Do we have free will, or are all of our thoughts and actions predetermined? People have debated this topic for thousands of years, without conclusively settling the matter. Determinism has its attractions, but even those who believe in pure determinism act, for all practical purposes, as if they have libertarian free will. What does the …
It didn’t take me long after researching the question to conclude that I’ve always been Calvinist. Calvinism and Arminianism both provide equally logical frameworks of description, and both are orthodox reform Christianity. Neither explanation is flawless, but both are as good as can be expected. I don’t expect humans to ever come up with anything …
I’m now about halfway through Roger Olson’s excellent “Arminian Theology”. As I suspected, many of the online criticisms against Arminianism are dishonest straw men that do not represent true Arminian theology. This is no surprise, since the same dishonest tactics are used against Calvinism on the Internet, too. It turns out that the surface area …
One of the most common attacks on Calvinism I have seen is the insinuation that “Calvinists are Sneaky” when they evangelize. Since Calvinists claim that God died only for the “elect”, and since they don’t know exactly who the “elect” are, then Calvinists would be dishonest to evangelize the Gospel by saying “Jesus died for …
The more I read about Arminianism, the more I am convinced that I am not an Arminian. However, I am cautious to judge, since I realize that many of the viewpoints I find most objectionable may not be “orthodox” Arminianism. I just ordered a copy of Roger Olson’s “Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities”, apparently the …
James Kwak at Baseline Scenario quotes a New Yorker article about the mega rich money managers in Manhattan who are watching the world come to an end right now. One of the successful money managers, one Colyn Negrych, has a particularly poignant observation: “What constituency is there for pessimism? People believe optimism is necessary, an …