interest to those interested in Arminian/Calvinist issues. Blame K.W. Leslie for the brief summaries.

From the SEA archives:

Bob Anderson: “Response to Piper’s ‘What made it OK for God to kill women, children in Old Testament?’ ” [13 Apr 12] In response to John Piper’s article, we must recognize God’s commands to smite Amorites as an uncommon event, and not God’s usual behavior.

Jack Cottrell: “Does Ephesians 1:1-11 support Calvinism?” [2 May 12] “All things” in verse 11 doesn’t have a universal reference: It’s about the establishment of God’s church.

Andrew Dragos, Seedbed: “What is prevenient grace?” [20 Apr 12] More than common grace, it’s how the Holy Spirit actively calls everyone to follow Christ.

Austin Fischer, My Evangelical Arminian Theological Musings: “Certainty not.” [22 Apr 12] When it comes to theology, our transcendent God puts certainty beyond our grasp. Unless you’re Young, Restless, and Reformed.

God Is My Judge:

• “Arminius on regeneration.” [9 Apr 12] Calvinists misrepresent it as choosing our own salvation. Rather, it’s coming from darkness to light.

• “Defining Arminian soteriology.” [26 Apr 12] The essential and substantial differences between the Articles of the Remonstrants, and the Canons of Dort.

Martin Glynn, The JC Freak:

• “Calvinist rhetoric: Prooftexting.” [23 Jan 12] How Calvinists dogpile scriptures on people without taking the verses seriously.

• “Can we morally judge God?” [6 Feb 12] Calvinists object when people critique God, but y’notice the authors of scripture seem to have done it more than once.

• “Would I worship a Calvinist God?” [13 Feb 12] If God is as the Calvinists describe, he’s not good, and it’s profoundly difficult to love someone so capricious.

• “A primer which doesn’t prime.” [24 Apr 12] On Alpha and Omega Ministries’ “primer” which preemptively misrepresents Arminianism.

Ben Henshaw: “Debunking the false faith view of the Hebrews warning passages.” [30 Apr 12] Quotes from Henshaw’s perseverance series, and how Hebrews doesn’t allow for the theory the book describes false Christians with inauthentic faith.

Kevin Jackson, Wesleyan Arminian: “An explanation of simple foreknowledge.” [23 Nov 11] God’s knowledge of the future is based on our actions, not his eternal decree.

Roger E. Olson, My Evangelical Arminian Theological Musings:

• “About ‘judging God’s morality.’ ” [15 Jan 12] Unless you’re a nominalist, you do it too.

• “Another round in the theodicy debate (this time involving Bob Dylan!).” [17 Apr 12] The non-Christian assumption (borrowed from Calvinists) that God’s behind all evil and suffering.

David Pawson: David Pawson’s Online Teaching Library. Sermons and teachings from a conservative, charismatic, Wesleyan view.

Bruce A. Ware (Calvinist): “Extent of the atonement.” [12 Apr 12, PDF] Though Calvinist, Ware believes in unlimited atonement, and his article is useful for its arguments against limited atonement.

Calvinism:

The Babylon Bee (Calvinist, satire): “Man casually mentions he chose Jesus, Calvinist pops out of nowhere to argue with him.” [30 Nov 17] Ha-ha… because they totally do that.

Sonny Hernandez (Calvinist), Reforming America Ministries: “Arminianism: A cheap-grace, gospel-less heresy.” [20 Nov 17] He thinks we don’t believe in total depravity. Therefore he’s authorized to rage against us in fleshly righteous anger: How dare we believe in free will? Repent!

Mark Jones (Calvinist), The Calvinist International: “Do Arminians go to heaven?” [23 Nov 17] Well, he thinks we’re wrong, but won’t go so far as to call us heretics and reprobate.

John Piper (Calvinist): Desiring God: “Where’s the Arminian John Piper?” [30 Nov 17] Piper riffs on Roger Olson’s comment about how there’s no “Arminian John Piper,” and repeats the falsehood that Arminianism gives humanity the decisive role in who gets saved.

Pulpit and Pen (Calvinist): “Some clarity on hyper-Calvinism: What it is and what it isn’t.” [23 Nov 17] Just because these folks condemn all Arminians to the fires of hell, it doesn’t therefore make ’em hyper-Calvinists. They eagerly condemn hyper-Calvinists to hell too.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry Blog (Calvinist): “What Arminians and atheists have in common.” [28 Nov 17] He’d much rather have a God who sovereignly decrees a person be raped, than have a God who accepts there are rapists in his universe.

Arminianism:

Michael L. Brown, Ask Dr. Brown:

• “Are there things God can’t do?” [25 Nov 17, VIDEO] Sure, because God won’t violate his nature.

• “Does God predestine people to hell?” [30 Nov 17, VIDEO] Those who reject God have a predetermined destiny—but it’s not like they have no choice in the matter.

Stacy J. Ross, Ramblings from Real Man’s Land:

• “God calls people to Jesus.” [28 Nov 17] Everything about our redemption was God’s idea and plan, and he calls everyone to repent and turn to Jesus.

• “Jesus saves all who believe.” [29 Nov 17] But what does it mean to believe in Jesus?

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Or tune in next Friday. We’ll be around.