Friday, April 24, 2015

This Week in Calvinism - April 24, 2015

  • Calvinism refuted. *Sigh* Again.

  • Calvinism cannot be true because damnation is infinitely evil. Wait...what?

  • Atheists love to make moral arguments about God. Regarding these moral arguments, atheist Reddit user Terraplanetommy notes, "I've never really come across one that can't be jettisoned in favor of the calvinst (sic) viewpoint of god (sic)."

  • Roger Olson praises the book Grace for All: The Arminian Dynamics of Salvation, calling it "a welcome addition to contemporary Arminian literature." It's the book about which Terry L. Miethe, former dean of the Oxford Study Centre, said, "I cannot think of a more dangerous unbiblical teaching than Calvinism! I recommend this book highly." Looks like a must-read.

  • A brief review of the booklet What is Experiential Calvinism? from Pastor Dave.

  • Regarding the purpose and goal of debating and challenging Calvinism, Arminian William Birch writes:
    We believe that Calvinism is error. But we can in no sense whatsoever know objectively if this is God's absolute truth -- that Calvinism objectively is, in fact, error. We must, in humility, confess that we believe that Calvinism is in error, and that Arminian theology rightly divides the word of God's truth, while also declaring the possibility that we could be wrong. Therefore we do not seek for Calvinism to be entirely eradicated, even if, at the same time, we seek to challenge its assertions and limit its converts. Because if Calvinism is true, and we are, in our fallen state, blind to its truths, then to eradicate Calvinism altogether would be to eradicate the truth of God's word. Therefore we seek God's truth, God's glory, and, of course, a most diverse unity among all believers.
    Well said.

3 comments:

  1. Rather a generous statement by Mr. Birch. And a statement that I would wholeheartedly endorse if the sides were switched. One of the best Calvinist-Arminian mutual-affirmation-in-view-of-strong-disagreement statements I have ever read. An expression of New Testament unity as it should be. Bravo and hats off.

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  2. That is, assuming the term "converts" means theological converts rather than evangelical converts. We would not want to limit true converts to Christ in any way, even if they are Arminian. Rather one genuine Arminian convert than a billion false "Calvinists"! Of course, a billion or more true Calvinists would be best of all.

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