It’s the St. Brigid’s Day edition of the Friday Files, where we poke around old SEA articles and links and think, “Oh, I remember that one!” or “I didn’t know we posted that one,” or “Why on earth did we post that one?” ’Cause they don’t always reflect the views of SEA. But often they do.
SEA members’ names are in blue. Posts from the last week of January…
Last year! (2018)
• Sometimes we pull stuff from SEA’s discussion group on Facebook, and that’s where “Prevenient Grace” comes from. A Calvinist wanted to know whether prevenient grace is universal (it is) because to his mind, any form of universal grace can turn into universalism. It’s a common Calvinist mistake.
(Wanna join the group? We don’t just have every-other-month discussions about everybody’s favorite bible translations. But if you’re into that, we do have that.)
• Roy Ingle, “Class Election.” God elected ancient Israel unto salvation, and elects his church unto salvation. But it doesn’t automatically mean everybody in Israel or the church will be saved; we still gotta respond to God’s initiative.
• Roy Ingle, “Arminianism Begins with God’s Goodness.” Calvinists have spread the rumor we reject sovereignty, predestination, and free will. Not so. We reject Calvinist definitions of those terms, ’cause they don’t ground them in God’s goodness. They ground them in God’s might and glory—and his goodness is frequently a distant third.
Five years ago! (2014)
• Kenneth Keathley, “Whether the Person Who Believes Is More Virtuous than the One Who Doesn’t if God Enables Both to Believe.” Long title. Short answer: Nah.
• Jerry Walls, “I Wish More Arminians Were Like Calvinists.” Despite their minority, Calvinists are out there making waves in academia and on the internet. ’Cause they think they’re right! So why don’t we, who are right, make some noise?
• Paul Owen, “What Is Wrong with the Young, Restless, and Reformed Movement?” Calvinist Episcopalian scholar Owen writes on the fruitlessness and cultishness of the YRR movement.
• Ben Henshaw, “Calvinism on the Horns: The Problem of Divine Foreknowledge in Calvinism and Why You Should Be an Arminian.” Calvinists believe God doesn’t know contingencies (because they believe contingencies don’t exist); he only knows what he’s caused. Interestingly, that’s the same as Open Theists believe. Problem is, in so doing they make God the author of sin and injustice.
Ten years ago! (2009)
• Tim Warner, “Apostasy and the Book of Hebrews.” A look at the warnings of the author of Hebrews against turning away from Christ.
• Tim Warner, “Eternal Security? Sealed by the Spirit.’” A look at how being sealed in the Spirit (Ep 1:13, 4:30) doesn’t guarantee salvation. Don’t tamper with your seal!
• Martin Glynn, “1 John 5:16-17; A Devotional.” Regardless of whether a sin leads to death or not, pray for sinners. Less chastising, more praying for deliverance.
• Tim Warner, “Eternal Security? Introduction.” An introduction to the relatively new doctrine of once-saved-always-saved.
• Tim Warner, “Calvinism 5: Perseverance of the Saints.” Perseverance is based on the continued belief in the gospel, not some extrabiblical divine decree.
• Ben Henshaw introduces (but didn’t write) a list of some writings of prominent Christians predating the Nicene Council, demonstrating in “The Early Church and Calvinism” how the primary points of Calvinism were not only untaught by the ancient church, but considered heresy.
• James Leonard, “Toward a Definition of ‘All People.’” [PDF] When the scriptures refer to everybody, how literally does it mean everybody? Calvinists say sometimes everyone, sometimes the elect. Is there anything in the text which permits ’em to say so?
• Kevin Jackson, “The Farmer, the Boys, and the Pond.” A paraphrase of Calvinist author Norman Geisler’s illustration of limited atonement, from his book Chosen but Free.
• Martin Glynn, “Calminians?” Some folks claim to split the difference between Arminian and Calvinist views, and dub themselves “Calminian.” But when two views are right next to one another, there’s no middle ground to occupy.
Wanna read SEA members’ blogs?
No? Well, we tried.
But for those who are looking for more material—and there is a lot of content on Arminian and Calvinist issues—check out our members’ blogs. They go back years. Lots to read there.
