I don’t spend much time reading other blogs. I know there are lots of good ones out there, but I just don’t have the time to surf the blogosphere. I should add that I find many of the trendy blogs pretty boring. Some of them seem to be little more than weekly reports on what John Piper or D. A. Carson or Tim Keller happen to be doing at any given time. I don’t mean anything by it, but those kinds of blogs are not my cup of tea.
I like to read different kinds of blogs. There are one or two I nearly always find helpful. Now and again I look at the Society of Evangelical Arminians link to see if there’s any interesting articles there. Sadly, this site offers little positive material on Arminianism itself. It tends rather to display its disagreements with Calvinism.
Having said that, it’s a good place to go sometimes to get their perspective. There is nothing worse to me than people, be they Calvinists or Arminians or whatever, who collect their info about opposing traditions exclusively from their own writers. As a dispensationalist I constantly find that many of my covenant theologian brethren do this, and I am sure they would feel justified in feeling the same way when the tables are turned.
Anyway, the Society of Evangelical Arminians have a survey, Are You an Arminian and Don’t Even Know It? I took the test, and…. I am not an Arminian!
This does not come as news to me, but I enjoyed taking the survey all the same. Perhaps you will too? Perhaps it will help disabuse one or two folks about what Arminians themselves believe?
Please don’t misconstrue me here. I think there are far worse things to be than a solid Arminian.
I wonder if there’s a similar survey by Calvinists? Have fun.
9 comments On It’s Official, I’m Not An Arminian
Paul! Just for the record, as you have dialogued with covenant theology, what modern authors do you read to gain insight into the other side?
Christian,
Do you mean CT authors? I’ll answer in that vein.
Well, basically all you might mention. I regularly read CT’s like Frame, Reymond, O.P. Robertson, Hoekema, Horton, etc., plus I revere John Owen and Hugh Binning… 🙂
It’s a start!
(c:
I’m a member of SEA and sincerely appreciate your comments. Thanks for linking to our site!
My pleasure!
Thank you William, for you measured comments. I’ll take a gander at your site when I can. I do particularly agree with your last sentence.
God bless you and yours.
Your brother,
Paul
Excellent thing that you visited S.E.A.! I encourage you to do so more and perhaps you will, uh, change your view slowly as God’s prevenient grace worketh…. =P
I also agree as an Arminian that I would like to see some Arminian literature with a simple positive advocation of the Arminain view, but I suppose there must always be some slight historical context given as the Remonstrance was in fact in reaction to Beza’s supralapsarianism etc.
Athough, Roger E. Olson’s “Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities” come to mind. Give it a crack, Paul! 🙂
God bless you!
B. P. Burnett.
Society of Evangelcial Arminians.
Thanks for commenting B.P.
I actually have read Arminius’s reply to Perkins and some of his dialogue with Gomarus, plus one or two more things in his Works. Luke Tyerman’s 3 volume biography of Wesley (which ought to be reprinted!) includes quite a lot of his argumentation against Calvinism. I have also interacted quite a bit with Eric Rust’s “Reasonable Enthusiast.”
As for Olson, i fully agree with you it is worth “a crack.” I think it is an excellent book, although I cannot bring myself to endorse synergism, even as he deftly defines it. Moreover, I’m afraid I do believe God predestined the Fall. Sorry 🙂
Can’t go into my reasons here, but one powerful argument that holds me is the confluence of God’s attributes of power, knowledge and presence. Nothing happens outside of them.
Thanks for visiting and God bless you and yours.
your brother,
Paul
Well William, I am certainly well aware of how, shall we say, our Reformed CT brethren misrepresent positions they dislike. As a dispensationalist I have encountered numerous false statements and ignorant polemics against that view, both here and in my native land. I know Roger Olson’s main reason for writing “Arminian Theology” was to correct Calvinist misrepresentations of Arminianism (e.g. that it is semi-Pelagian).
When you say “your camp” I assume you take me for a Calvinist? Well, I suppose I may be, but if I am I’m pretty moderate. Perhaps the posts I’m writing on “Dispensationalism and TULIP?” will help position me better?
Where I come from (Grace Baptist Churches; London Theological Seminary) a Calvinist is a 5 pointer (of the 1689 Confession, Savoy Declaration stamp), so I don’t call myself a Calvinist because it makes people think I hold to doctrinal formulations I actually reject.
Appreciate your thoughts.
God bless you and yours,
Paul