Friday, January 10, 2014

This Week in Calvinism - January 10, 2014

  • Calvinism is in the mainstream news again, most recently in The New York Times. And no, it really isn't news.

  • Patrick Chan responds to Roger Olson's quotes in the NYT article.

  • Dr. Olson was "not entirely pleased" with how he was used for the article, and he doesn't think the article "represents to readers the harsh and rough edges of this new Calvinism sweeping through Baptist and evangelical circles."

  • Mark Tooley notes that John Wesley "never wrote a systematic theology, as of course Calvin did with his Institutes. If Wesley had, maybe his followers would be more intellectually influential today. And The New York Times would publish a feature on the 'New Wesleyans.'"

  • Alastair Roberts lists nine reasons why he's thankful to be a Calvinist.

  • On the flip-side, Robin Phillips begins a series of posts explaining why he's no longer a Calvinist. He will explore five reasons:

    • Calvinism presents a dehistoricized Bible
    • Calvinism destroys God's justice
    • Calvinism dislocates God from our experience of Him
    • Calvinism teaches the heresy of monergism
    • Calvinism presents a deformed Christology

  • William Lane Craig and Paul Helm debate Molinism vs. Calvinism on the "Unbelievable?" radio program. Uh, make that programme.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

If there is no free will it means the only will that exists is God's will, meaning every event, action, thought, and motion was based on arbitrary decisions God made before time began, including salvation. So in theory it would be impossible not to do God's will whether you are a missionary or a rapist or a suicide bomber. Moreover you have know way to know if you're "saved" because your salvation is based on an arbitrary decision Jesus made before time began. In the end the calvinist God will condemn people for circumstances beyond their control all for his pleasure. PLEASE THINK ABOUT THE INSANITY OF THIS VIEW FOR FIVE SECONDS! A loving God is not behind such a view - it is merely the byproduct of an era of scientific ignorance and religious barbarism. Martin Luther was an anti semetic teacher who believed in genocide and ethnic cleansing, and if he were around today he would be consigned to a mental institution. If there us a less moral view out there besides calvinism I haven't found it yet.

Lee Shelton said...

*sigh* Here we go again.

I will think about the "insanity" of my views if you will do the same. What you are suggesting is that God has no plan or purpose for anything evil that happens. All sin is random and beyond his control. That is the God you would rather serve?

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