A good and dear friend who writes on matters of faith and religion for the Louisville Examiner recently posted an article: Why Be a Calvinist? I’ve known Mike for quite a while now we’ve had many really good and deep discussions related to faith-related issues that I struggle with including Calvinism, the will of God, open theism, etc. Even though I may have profound disagreements with Mike, I have immense respect for him and I invite readers of this blog to visit his site at:
2 Responses
I placed this comment under Mike’s article in part to help start some discussion on Mike’s article and also in part to express my own sentiments:
That contemporary PhD theologians i.e. John Piper and Greg Boyd can have diametrically opposed perspectives on the same scriptural text is, I think, problematic within Christianity. I say that as one who struggles in my own faith. If indeed the term ‘theology’ means the science of God, are there not “constants” that all Christians can agree on. In essence, I submit you’re discussing the most fundamental tenant of Christianity – salvation. And yet, even on this most fundamental aspect of faith, there is significant disagreement as to whether man is free to choose to accept Christ (Arminianism) or if it is God who predetermines who will (and conversely who will not) be saved (Calvinism). I appreciate that you’re admitting to a Calvinist perspective. However, I respectfully submit that subsequent posts to explain the differences will be through a Calvinist-affinity/anti-Arminian lense. If JP & GB can’t agree on these things, how can I know that you’re being fair to the subject matter?
This spillover is ahetnor example of what I was just replying to you about over on my blog. Not just the IFB movement, but the American Evangelical movement as a whole has a very strong Calvinist heritage which is inconsistently adapted by many to Arminian emphases on soteriology. They still have, at least, many great hymns rattling around in their heads written by Calvinist writers, preachers gleaning from Calvinist commentators and old preachers many Calvinistic catch-phrases such as the kind your Arminian scholar cites. There’s traces of the Calvinism of our heritage in many things we Evangelicals do, so all Evangelicals need to get back to the basics!