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 …
According to atheist materialism, free will is an illusion, and math is simply a useful fiction. As a Calvinist, I’m not going to take a glorified view of man’s free will. But I find it interesting that atheists proudly hew to such determinism. Determinism is the only honest position for a materialist to take, but …
Years ago, I read a couple of Muslim theologians who argued strenuously that God’s “hand” in the Bible was truly a physical hand. At the time, I found the debate to be ridiculous and absurdly literalist. But I’m reconsidering that opinion. Christianity believes in a God incarnate, and Judaism initially believed in a physical God. …
William has a good post, challenging the idea that God irresistibly decrees some to condemnation: I believe that God loves everyone, but it is clear from the Bible that He also hates some people. The whole issue seems irrelevant to the Calvinism vs. Arminianism debate. I just don’t see any point at all in speaking …
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 …
We’ve recently wrapped up family visits in Toronto, Port Huron, and Princeton, and now relaxing near the beach in Pawcatuck, Connecticut. In honor of John Calvin’s 500th birthday, my wife took this picture of a former Presbyterian church we drove past in London, Ontario. The cement plaque in the side of the wall says that …
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 …
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 …
I have spent most of my life thinking about things like predestination, free will, and salvation as well as studying the Bible. Over the years, I have acquired and refined some very definite beliefs about these topics. Until a couple of years ago, however, I deliberately stayed away from the theological combatants. Now, as I …