One Does Not Simply Fall Into a Tale: a Reformed Theologian’s take on the Script Analogy

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In his essay on predestination, appearing in Grace for All, I. Howard Marshall compared divine determinism (see this post) to an author writing a script. A concept that was explored in this post using the Star Wars movies (link). At the end of the post, I asked readers, both proponents and opponents of meticulous sovereignty, if they thought Marshall’s analogy is accurate? A member of the Reformed Pub Facebook group affirmed the analogy was useful for understanding the idea, pointing me to a paper by Dr. James N. Anderson. Anderson (blog) is the Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy (link) at Reformed Theological Seminary.

The article is entitled “Calvinism and the First Sin”, (available for download until it is published) and it explains the Reformed view of divine determinism and its relationship to theodicy (why God permits evil). It also compares it to other views (Molinism, Simple Foreknowledge, and Open Theism), before advocating it as the best option. A conclusion I would not agree with.

LOTR_ScriptHere is how Dr. Anderson describes divine determinism (emphasis added): Continue reading →

7 Observations on Sharing the Gospel from 1 Thessalonians

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PaulI’ve been reading through the letters to the Thessalonians. These letters were written by Paul while on his 2nd Missionary Journey, sometime between 50 and 52 AD. Most scholars assume that the first letter was written shortly after Paul arrived in Corinth, after Timothy rejoined him & Silas. The second is also assumed to have been written in Corinth during the 18 month stay (Acts 18:11).

Paul’s missionary outreach to the city is captured in Acts 17:1-9. The stay is rather brief. How brief is a matter of debate. The Jewish people in the city became jealous when many people started to follow Christ so they stirred up the crowds and incited a riot that forced Paul and Silas to leave.

In Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, we can learn seven things about sharing the Gospel. Continue reading →

Grace for All: Elect in Christ or into Christ, that is the Question

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“Jacobus Arminius: Reformed and Always Reforming” is the next essay in Grace for All. It is written by J. Matthew Pinson, the President of Welch College and the author of the book Arminian and Baptist (reviewed here). The focus is on presenting Jacob Arminius as a Reformed theologian who held to the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism.415xXkjORGL

In order to defend Arminus as a Reformed theologian, Pinson examines Arminius’ writings showing where his views either fit or strayed from Reformed confessions.

the primary doctrinal difference between Arminius and his strict Calvinist interlocuters [was] how one comes to be in a state of grace or not, that is the doctrine of predestination.

Since the primary area of disagreement is predestination, and that has been the focus of the last two essays in Grace for All, we will briefly look at that aspect of Arminius’ theology.

The problem, as Arminus describes it in Declaration of Sentiments (link), was that Calvinist views on “predestination are considered, by some of those who advocate them, to be the foundation of Christianity”, yet this doctrine “comprises within it neither the whole nor any part of the Gospel”. Continue reading →