This Week in Calvinism - March 27, 2015

• The reason Roger Olson believes that "Calvinism makes God morally monstrous" is that if God even passes over certain people when he could save them, "then God is not good in any meaningful sense." As usual, Olson avoids explaining why his theology isn't subject to the same criticism by saying he has written on this issue before. However, he does say regarding the reprobate that "[God's] knowledge corresponds to their free choices." Olson even quotes C. S. Lewis. And who are we to argue with a guy who can quote C. S. Lewis?
  
  
• "Modified" Arminian James Goetz goes a step further. He believes in "restricted free will" and "conditional universalism," saying "that God never ceases to reach out to humans regardless of death." And he brings up a good point. If Arminians like Roger Olson believe that God "desires all people to be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4), why should a minor inconvenience like physical death get in the way of that?
  
  
• Kyle Dillon has created a "quick and easy" chart on two kingdoms theology and neo-Calvinism. What do you think of his comparisons?
  
  
• In reviewing Nancy Pearcey's book Finding Truth: 5 Principles for Unmasking Atheism, Secularism, and Other God Substitutes, John Mark N. Reynolds writes, "Anyone who tells you that you do not have free will deserves being ignored." He later qualifies that by saying, "Pearcey rightly notes that even Calvinism does not deny human free will, just free will in regard to salvation."
  
  
• We now know the reason why a new Calvinist tends to be so aggressive. It's because when an Arminian comes along and uses the Bible to shoots holes in his theology, the "Calvinist has to choose between the Bible or their new found worldview." Thankfully, most of us eventually learn to explain and rationalize our way around passages like John 3:16, 1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9, and Ezekiel 33:11.
  
  
• If there is any "choice" in Calvinism, Rich Davis doesn't see it.
  
  
• Ian Clary responds.
  
  
• Four lessons from a Calvinist slave.