Arminians and Calvinists are often mistrustful of each other despite the fact that each tradition protects a shared deposit of mere Christianity. Or do they? Some folks in each theological camp appear to think that representatives from the other side have abdicated their core theological convictions. But one thing I’ve observed over time is that […]
arminianism
Is Preachability at the Gates of Auschwitz a Proper Measure for Good Theology?
On several occasions, I have seen Arminians make the following objection to Calvinism: if you can’t preach this to those who suffer, you shouldn’t believe it. Here’s an example from Roger Olson: “Someone has said that no theology is worth believing that cannot be preached standing in front of the gates of Auschwitz. I, for one, […]
Can You Be a Calminian? Yes … and No
Does Calvinism offer a basis for the assurance of salvation?
Calvinism affirms a doctrine known as the perseverance of the saints according to which the truly regenerated disciple will persist in faith. In the words of the seventeenth-century Puritan William Secker, “Though Christians be not kept altogether from falling, yet they are kept from falling altogether.” Calvinists insist that perseverance of the saints is a […]
Calvinism and the Problem of Evil: A Review
David E. Alexander and Daniel M. Johnson, eds. Calvinism and the Problem of Evil. (Eugene, OR: Pickwick, 2016). Calvinism represents one of the richest and most formidable intellectual traditions in Christianity, one that has enjoyed a popular renaissance in North America in the last several years. Given these facts, you might expect that Calvinism would attract significant […]
Do Calvinists and Arminians worship the same God?
We’re going to address Calvinists and Arminians in a moment. But first let’s begin with the catalyst for the discussion which is a February 2016 episode of William Lane Craig’s venerable Reasonable Faith Podcast titled “Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?” In this podcast Craig addresses the controversial question that was first raised as […]
4. The 59-Second Apologist: What are Calvinism and Arminianism?
Have you seen the t-shirt that explains Calvinism and Arminianism? On the front it declares “Calvinism: This shirt chose me”. And on the back it says, “Arminianism: I chose this shirt.” In case you’re looking for a bit more, in this episode of The 59-Second Apologist, Randal explains the difference between Calvinism and Arminianism. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/tentativeapologist/59+Second+Apologist-4+Calvinism+and+Arminianism.mp3Podcast: Play in new […]
Can the saved lose their salvation?
The other day one of my readers, John, asked me to share my views on “whether or not someone who has had a genuine salvific experience can subsequently lose their salvation.” As you might have guessed, much depends on what one means by “a genuine salvific experience”. One could define it in many ways. Let’s go with […]
30. Roger Olson on Calvinism and Arminianism
Twenty years ago when I took a university course in contemporary theology, my main textbook was Stanley Grenz and Roger Olson’s modern classic 20th Century Theology. Since then I have profited from reading several of Professor Olson’s books. So it was a real thrill to have him on The Tentative Apologist Podcast. Professor Olson is the Foy Valentine […]
What’s so Calvinistic about John Piper’s “The Calvinist”?
Check out this newly released video which features a long poem courtesy of John Piper, and then let’s talk: The interesting thing is that while this video is titled “The Calvinist”, and thus presumably aims to offer a portrait of theology that is uniquely Calvinist which is then worked out in the life of the […]
A quick look at God as a temporal being
In “Love, omnibenevolence, and Francis Chan” I observed that many Calvinists reject the biblical presentation of God as sempiternal (that is, as backwardly and forwardly everlasting) in favor of an abstract and extra-biblical theory of divine atemporality. While I don’t have a problem with this per se, I do object when Calvinists then claim that Arminians […]
I’ll shine John Piper’s shoes under one condition
Today Steve over at Triablogue wrote a couple blog posts responding to some articles I’d written a few weeks ago. Soon after, “Truth Unites … and Divides” commented: “I wonder if Rauser is a fanboy of Roger Olson. Didn’t Olson say something like if it turns out that Calvinism is a more accurate description of […]
Calvinism, Arminianism and Omnibenevolence
Arminians like to point out that according to Calvinism God elects some people to damnation. Of course some Calvinists try to soften this teaching by claiming that the election to damnation is a passive divine act according to which God simply “passes over” and thereby opts not to redeem these people. Unfortunately this shift in […]
Does Calvinism oblige you to withhold hope in your child’s salvation?
Some good news: the Milwaukee Hyatt Regency offers free wi-fi in the lobby. Consequently I have some time for blogging. But what shall I blog about? I just finished an interesting discussion with my friend Robin Parry (acquisitions editor at Wipf and Stock). During the conversation the topic of Calvinism came up and we discussed the problem […]
