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ARMINIANISM: a MOST MISUNDERSTOOD THEOLOGY Julian Pace

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ARMINIANISM: a MOST MISUNDERSTOOD THEOLOGY Julian Pace The ArminianA PUBLICATION OF THE FUNDAMENTAL WESLEYAN SOCIETY VOLUME 38 SPRING 2020 ISSUE 1 ARMINIANISM: A MOST MISUNDERSTOOD THEOLOGY Julian Pace don’t think it would be an understatement their rejection of Arminian theology. Turn on to say that Arminian theology has fallen on Christian radio or attend a Passion Confer- Ihard times in recent years. I think this is be- ence and you will hear sermons and see doz- cause many of the United States’ most influen- ens of resources written by these men. While tial preachers tend to be far more sympathetic many theologians teaching at seminaries in the toward Calvinism than Arminianism. Indeed, United States are Arminians, I can’t think of some of America’s best-known preachers do an American preacher who openly professes to not make any bones about the fact that they be an Arminian and enjoys the influence and are staunch Calvinists. Pastors and theolo- popularity of a John MacArthur. MacArthur gians like John MacArthur, John Piper, Matt has authored one of the most popular study Chandler, David Platt, and Al Mohler openly Bibles in the United States. Can you name a profess their embrace of Calvinism as well as study Bible written by an equally influential Arminian preacher? THE ARMINIAN MAGAZINE I am also convinced that many people are Volume 38 SPRING 2020 Issue 1 fearful of claiming to be Arminian because ISSN 1085-2808 of the charges that have been leveled against it by some of the United States’ most promi- Arminianism: A Most Misunderstood Theology . 1 nent preachers. Influential Calvinist preachers A Blow to the Root: The Necessary Connection Between such as John Piper and R. C. Sproul have of- Inerrancy and Entire Sanctification in Recent Wesleyan ten critiqued Arminian theology as man-cen- Theological Discussion (Part 2) .........................3 tered, semi-pelagian, and barely Christian. These Calvinistic Assumptions (Part 7) .......................6 preachers and theologians are listened to by Spurgeon and Wesley: Unity in Christ Amidst millions of American Christians and have a Theological Differences ...............................7 major impact on the American church’s think- Wesley and the Pirates of Penzance .....................8 ing, practice, and spirituality. Thus, when they Reconsidering Our Theology of Christian Perfection ......9 hear these preachers speak negatively about The Universal Atonement in 1 John 2:2 (Part 3)..........12 Arminianism, many Christians understand- A Word from Watson ................................13 ably conclude that these well-educated and The Work of the Holy Spirit in Inspiration and eloquent preachers must certainly be right. Confirmation .......................................14 However, I am convinced that Arminian the- visit our web site at <fwponline.cc> ology is oftentimes misunderstood, probably by even many Arminians themselves! Although Calvinists have critiqued Ar- God’s gift of prevenient grace is for all people, minian theology for dozens of reasons, I will, and it gives you the ability to choose God or for the sake of brevity, only respond to two freely reject him. God regenerates and frees our objections that appear most often in Calvin- will so that we are then able to exercise a right ist literature and sermons. First, Calvinists will attitude toward God if we so choose. Thus, for often argue that Arminian theology is unscrip- the Arminian, salvation is all of God’s grace. If tural because it fails to appreciate human sin- God had not taken the initiative in salvation, fulness and our utter inability (without God’s we would never have sought him. The positions intervening grace) to respond to God’s offer are distinct, but they are both attempts to solve of salvation. In short, Arminians reject the the problem of man’s total inability to choose scriptural teaching of total depravity. Second, God without the help of divine aid. Calvinists claim that Arminians reject a robust It is often said that Arminians reject God’s view of God’s sovereignty. sovereignty. This is simply not the case. Like When dialoging with Calvinists it has been the Calvinist, the “classical” Arminian affirms my experience that they are quite surprised that God has exhaustive foreknowledge, is all when I tell them that I affirm the doctrine of powerful, and rightly and sovereignly rules total depravity. Often, they are even further over the whole universe. The difference be- surprised when I tell them that every “classical” tween the Arminian and the Calvinist’s view Arminian affirms total depravity as well. I af- of God’s sovereignty is that the Calvinist be- firm, with the Calvinist, the scriptural teaching lieves that God has determined every aspect of of Romans 3:11 that without God’s interven- history and has thus rendered each historical ing grace we would never pursue a right rela- event certain. Thus, when Adam and Eve re- tionship with God. Sin has so damaged our belled against God, they could not have chosen otherwise because God, before the foundation will that we can’t exercise the slightest incli- of time, determined that they would sin against nation toward God him. The Arminian view quite rightly distin- We take human depravity without divine aid. guishes between God’s permissive and decretal The Arminian solu- seriously, we affirm God’s will. God in his foreknowledge knew that Sa- tion to this problem tan, Adam, and Eve would rebel against him; sovereignty, and are grounded is the doctrine of but they genuinely could have chosen to do “prevenient grace.” in Scripture. otherwise. Their choice to rebel was permit- This doctrine teach- ted by God, but it was not determined by him. es that God in his mercy has enlightened the While I can appreciate the Calvinist’s desire will of people to the extent that they have the to affirm God’s sovereignty, I still must reject choice to freely choose or reject him. Without their view because I do not see how it does not God’s gift of prevenient grace, we don’t have lead to God being the author of sin. If God de- the ability to choose God. All we can do is termined every historical event, thus rendering rebel against God. Both the Calvinist and the certain that Satan, Adam, and Eve would rebel Arminian affirm that we need to receive God’s and sin against him without the possibility of grace prior to justification due to our depraved doing otherwise, then it seems that sin origi- nature. nated in the mind and will of God. To affirm The key difference between the two posi- this, as the Calvinist I think would agree, is tions is that the Calvinist believes in irresistible blasphemous. grace while the Arminian believes in enabling I want to close by noting that I have grace. For the Calvinist, if God has elected to been positively influenced by several Calvin- save you, he will regenerate your will prior to ist theologians. I have benefited greatly from justification which will certainly lead you to ex- the work of Calvinist theologians like Donald ercise faith in God. The Arminian posits that Bloesch, Tim Keller, and many, many others. THE ARMINIAN - Page 2 There are aspects about the Reformed tradi- against Arminianism so that people will give tion I genuinely appreciate. Thus, my goal here it a fair hearing once more. I think someone is not to smear Calvinism or its proponents, who approaches Arminian theology with an even though I ultimately can’t affirm some of open mind will find that this doctrinal system what it teaches. Rather, my goal is to dispense takes seriously the depraved nature of people, with some of the more common, and I think robustly affirms God’s sovereignty, and is thor- erroneous, objections that have been leveled oughly grounded in the biblical witness. A BLOW TO THE ROOT: THE NECESSARY CONNECTION BETWEEN INERRANCY AND ENTIRE SANCTIFICATION IN RECENT WESLEYAN THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSION Part 2 William Ury aving served in a theological school with- real objective support for recovering a strong in the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition for doctrine of Scripture. The world of revelation Htwo decades, I recognize the cost of relating in- remained split between the God who reveals errancy and entire sanctification. At nearly ev- himself and the text which contained the Word ery level of research and ministry within many of God. Most of the Western Church, in which of our denominations there is a growing sense the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition is ensconced, of a reserve regarding the nature of Scripture has been left with a split reality within which and the nature of salvation. The majority of to function and to attempt to offer truth. what follows is a theological survey of several It may be also that we are operating un- discernible shifts that are present in the Wes- der Hume’s skepticism, or as Wesley put it, his leyan Theological Journal (hereafter WTJ) from “insolence.” Our plausibility structure has been 1966-2008. There are many articles in theWTJ so diminished that we are no longer able to that pertain to some element of both of these confidently proclaim that God has spoken or major doctrines of the church, but very few on speaks truly beyond issues of faith and practice. the two specific issues, at least overtly, after the We have let others draw the line and have tried first decade. There are none that relate the two to fit exegesis, theology, and soteriology within theologically after that period of time. that prescribed Procrustean framework. Reve- The ideological shift of the lation has been so reduced that it is very rarely twentieth century regarding referred to as a miraculous work of God for the objective revelation sake of his own.
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