Striving to be ... Consistent ... Conservative ... Orthodox ... Evangelical ... Protestant ... Christocentric
It's time R.C. Sproul realized the Christian realm is not defined by Calvinist intellectual polemics and endeavors. He has a plug for the Calvinist counterpart to this book on his blog and of course as with any Calvinist argument there is always a more convincing position stated by the greater body of Christ. Such it is with Jerry Walls and Joseph Dongell's book Why I Am Not A Calvinist. It's available in many Christian bookstores and several online sites.
2. We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, who possesses perfect and exhaustive knowledge of the past, present, and future, and who preserves, regulates, governs and directs all things so that nothing in the world happens without either his causation or permission. God is the author of good but not of evil. Yet even evil is governed by God in that God limits it and directs it to an end fitting with his overall plan and purpose.
3. We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully human, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, dying on the cross as a substitute and sacrifice for sinners. He arose bodily on the third day and ascended to the right hand of the Father. He will return personally and visibly at the end of the age to fully establish God's Kingdom.
4. We believe that part of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ and, during this age, to convict sinners, enable them to believe, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly living and service.
5. We believe that humanity was created in the image of God but fell from its original sinless state through willful disobedience and Satan's deception, resulting in eternal condemnation and separation from God. In and of themselves and apart from the grace of God human beings can neither think, will, nor do anything good, including believe. But the prevenient grace of God prepares and enables sinners to receive the free gift of salvation offered in Christ and his gospel. Only through the grace of God can sinners believe and so be regenerated by the Holy Spirit unto salvation and spiritual life. It is also the grace of God that enables believers to continue in faith as well as good in thought, will, and deed, so that all good deeds or movements that can be conceived must be ascribed to the grace of God.
6. We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and his resurrection were provided for the salvation of all people, but are effective only for those who believe. Christ's death and resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation, and only those who believe in Jesus Christ become born of the Holy Spirit and thus become children of God.
7. We believe that God’s saving grace is resistible, that election unto salvation is conditional on faith in Christ, and that persevering in faith is necessary for final salvation.
8. We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead; of believers to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; and of unbelievers to judgment and eternal punishment.
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2 comments:
I'm biased of course, but I read both books and, being as objective as I can be, I thought Walls' and Dongell's book was much stronger than Peterson's and William's book.
I was disappointed in three areas:
1) I thought they could have done much better with John 6 (I think their exegesis was generally correct, but could have been elaborated on and made even stronger).
2) No defense of conditional security which, by itself, ruins Calvinism.
3) They ignore the historic "simple foreknowledge" view and act as though one is either a determinist (which includes compatibilism) or a molinist (middle knowledge position).
I enjoyed the chapters on inconsistency (in Calvinism) and practical implications (of Calvinism) very much.
God Bless,
Ben
Coincidentally I just finished reading this book. I thought it was excellent.
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