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…
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Roy Ingle, “Answered Prayer and Divine Providence”
The Scriptures make it clear that God answers prayer. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know” (NASB).…
Determinism in the Hebrew Scriptures: Daniel
The prophet Daniel offers believers a startling portrait of our sovereign God while faithfully maintaining the biblical truth of genuine human freedom and responsibility. His doctrine of God’s sovereignty appears methodically organized in the exact…
Determinism in the Hebrew Scriptures: Isaiah
For consistent Calvinists like John Piper, an inevitable implication of the sovereignty of God — and what it means for God to be God — is a prominent thread easily detected throughout all of their…
Perhaps Compatibilistic Calvinism is the Answer … Perhaps Not
Relatively recently, Arminian scholar Jerry Walls has engaged Calvinist responses to his 2011 article, “Why No Classical Theist, Let Alone Orthodox Christian, Should Ever Be a Compatibilist.” Steve Hays, of Triablogue, attempts to undermine the…
“Take It Up with Paul”
On Tuesday, I got a Calvinist to say, essentially, “Who cares that God made you sin; he’s God and he does what he wants.” Those weren’t the exact words, but if you read on, you…
Ben Witherington and Keith Stanglin, Jacob Arminius, Theologian of Grace – Part Five
BEN: Would it be correct to say that Arminius rejects Calvin’s strong distinction between the secret decrees and will of God and the revealed will of God, which allowed for the possibility that God’s revealed…
This Week in Arminianism
Dr. Brian Abasciano presents his “Reply to James White on 1 John 5:1 on the Order of Faith and Regeneration.” Roy Ingle, of Arminian Today, presents “The Arminian Affirmation of the Atonement,” teaches us “How…
J. Matthew Pinson, “Individual Election, Corporate Election, and Arminianism”
There is a flurry of activity at present from quarters in the Arminian theological community on the doctrine of corporate election. The exponents of this view are able and must be reckoned with, both by…
Ben Witherington and Chad Thornhill on *The Chosen People: Election, Paul and Second Temple Judaism*, Part 7
BEN: In terms of the modus operandi of this book, one of the basic approaches you take is to argue that if an idea is not found elsewhere in early Jewish literature, then it is…
Christian Philosopher Lydia McGrew on Calvinism
This conversation took place in the comment section of one of Dr. Lydia McGrew’s posts at her blog Extra Thoughts: C. M. Granger said… Hi Lydia, why aren’t you a Calvinist? 11/26/2015 6:25 PM Lydia McGrew said……
Reward and Punishment Necessitate Libertarian Freedom
As is stated in previous posts on this site, libertarian free will is assumed throughout the tenor of the entire Bible, and determinism is exposed as not merely flawed but erroneous and damaging to the…
Compatibilism and Wireless Technology, Part 1: Why Calvinism’s Explanation for Human Freedom and Responsibility Doesn’t Satisfy Me
In this post I will discuss why Compatibilistic Calvinism really offers no satisfactory explanation of how genuine human choice (in the common understanding of the word) is possible within the scheme of divine determinism. William Birch…
What If: Could Anakin Skywalker Have Chosen Not to Become Darth Vader?
In Star Wars Episode III, The Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Master Mace Windu and Sith Lord Palpatine (aka Darth Sidious) are engaged in battle when Anakin Skywalker enters the room. As Anakin watches on,…
Grace: The Analogy of Sanctification
We bless thee, O God most high and Lord of mercies, who ever workest great and mysterious deeds for us, glorious, wonderful, and numberless; who providest us with sleep as a rest from our infirmities…
Arminius for Everyone
Often historical information regarding sixteenth-century Reformed theologian Jacob Arminius (1559-1609) is weighed down by theological jargon too complicated and uninteresting for the average lay-reader. Too much is assumed by the respective authors and too much…
Questioning Calvinism: Unconditional Election
When I was a Calvinist in the late 1990s, having been defending Calvinism as the lone orthodox theology of the Church for quite some time, I remember asking our assistant pastor at Providence Presbyterian Church…
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…
Compatibilism vs. Free Will
God’s relationship with not only His universe but also the creatures whom He created in His own image has been debated, fashioned, and refashioned throughout the history of the Church. From what one may gather,…
Dekker and Muller on Middle Knowledge in Arminius’ Theology
The following quotes are taken from Eef Dekker’s Was Arminius a Molinist? The Sixteenth Century Journal, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Summer, 1996), pp. 337-352. Arminius: The knowledge of God is a faculty of his life, which…
Recent Posts
Richard Coords, “Omnipotence”
Mark K. Olson, “John Wesley’s Doctrine of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit: An Exegetical Study – Part Two”
Brian Abasciano, “Answering Appeal to Hebrews 13:5 as a Prooftext for Once Saved Always Saved”
Wayne A. Brindle, “Prepared by Whom? Reprobation and Non-Calvinist Interpretations of Romans 9:22”
