This Week in Calvinism - February 5, 2016

• "Dear non-Calvinist..."
  
  
• Mitch Bogen discusses Bob Dylan's "beautiful Calvinism."
  
  
• Calvinism as an apologetic.
  
  
• Roger Olson writes, "'Reformed' is a spiritual-theological identity not tied to 'five point Calvinism' and certainly not tied to complementarianism or belief in biblical inerrancy."
  
  
• Richard Mouw reflects on Abraham Kuyper's words regarding the mingling of church and state.
  
  
• The impact of Calvinism on culture.
  
  
• From Christianity Today: "American Christians apparently aren't Calvinists when it comes to football." True. Even though I know the outcome of the game is predetermined, I still cheer like an Arminian.
  
  
• Writes Arminian William Birch:

  Calvinists evoke mental images of an impersonal and analytic God who cares primarily about rescuing numbers -- objects -- instead of caring about and loving helpless sinners in need of His grace and mercy. We are presented with a calculated God who gives people cancer, like John Piper's God (link), and who has decreed that people suffer, while they evoke their myriad passions during the suffering He has brought about, while He shows no passion whatsoever.

  When all else fails, create a straw man.