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:
Brian Abasciano. “Does regeneration precede faith? The use of 1 John 5:1 as a proof text.” [2012, PDF] Its past-perfect verb tense doesn’t automatically mean believers were begotten by God before they became believers. Context suggests otherwise.
- • “On the effects of the sin of our first parents.” [7 Nov 12] All the consequences of that first sin.
- • “On our election being in Christ.” [12 Dec 12] There’s no such thing as “being in Christ” if you’re not a believer.
Michael F. Bird, Euangelion: “J.I. Packer on divine impassibility.” [25 Oct 12] God’s experiences don’t take him by surprise. His reactions aren’t involuntary. He entirely chooses how to react.
Caleb Friedeman, Seedbed. “8 things Wesleyans need to learn from the new Calvinism.” [12 Nov 12] Scripture saturation, education, powerful pastor/scholar/theologians, publishing, doctrinal distinctives, family teaching, cross-denominational unity, and God’s greatness.- • “Adam heard the voice of God.” [8 Nov 12] If there were any time humans would be “dead in our sins,” as Calvinists imagine it, it’d be when Adam and Eve fell. Yet they could still hear from God. As could Cain.
- • “Why Arminians find Calvinist conversions offensive.” [16 Nov 12] When people describe discovering Calvinism as if they discovered Jesus, it’s a stumbling block.
- • “Is faith a work?” [11 Dec 12] If you receive faith freely, it’s not a work.
- • “The practical implications of an unlimited atonement.” [13 Dec 12] Particularly we know all can be saved, and atonement is glorious, powerful, and provides assurance.
Matthew Murphy, Arminian Theology.
- • “Do Arminians believe in the sovereignty of God?” [16 Jul 12] Of course we do. We just deny God chooses to control the universe so tightly, sin isn’t merely permitted but DECREED.
- • “Jeremiah 13:23—proof of man’s inability?” [16 Jul 12] Some “impossible situations” are of our own making.
- • “Do Arminians believe in total depravity?” [9 Oct 12] Again, of course we do. We can’t save ourselves, nor even take the initiative.
- Roger E. Olson, My Evangelical Arminian Theological Musings: “For God so loved the world… that he couldn’t stay away (a Christmas meditation).” [25 Dec 11] God’s incarnation wasn’t a pretense nor a plan B: God chose to be human, and live among us.
Randal Rauser. “Calvinism, Arminianism and omnibenevolence.” [28 Nov 12] Calvinists try to soften the idea of God electing some to damnation. They don’t do so well with it.
Arminianism.
Ed Jarrett, A Clay Jar. “The work of God.” [7 Jan 18] A quick look at God’s master plan of the universe.K.W. Leslie, Christ Almighty! “ Wrongly defining God by his almightiness.” [10 Jan 18] Since Jesus surrendered his omnipotence to become human, God’s power clearly isn’t what makes him God.
Non-Calvinist.
- Benjamin L. Corey. “Dear Calvinists: Try having mercy on those of us who doubt.” [11 Jan 18] Christians with doubts (like Corey) need encouragement towards faith, not rebuke like Greg Morse’s recent article for “dishonoring God.”
J.D. Gallé, The Neo-Remonstrance Commences. “The theological implications of Calvinism’s conception of doubt.” [12 Jan 18] Speaking of Morse’s article: Doesn’t Calvinism teach it was God’s sovereign decree that certain people be doubters? Why rebuke them for something they can’t help?
- Morgan Guyton: Mercy Not Sacrifice. “Doubt and neo-Calvinist psychology.” [9 Jan 18] Still speaking of Morse’s article: There are healthy biblical ways to deal with doubt. Denouncing doubters isn’t one of them.
Reminder: Feedreaders!
SEA members have blogs, and want you to read them. Because they want feedback! (Or they really don’t; send ’em feedback and you’ll find out the hard way. Thankfully we don’t have a lot of those.)
The best way to keep up all your favorite blogs is with a feedreader or news aggregator—like Digg Reader, Feeder, Feedreader, Feedly, G2Reader, Inoreader, NewsBlur, and The Old Reader. Find the site’s RSS or Atom feed, put it in your feedreader, and whenever they post something new, you’ll know.
And come on back to the Friday Files next Friday, as we point to everything else on the web.
