On “Misunderstanding” Calvinism

Posted: January 22, 2011 in Clarifications, Random Thoughts
Tags: , , , , , , ,
1
A Plea for Realism

Reformed Fellas – I’d like to strike a deal if we could. It would go something like this – Please stop assuming because we disagree on the “Doctrines of Grace” as you lay them out, that we do not understand the arguments you are making. In return, we’ll make the assumption, that when we speak in plain English, you have no trouble whatsoever in understanding what we’re saying…even if you reject our conclusions. Could we do that? Thanks.

I’ll be the first to admit that there is some truth to the stereotype / caricature of the Arminian camp that they tend to be less concerned with doctrine than their reformed counterparts.1 At the same time, however, I’d have to remind you of the charge (albeit a stereotype and caricature) that Calvinists tend to be less concerned with missions. I have known proponents of each camp that have confirmed those stereotypes and I have also known others that completely defy those stereotypes. Let’s make a compromise and say that we’ll avoid at all costs engaging in mud-slinging. If I am doing missions with a reformed guy, I can hardly charge him with being dispassionate of that cause. Likewise, if you’re discussing theology with me or one of my Arminian brothers, it’s safe to assume we haven’t written off doctrine or theology…since we’re obviously showing our deep concern for it by interacting with you!

Contrary to popular opinion, there is much that unites us. I, along with the rest of the Classical or Reformed Arminian camp can boldly declare our acceptance of the five Reformation solas right along with you. It’s the other “five” we have a problem with =).

Sola Scriptura – Because we neither need nor want any other foundation

Sola Fide – Because without it, it is impossible to please Him2

Sola Gratia – Because it is not by works, lest any man should boast3

Solus Christus – Because the law and animal sacrifice were sorely insufficient

Sola Deo gloria – Because no other is deserving of glory

We accept these, the fuel of the necessary reformation and gladly cry with the earliest of the reformers “ad fontes4!” It is truly these same desires that motivate authentic Classical Arminians in their pursuit of Biblical truth. It is with great consternation that we recognize within our ranks those who claim to be Arminian, but deprive the Scriptures of their proper place and reverence and deny the teaching of the very one for whom they’re alleged theological position is named. It is this mutation folk-theology of works-salvation-arminianism that has somehow established itself (falsely) as Arminianism today and it is against this straw man (rather than actual Arminianism) that I often see Calvinists react.

As I mentioned, It’s the other “five” we have a problem with =). This is not primarily because of a knee-jerk response to the desecration of our free will idol or even an emotional reaction against the unloving portrait of God we believe the TULIP model creates. Primarily it is that we do not find the TULIP taught in Scripture. Admittedly, many doctrines we do believe in are less than explicitly taught. It is not because the terms themselves are not found in the text. It is the concepts that we find unbiblical and devoid of Scriptural support. This is the reason we reject the TULIP as a model for understanding God’s Word. Secondarily, it is true that we find the portrait of God as viewed through the TULIP lens to be less than loving…indeed it would be more accurate to sum our opinion of that picture as monstrous rather than loving. However, if Scripture portrayed God in this fashion, we would be in no position to reject it, but rather to try to understand it. So our emotional distaste for the end result is not the basis of our rejection of the system, but rather it’s lack of Biblical support. It is on this level we wish to engage you and on this level we wish to be engaged in return, practical implications or conclusions aside. In keeping with that request that I offer this compromise – I will attempt to engage your Biblical arguments as you present them, rather than disregarding them for what I believe their logical (or illogical) conclusions to be.

We may never come to agree on these important matters, but let us never misrepresent one another as a way to cast negative light on our respective understandings of Scripture. If you’re willing to make an attempt at this, I’ll offer a GREAT place to start: Stop referring to us as Semi-Pelagians!5

1I would argue, however, that it is their concern for missions that keeps them from spending as much time on doctrine and theology in many cases (right, wrong or indifferent)

2Hebrews 11:6

3Ephesians 2:8-9

4Latin for “to the sources” or “to the fountain” in reference to the need to go back to the original languages to ensure they had it right.

5So much more needs to be said here, but addressing this point was not the thrust of this post, so it will have to wait. Look for many, many examples of this very thing happening when I do a post on “Labels that Shouldn’t Stick”

Welcome to the Arminian Manifesto

Posted: January 4, 2011 in Administrative
Tags: ,
0

A little about myself:  I was raised in a Christian home all my life.  I have had the benefit of seeing how a Christian family operates from the very beginning.  The remarkable thing is that it wasn’t just a Christian home in name only, but truly was an atmosphere that could wear the label without doing violent disrespect to the label’s namesake.  The church tradition I grew up in was Independent Fundamentalism.  In my “humble” (and somewhat narrow) view, it was what Christianity looked like. I was certain that my slice of the pie had this Christianity thing figured out.  As I’ve gotten older, I’ve strayed a bit from the Fundamentalist line I used to toe and would now describe myself simply as Evangelical – though the term is used so broadly it no doubt does nothing to narrow the focus or help define the boundaries of my faith.  For now, however, it will have to do as I am not sure that even I have drawn all those defining lines yet.  The reason for my rejection of the Fundamentalist label is almost as much for the guilt it carries by association than anything.  There aren’t all that many doctrinal differences I have with the group who remains in that camp, but the typical association of Fundamentalism with Legalism began to show itself to be true the more I thought about the list of dos and don’ts I kept in my back pocket.  All this said, my pastor of over 25 years was every bit the man of God that others in the same camp just pretended to be.  Having grown up in the faith, I had little reason (and even less desire) to question what I had been taught, but rather accepted it because all those good people in my life wouldn’t have led me astray.  A series of conversations with skeptics, however, caused me enough pause to reexamine my (blind) faith.  I began a study in apologetics that led to the founding of Full-Proof Minisrtries – so you can guess how the story there ended.  I came to the realization that it would take more faith for me to abandon Christianity than it would for me to accept it.  Full-Proof is now one way I and the rest of the staff are attempting to reach out to others who are looking for answers: believers battling doubts and doubters battling belief.

So, what does all this have to do with the Arminian Manifesto?  Well, research in apologetics validated the truth claims of Christianity.  But my next task was to get more serious about studying the Bible and getting my theology straight.  And what doctrine is on the “highest shelf?” – Well, which one tells us how we to obtain a right standing with our Creator?  Answer:  The doctrine of soteriology (salvation).  It was in seeking out my own (Biblical) theology of salvation that brought me to the point of adopting Classical Arminianism as the clearest expression of God’s Holy Word on the matter.  Having been brought up in a non-denominational atmosphere that was almost indistinguishable from the Baptists, I preferred the label of “no label,” supposing my position to be somewhere in between Calvinism and Arminianism.  I had not enough knowledge of Calvinism to form a strong opinion of it as a system, but I did know that I objected to the somewhat fatalistic conclusions it came to.  All I “knew” of Arminianism was little more than folk theolgoy of the day from friends who called themselves such, but knew little more of Arminius’ theology than I did.  I suspected it tantamount to works-salvation and rejected it altogether.  It wasn’t until I started studying more primary source material and got involved with the Society of Evangelical Arminians that I really began to understand the historic Arminian position and came to the conclusion that it was the most Biblical position – harmonizing passages rather than explaining them away or redefining terms.  But what, again, does that have to do with this site???  Why not just continue to post at Full-Proof?  Well, Full-Proof Ministries, as I mentioned earlier, was founded with the goal of building the faith of other Christians through apologetics and winning the lost through the same.  I decided that Full-Proof was not the place for polemic discussion of intramural issues.  I didn’t want the proverbial “fence-rider” to take a leap of doubt because he/she had determined that Christians can’t get along when it comes to differences of opinion.  The answer was a new web-spot specifically designed to air my Arminian musings and post particulars of my theological inferences, conclusions, questions and quandries.  Though I will address soteriological issues at Full-Proof if the questions are raised, for now I simply prefer to separate the two.

The goal here is really … well, there really isn’t a goal.  I’m not really looking to debate these issues (on here, anyway).  You and I have likely already read the same books and heard the same lectures.  We stand squarely in the camp(s) we do not in spite of all those things, but perhaps because of them.  I believe that the majority of both Calvinists and Arminians truly believe their positions to be Biblical – much of what I have to say regarding them will not change anyone’s mind.  I guess this page is much more selfish than that – a place for me to record my theological journey as I have seen it so far and the roads and rabbit trails I have yet to travel.  If I had any goals beyond that, they would be that 1)my work and writing would bring people closer to Jesus and into a better understanding of His Word; and 2) that my efforts at the same time would help clear the mud from the name and theology of Jacobus Arminius that history has been happy to heap upon them.