Yep, it’s the St. Apollonia’s Day edition of the Friday Files, where we highlight older SEA posts, and point to articles found round the blogosphere thought to be of interest to those interested in Arminian/Calvinist issues.
Names in green indicate our SEA members. Since some of ’em are blatantly Calvinist, if you leap to the conclusion inclusion implies approval or endorsement, you clearly need to let the Holy Spirit teach you some more about patience. And to forgive K.W. Leslie for the brief summaries which enrage you so much.
(St. Apollonia? She’s a third-century Alexandrian martyr who was tortured for Christ by having all her teeth knocked out. Hence the Orthodox and Catholics consider her the patron saint of tooth pain sufferers. Yeah, like she’d wanna listen to prayers about that all day long. So glad there’s no PTSD in heaven.)
From the SEA archives:
SEA admin and discussion group. “A thought about misrepresentation of Arminius and Arminian theology.” [24 Feb 2013] It’s been going on for centuries.- Brian Abasciano and Martin Glynn. “An outline of the FACTS of Arminianism vs. the TULIP of Calvinism.” [28 Feb 2013] In brief, the difference between our two summaries of soteriology.
Answers in Action (Calvinist). “11 questions on Calvinism and the Calvinist’s worldview.” [1996] Questions non-Calvinists have posed to Answers in Action. (They don’t provide answers; they’re just presented to “help get the discussion ball rolling.”)
Tim Challies (Calvinist). “Reformed Eye for the Arminian Guy.” [3 Jan 2007] Challies’ proposal for a reality show in which a team of fabulous Reformed men give an Arminian a makeover.- The Christian History Center, Staunton, Virginia. “1618 opinions of the Remonstrants with a memorial to James Arminius.” [23 Feb 2013] What the Remonstrants thought of predestination, universal atonement, how God’s grace works, perseverance, and the trinity; and a eulogy Simon Episcopius wrote about Arminius.
Michael Foust, Baptist Press. “Statement on Calvinism draws approval, criticism.” [31 May 2012] Several Southern Baptist leaders signed “A Statement of the Traditional Southern Baptist Understanding of God’s Plan of Salvation,” particularly objecting to the “new Calvinism” trend in their church.- Roy Ingle. “1 John 2:2 and ‘the world.’ ” [23 Feb 2013] In order to defend limited atonement, Calvinists reinterpret κόσμος/“world” to mean God’s followers. Yet throughout his letter, John contrasted the κόσμος to God’s followers.
James Leonard, Arminian Baptist.- • “A brief Arminian Baptist response to ‘Neither Arminians nor Calvinists but Baptist.’ ” [23 Feb 2013] In response to the statement, “Neither Arminians nor Calvinists but Baptist,” Leonard notes the authors don’t appear to understand what an Arminian is.
- • “Survey: Are you an Arminian and don’t even know it?” [28 Feb 2013] ’Cause it’s possible. Arminians have been so slandered over the years, you might believe exactly as we do, but think you’re Calvinist or “Calminian.”
I. Howard Marshall, Biblical Training. A New Testament Theology. [2007] A concise book on biblical theology from a world-class scholar.
Brandon Milan. “I Think My Wife’s a Calvinist.” [4 Dec 2008, video] A little song he wrote about how he didn’t choose her; she chose him.
Dustin Neely (Calvinist), The Gospel Coalition. “4 ways to fight clean over doctrine.” [21 May 2012] If we’re gonna agree to disagree, let’s at least remember to be fruitful followers of Christ about it.
Roger E. Olson, My Evangelical Arminian Theological Musings.- • “A good, new, non-Arminian, Arminian book!” [2 Sep 2010] On David L. Allen and Steve W. Lemke’s Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism. Olsen is a big fan.
- • “Karl Barth the Arminian?” [4 Nov 2012] He wasn’t, but he made some very interesting points about Judas Iscariot, apostasy, and free will.
- • “A movie illustration of what’s wrong with Calvinism.” [18 Nov 2012] In Ruby Sparks, a man invents a girlfriend whom he can utterly control… and finds the “joy” he determines for her to be unsatisfactory.
Molinism/Calvinism back-and-forth:
Tim Stratton (Molinist), Free Thinking Ministries. “Excusing sinners, blaming God, compatibilism, & the consequence argument.” [22 Jan 2018] Guillaume Bignon affirms “Calvinistic compatibilism” (which entails divine determinism) is true, and incompatible with libertarian free will. Stratton offers arguments why libertarian free will exists, and divine determinism doesn’t.
Steve Hays (Calvinist), Triablogue. “The ‘freethinking’ argument.” [28 Jan 2018] “Meh; your argument ain’t all that.”- Stratton. “Hays’d & confused.” [6 Feb 2018] “It is so, and I’ll prove you don’t know what you’re talking about, line by line.”
- Hays. “Tapout.” [8 Feb 2018] “Oh yeah? Then I’ll do it right back. Plus quote some other guys.”
Arminianism and other non-Calvinism:
Argo, Unreforming Theology. “Christian appeals to divine determinism and mystery are nothing more than intellectual laziness.” [3 Feb 2018] If people call us fools, we oughta be able to explain why we’re really not. If we can’t… well then they have a valid point.
William Lane Craig (Molinist), Reasonable Faith. “Calvinism and the unliveability of determinism.” [4 Feb 2018] Determinists recognize we can’t live passively; we gotta behave “as if” we have free will. How’s this any way consistent with their beliefs?
Leighton Flowers and Eric Kemp (Traditionalists), Soteriology 101. “Is JD Greear a Calvinist?” [5 Feb 2018] The Southern Baptists have nominated JD Greear to be their next president, and if he’s Calvinist—yet the majority of SBC churchgoers aren’t—they need to know which direction he intends to take the denomination.
K.W. Leslie, Christ Almighty! “Has God predetermined everything in the universe? Evil too?” [5 Feb 2018] An introduction to determinism: Why it’s found throughout human philosophy, and why it’s wholly inappropriate for Christianity.- Manuel Rincon, Free Thinking Ministries. “Rude Reformers!” [8 Feb 2018] Calvinists have a reputation for being aggressive in debate, but they’re certainly not the only Christians who do so. We all need to do better.
Calvinism:
JD Hall (Calvinist), Pulpit & Pen. “Don’t panic. JD Greear is not a Calvinist.” [7 Feb 2018] Certainly not enough for Hall, who says Greear doesn’t believe in limited atonement.
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Thanks for visiting. Tune in next Friday, on St. Onesimus’s day. (’Member him? Paul wrote a whole letter to Philemon about him. Right, that guy.)
