An Introspective of an Arminian Christian: Calvinists Who Love Wesley

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Calvinists Who Love Wesley

This is an excellent irenic article discussing the admiration several notable Calvinists have expressed for the Godly work of John Wesley. It has made a few rounds on the Net already, including SEA, but it is worth bookmarking here and saving for future use.

Calvinists Who Love Wesley - Fred Sanders

8 comments:

Tom said...: As the old saying goes; Even the best of men can err.; June 27, 2011 at 3:22 AM
A.M. Mallett said...: ... and of course, there are the worst of men who neither learn from nor benefit from their many repeated errors. Certain extreme hyper-Calvinists come quickly to mind.; June 27, 2011 at 8:04 AM
Tom said...: That coming from a man who hates the truths of the fullness of Biblical Christianity, which is just another name for "hyper" Calvinism. Those who hate "hyper" Calvinism hate God, and have the mind of the devil.; June 27, 2011 at 1:47 PM
A.M. Mallett said...: Tom,
When you collect your thoughts in phrases such as "the truths of the fullness of Biblical Christianity", meaning an extreme polemical and sectarian nature of hyper-Calvinist thought, you place yourself outside even the fringes of any sense of orthodoxy. I remind you that most reasonable, God fearing Calvinists despise hyper-Calvinist doctrine. I suspect that is of no consequence to you regardless.

Have a nice day and be blessed, Tom!; June 28, 2011 at 6:01 AM
Tom said...: What you disdain as "Hyper" Calvinism is nothing but the Biblical-based theology of the Protestant Reformation. Which is why I've said since our first encounter that Arminians have no rightful or legitimate claim to the Reformation.

Your comment, "I suspect that is of no consequence to you regardless," is one of the few comments of yours that is truthful and accurate.

BTW, also as I've always said, Only the "hyper" Calvinist can truly and honestly make the statement, "God saved me."; June 28, 2011 at 2:51 PM
Tom said...: Oh, I must give praise and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ for the wonderful and blessed gift of making me a "hyper" Calvinist sectarian! It is truly a work of the Holy Spirit!!!!; June 28, 2011 at 3:04 PM
Anonymous said...: It is good to zealously defend the essentials--those truths that we have a Biblical warrant to hold with absolute certainty and which are essential for faith in Christ. We preach them to unbelievers, and defend them against erroneous teaching. But there are many who fail to distinguish between these essentials and nonessentials, zealously defending those tenets that we have no Biblical warrant to hold with absolute certainty, and which are not necessary for salvation.
I used to think mistaken zealots were simply lacking competence, and mistaken. But no more. I've encountered enough of them to realize that their incompetence is driven by the flesh. On the surface is the pride in a movement and the "Go team!" approach to theology, with a denigrating conceit toward the foolishness and ignorance of those of other views. But below the surface is a secret insecurity, due to the ultimate uncertainty of that which God has not revealed with certainty. The end result is a gospel loaded down with sectarian nonsense, and propagated with a supercilious arrogance.
This is what prevents people from being able to appreciate and admire the truly great Christian men of opposing views or movements. Those with the ability to appreciate such men will readily respect and appreciate those with whom they debate whenever such opponents display worthy characteristics.
Thanks for the article!
Ken Hamrick; July 19, 2011 at 4:10 PM
Anonymous said...: I might be a Calvinist but I admire John Wesley's unrivaled passion for reaching the lost. He is someone who comes to mind that did 'all they could' to reach the lost since he faced so much opposition to do so.; August 12, 2011 at 2:04 PM

Arminian and Baptist

In this new book J. Matthew Pinson presents a collection of historical-theological essays from the vantage point of a variety of Arminianism coming to be known as Reformed Arminianism. These essays describe the contours of the theology of the seventeenth-century English General Baptists Thomas Helwys and Thomas Grantham, showing their kinship with the thought of Jacobus Arminius, and the ways they diverged from thinkers such as John Smyth, John Goodwin, and John Wesley. Unlike these latter thinkers, Helwys and Grantham emphasized more-Reformed understandings of the meaning of sin and salvation. This is seen most clearly in their doctrines of total depravity, penal substitutionary atonement, the imputation of the active and passive obedience of Christ, and progressive sanctification. These doctrines produced a way of looking at perseverance and apostasy that emphasizes perseverance through faith alone rather than remaining in a state of grace through works and penitence.

SEA Statement of Faith

1. We believe the Scriptures as originally given by God, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God, infallible, entirely trustworthy, and the supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

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.

An Introspective of an Arminian Christian

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Calvinists Who Love Wesley

8 comments:

Arminian and Baptist

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