Determinism and the authorship of sin in Calvinism and Arminianism
Posted on Friday, August 28, 2009 under presentations • 23 comments • read it ⇒Arminians object to determinism because it makes God the “author of evil”—but does their own system avoid it? In this post, I argue that although they disagree with Calvinists about the nature of God’s sovereignty, their own theology commits them to an equally deterministic view.
What purpose does regeneration serve?
Posted on Friday, March 20, 2009 under presentations • 6 comments • read it ⇒What is the purpose of regeneration, if God can direct the will of man in any direction he chooses? Why must God regenerate a sinner to create faith in him—could he not just control his will so that he believes? A question from Ben at Arminian Perspectives, answered.
On free will, part 2: a comparison of determinism with indeterminism
Posted on Monday, February 9, 2009 under papers • no comments • read it ⇒In this series, I consider the competing doctrines of libertarian and compatibilist free will, arguing that the former is unbiblical and incoherent, and that the latter is necessary for upholding God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility.
This is part 2 of 6, in which I compare determinism and indeterminism to clarify their differences.
On free will, part 1: a simple argument for divine determinism
Posted on Sunday, January 18, 2009 under papers and proofs • 7 comments • read it ⇒In this series, I consider the competing doctrines of libertarian and compatibilist free will, arguing that the former is unbiblical and incoherent, and that the latter is necessary for upholding God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility.
This is part 1 of 6, in which I present a simple argument showing that the Bible’s teaching about God’s action upon creation logically entails that nothing occurs without his actually causing it.
Understanding God’s desires
Posted on Tuesday, September 9, 2008 under presentations • no comments • read it ⇒A response to my friend Jim regarding the sincerity of Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37. This follows on from my previous argument from divine purpose, in which I rebutted the view that God intends to save all people but is prevented by human free will. Here, I address the dual question of whether my view leads necessarily to confusion or doubt about God’s word, and further interact with Jim’s proposed counter-solution of human autonomy.
A simple argument against God’s universal salvific intent
Posted on Friday, August 15, 2008 under presentations and proofs • 18 comments • read it ⇒A basic argument, with commentary, in favor of the Calvinist view of election, and against the view that God purposes to save all people without exception.
Catholic and Reformed views of God and Scripture: a correspondence
Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008 under polemics • 1 comment • read it ⇒A response to an email from a Roman Catholic correspondent, critiquing his presentation of the doctrine of Scripture and the purposes of God.