Recent Posts

A Minor Change to Our Statement of Faith

, , Comment Closed

We have made a minor change to our statement of faith (http://evangelicalarminians.org/sof), which must be affirmed to join the society and which members must continue to affirm to remain in the society. This change has been made to make the statement clearer and smoother, and to underscore our belief in unlimited atonement, which is nonetheless already addressed elsewhere in the statement.

In article 3 of our statement of faith, we have changed this affirmation about Jesus:

    He lived a sinless life, dying on the cross as a substitute and sacrifice for sinners

to this affirmation:

    He lived a sinless life and died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice for all sinners

All members of the society must agree with the revised statement of faith to remain in the society.

Praise Jesus for dying as a substitute and sacrifice for all sinners! What love and grace!!

Read Post →

The Fallacies of Calvinist Apologetics

, , No Comment

Related Fallacies:
Oversimplification
Non-Sequitur
Slippery Slope

“The choices are not between Calvinism and Arminianism; it’s between Calvinism and universalism. Arminianism is a self-contradictory mess that can never defend itself.” – James White

This is a favorite rhetorical jab of many Calvinists, but is in fact one of the more obvious fallacies they often employ. The logic behind it is simple and can be summed up with the statement:

“If Christ’s death saves, and Christ died for everyone, then everyone would be saved.”

Seems pretty easy, right?

Problems with this logic

Turns out the simplicity of the argument is its weakness, because it masks a hidden difference in underlying assumptions. The critical distinction lies in the first part of the sentence, “…Christ’s death saves….”

The differences in viewpoint on atonement

Read Post →

Michael Bird on Calvinistic Synergism

, , Comment Closed

Some good comments from Calvinist Michael Bird, admitting that Calvinism (not just Arminianism) involves synergism (in the context of talking about Universalism): Calvinists like to tout themselves as holding to a form of monergism whereby…

Read Post →

Our Common Enemy

, , 1 Comment

I mentioned recently that Arminians and Calvinists are not enemies (even though there are people in both camps who at times disagree — or at least behave as though they disagree — with this statement).…

Read Post →

The Fallacies of Calvinist Apologetics

, , No Comment

Related Fallacies:
Special Pleading (Double Standard)
Equivocation
Straw man

“Of course, this raises the question, why does their God save a person to damn him? Why not simply leave him in his unsaved state?” – Steve Hays, ‘Tender Mercies‘

To get a better view of this fallacy, let’s examine the author’s argument more fully from the analogy he gives:

Read Post →

Two Important Books Coming Out This Year

, , Comment Closed

Here are two books to be on the lookout for this year: Roger Olson, Against Calvinism is scheduled to come out in October of this year (2011). There is no information available yet at the…

Read Post →

James Arminius On the One Will of God

, , No Comment

There is a connection between the Understanding of God and His Will that is overlooked or neglected by those who hold to a two wills in God theory. In this post we will discover what Arminius believed about God’s Knowledge or Understanding, and its relation to the one Will of God, with its various distinctives.

THE UNDERSTANDING OF GOD

Read Post →

Arminian/Non-Calvinist Daily Devotionals

, , Comment Closed

We received a request for suggestions for daily devotionals that do not come from a Calvinist perspective. Here are some suggestions that our members have come up with: Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest…

Read Post →

Universalism and Arminianism at Odds

, , No Comment

The theology of Moises Amyraut (1596-1664) should not be overlooked, for the simple reason that Amyraldianism (sometimes referred to as four-point Calvinism) was another departure from or reformation of Classical Calvinism. Amyraut believed that he…

Read Post →

Arminius on the Sovereignty and Providence of God concerning the Problem of Evil

, , No Comment

Arminius comments:

    We have already said that in sin the act, or the cessation from action, and ‘the transgression of the law’ come under consideration: But the Efficiency of God about evil concerns both the act itself and its viciousness, and it does this whether we have regard to the beginning of sin, to its progress, or to its end and consummation.1

What Arminius is trying to avoid is the constructing of his exegetical theology which is free from charging or making God the author of sin. What does it mean to make God the author of sin? First, let us define sin. The Larger Catechism states that sin is “any want [lack] of conformity unto, or transgression of, any law of God, given as a rule to the reasonable creature.”2 This definition works as well as any other.

Read Post →