Friday Files, 5 Jan 18

It’s The Friday Files, our weekly stack of links: We highlight older SEA posts, and highlight stuff from around the Arminian and non-Calvinist blogosphere. Names in green indicate SEA members.

Inclusion isn’t necessarily approval or endorsement. (Some articles actually come from Calvinists!) 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:

James Arminius.

• “On repentance.” [27 Sep 12] Repentance comes from knowing we sinned, a fear of punishment, and a desire to be delivered from sin—which is possible, ’cause Christ.

• “On the predestination of believers.” [19 Oct 12] Predestination is where God unilaterally decided to justify and adopt believers.

• “On the will of God.” [25 Oct 12] How far God’s will extends over himself and his creation.

• “On what the first sin produced.” [1 Nov 12] Namely offending God, death, desanctification, and the corruption of humanity.

Adam Clarke.

• “On regeneration.” [11 Oct 12] The order of salvation: Conviction, contrition, faith in Christ, justification, sanctification, perseverance, and glorification.

• “On Romans 7:14.” [23 Oct 12] Calvinists claim Paul was speaking about a regenerate individual; Clarke would disagree.

Martin Glynn, The JC Freak.

• “Calvinist rhetoric: Jargon.” [2 Jul 12] Because if you control the vocabulary, you control the high ground. Hence Calvinists insist on their definitions of sovereignty, grace, predestination, election, etc.

• “Molinism, Calvinism, and 1 Corinthians.” [13 Aug 12] To defend God’s character despite the problems of determinism, some Calvinists borrow Molinist arguments about middle knowledge. Thing is, 1 Corinthians 10:13 undermines this practice.

• “Amyraldism vs. four-point Calvinism.” [27 Aug 12] Some Calvinists recognize limited atonement is unbiblical, but the Amyraldists actually put some thought into it.

Ciprian Gheorghe-Luca, Seedbed. “How to foster charitable, ecumenical dialogue in the global church.” [1 Oct 12] Seek common ground in the scriptures, follow the Spirit, be committed to your own church but remember it’s about all of them, listen to others, and mind your priorities.

Ben Henshaw, Arminian Perspectives.

• “Dr. Brian Abasciano on the conditionality implied in Romans 9:16 and its connection to John 1:12-13.” [5 Sep 12] Salvation doesn’t depend on human will but God’s mercy; but he doesn’t make us his children unless he sees our faith.

• “Jesus says the dead will hear unto spiritual life.” [24 Oct 12] Recapping Christopher Chapman’s article on spiritual death, the Calvinist view is contradicted by Jesus’s statement the “dead” will hear.

Roy Ingle.

• “Arminian thoughts on 1 John 2:2.” [3 Oct 12] Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, but Calvinists don’t care to let the text speak for itself.

• “Should a pastor be fired for teaching Calvinism?” [15 Oct 12] Comes down to whether your church expects or requires you to be Arminian.

• “Jesus’ foreknowledge and causation.” [22 Oct 12] Jesus foreknew various things, but didn’t cause them—contrary to hyper-Calvinist teaching.

Arminianism:

Gowdy Cannon, Rambling Ever On. “A book review: Free Will Revisited.” [4 Jan 18] Robert Picirilli on Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Jonathan Edwards’s views on free will.

Ed Jarrett, A Clay Jar. “The nature of God.” [30 Dec 17] A quick look at the attributes of God.

D.V. Wayman, Ironstrikes. “2017 in review: Readers’ favorites.” [29 Dec 17] The most popular Ironstrikes posts for each month.

Calvinism:

Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, Florence, S.C. (Calvinist). “Isn’t Calvinism evil?” [29 Dec 17] Because isn’t meticulous sovereignty inherently evil? Well, according to this church website, it’s not as meticulous as all that.

Reminder: Feedreaders!

SEA members have blogs, and would appreciate it if you read ’em. And the best way to keep up with their latest is with a feedreader or news aggregator—like Digg Reader, Feeder, Feedreader, Feedly, G2Reader, Inoreader, NewsBlur, and The Old Reader. Find your favorite site’s RSS or Atom feed, put it in your feedreader, and stay up with the latest.

Or come back next Friday. We’ll have more links.