Those who hold to the Calvinistic concept of predestination believe that God predetermined everything that would happen before the foundation of the world in an eternal and unconditional decree. The Westminster Confession of Faith outlines…
Search Result
Can One Be Both a Calvinist and a Molinist?
Can one be both a Calvinist and a Molinist? Many Reformed Christians have deemed this an impossibility, while some prominent Reformed philosophers like Alvin Plantinga and Del Ratzsch profess to be simultaneously Calvinists and Molinists.…
Recap of Unconditional Election Debate between Dan Chapa and Richard Bushey
I recently debated Richard Bushey regarding the doctrine of unconditional election (Part 1) (Part 2). The debate was nearly two hours and while I hope you enjoy watching the full debate, I will attempt to…
Does God Have Two Wills?
“Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” – Ezekiel 18:23 “The Lord is not slow to…
If Jesus Wants Everyone Saved, Why Did He Not Pray For The World?
One very common Calvinist proof text for limited atonement and a limited salvific will on God’s part is in John 17:9. The context of the passage is Jesus in the Garden Of Gethsemane. The synoptic…
Roger Olson, “What’s Wrong with Calvinism?”
This is a talk I (Dr Roger Olson) gave recently at City on a Hill Church in Seattle, Washington. (City on a Hill is a mostly Russian evangelical church. It’s leaders are concerned about infiltration…
James White’s Testimony on His Conversion to Calvinism
Calvinist James White says: “When I read The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul, I was just overwhelmed with this sense of God’s holiness, His power, His transcendence, and yet His condescension, the gospel, and…
Book Review: Whomever He Wills — Chapter 3: Unconditional Election
Dr. Andrew Davis wrote chapter three of Whomever He Wills: A Surprising Display of Sovereign Mercy,1 which counters Dr. Richard Land’s chapter in Whosoever Will: A Biblical-Theological Critique of Five-Point Calvinism, called “Congruent Election.” Two…
Philosophical and Scriptural Argument For God’s Universal Salvific Will
Arminians and Molinists believe that God wants everyone saved. We also believe that Jesus Christ died for every single human being who will ever exist in this world. There’s an overabundance of scriptures that testifies…
Steve Sewell, “Election and the Character of God”
When studying any doctrine of the Bible, it’s important to have a correct starting point, and that is especially true when studying the doctrine of election. An incorrect starting point will lead us down the…
Roger Olson, “‘God’s Will’ In Calvinism and Arminianism”
Calvinists and Arminians agree that God “accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will” because so says Ephesians 1:11 and the entire testimony of Scripture. Both, however, interpret this differently. John Calvin, facing this…
“All Kinds” of Inconsistency
We Arminians, in arguing for universal atonement (also known as unlimited atonement) will often times appeal to various scriptures which, on their face, appear to mean that God both loves, died for, and desires every…
Addressing Two Really Bad Calvinist Objections
There are two objections from the Calvinist side against Arminians and Molinists which are really so terrible, I’m struggling to make a blog post of decent length about them. They’re such simple mistakes that they…
Roger Olson, “My Response to Al Mohler’s Defense of Limited Atonement”
[Please note: SEA does not necessarily agree with Dr. Olson’s position that he would not preach the gospel side by side with someone who believes in Limited Atonement. Moreover, there are other, perhaps better responses…
Do Arminians Believe In A Works Based Doctrine?
Calvinists often accuse Arminians of not believing that we are saved by grace because we believe man has the ability to choose between serving Him and serving one’s own sinful desires. Although it’s true that…
Something For Calvinists to Chew On
I’ve been reading the latter part of the Old Testament and something really interesting occurred to me. God spends so many chapters complaining about all the evil that Israel and Judah have been doing and…
Roger Olson, “Needed: Robust Arminian Theology for Lay People (Especially Youth)”
As most people who come here know, a “new Calvinism” movement (some prefer to call it “neo-Puritanism” and others call it the “Young, Restless, Reformed” movement is spreading like wildfire among evangelical Christians, especially young…
Is the Atonement Sufficient For All?
Is the Atonement Sufficient For All? This post was written by SEA member, Roy Ingle Arminianism affirms that the atonement of Christ was so glorious and powerful that it is sufficient for all to be…
H. Orton Wiley on the Universal Scope of the Atonement
H. Orton Wiley on the Universal Scope of the Atonement
provided by SEA member Roy Ingle
The following is taken from Dr. H. Orton Wiley’s book Introduction to Christian Theology (pp. 234-235):
The atonement is universal. This does not mean that all mankind will be unconditionally saved, but that the sacrifice offering of Christ so far satisfied the claims of the divine law as to make salvation a possibility for all. Redemption is therefore universal or general in the provisional sense, but special or conditional in its application to the individual.
Roger Olson, “Election Is for Everyone”
When I was a kid my brother and I would sometimes spend part of Saturday handing out gospel tracts in our neighborhood. We were pastor’s sons and probably felt some obligation to do it (as…