Determined to Believe? Furthermore the context of this verse is about judgment. Thoughts for Young Men. In Against Calvinism, readers will find scholarly arguments explaining why Calvinist theology is incorrect and how it affects God’s reputation. Introduction Calvinist theology has been debated and promoted for centuries. I was not required to write a positive review. Please make sure all fields are filled out. New Calvinists are particularly adept at using the tools of the internet and social media (led not least by the work of The Gospel Coalition) to spread their message. The system of calvinism is completely foreign to Holy Writ and worship to a false god which always has devils behind it and it ultimately the worship of Satan himself (1 Corinthians 10:19-21). Roger E. Olson (shelved 7 times as calvinism) Ultimately what Dr. Olsen’s arguments leave me to conclude is that he has issues with the Cross itself where God’s holiness and love met, and where Jesus died in the place of sinners for their sin (Acts 4:27-28). [i] Joel Beeke, Living for God’s Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism (Lake Mary: Reformation Trust, 2008), 93. In Against Calvinism, readers will find scholarly arguments explaining why Calvinist theology is incorrect and how it affects God’s reputation. In this book Olsen is standing up and saying “No!” to what he calls “Egregious statements about God’s sovereignty often made by Calvinists” (Olsen, 23). by Dave Jenkins | Dec 27, 2011 | Christian Living. In this book Olsen is standing up and saying “No!” to what he calls “Egregious statements about God’s sovereignty often made by Calvinists” (Olsen, 23). Christians can trust God in the midst of suffering because they are aware of his character and promises. At the outset of this review, I wish to lay out all my cards on the table by stating that I disagree with Dr. Olsen that Calvinism teaches that “God is a moral monster.” In this review, I intend to demonstrate that at the root his argument is faulty, because he never engages the context of Scripture or offers any meaningful exegesis of the Word of God, but rather repeatedly appeals to man’s words about God than God’s Word itself. By GOL June 27, 2012 June 21st, 2019 Blog, Five Points of Calvinism. No Comments. His love for others is genuinely unselfish (Five times in 1st John the apostle states to love God is to keep His commandments). God Himself entered into the painful, ugly mix of evil. But Olson’s notion that the creator God “permitted” evil and suffering doesn’t solve his theodicean dilemma any more adequately than does Calvinism. Calvinism appeals to this generation by moving beyond therapeutic pabulum and engaging hard truths about sin and the ugliness of the human condition, and contrasts those truths with the fresh shock of God’s grace to people such as us. God will have eradicated the problem of evil. God’s plan to deal with evil is prepared for in creation but executed in redemption. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”. This book is by a theologian who many would say is a hyper-Calvinist. Scripture points to the powerful examples of Abraham, Moses, Job, and Paul. [iii] James Boice, Philip Ryken, The Doctrines of Grace Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel (Illinois, Crossway, 2002), 127. Repentance in the context of this passage is not being urged on Jerusalem for the preceding chapters affirm that its destruction is already assured. After these cataclysmic eschatological events, the Lord will bring forth the new creation, forever free from evil and its consequences. 1, d. Whitney J. Oates (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992). Lewis so eloquently put it: “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”[viii]. This is important to note because it helps signify who the “all” is in 2 Peter 3:9. 10:35; 12:4-11). I really appreciate that he reads Calvinist sources and quotes from them while analyzing them from his perspective. As the writer of Hebrews declares: “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons” (Hebrews 12:7). by Roger E. Olson. Franklin was of course not a Christian, but this spiritual biography of sorts is a fascinating and meticulous look at the philosophies and formations that drove him, including not just deism but the burgeoning Puritan Calvinism of his upbringing. 13:7-9; Luke 13:1-5; John 9). Throughout this book Olsen claims that the “God of Calvinism is a moral monster.” Does Calvinism actually teach that “God is a moral monster?” More importantly than this question since Calvinists affirm Sola Scriptura and seek to be faithful men and women of the Word of God, “Does Scripture teach the position Calvinists espouse?”. Updated Edition with Study Guide, He is There and He is Not Silent- Francis Schaeffer (1972), Book Review Against Calvinism | Servants of Grace | biblicalscholarblog.com - [...] no code is required IF you CLICK THIS LINK NOW! OR. But I’m not so sure. Olsen wants his readers to believe that Calvinism is “not biblically, theologically or logically tenable” (Olsen, 101), but by his lack of exegesis he has shown that his alternative to Calvinism is not biblically, theologically or logically tenable. This passage does not support the teaching of Dr. Olsen that God desires everyone to be saved and takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked because the context is about God judging Jerusalem and its destruction is sure. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Zondervan as part of their Blogger Review Program. Owen bringing his argument into focus states that those who argue that because God would have none to perish but that all of them to come to repentance, therefore he hath the same will and mind towards all and everyone in the world (Even those to whom he never makes known his will, nor ever calls to repentance, if they never once hear of his way of salvation), comes not only short of extreme madness and folly.[iv]. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Dr. Olsen interprets Ezekiel 18:32 to mean that God “takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, and wants everyone to be saved” (Olsen, 99). At the end of the day, I cannot recommend reading Against Calvinism because through his poor use of Scripture he substantiates the teaching of Calvinism and doesn’t advance the Calvinist/Arminian debate at all. Therefore God uses evil and suffering to facilitate the believers’ moral and spiritual maturity. What this means it that when the problem of evil is viewed in light of God’s demonstration of His attributes and His own self-glorification, the problem is greatly diminished. What is going to... J.C. Ryle’s book Holiness stands as a cornerstone piece in the library of Christian classics. The History of a Movement in Crisis (Yale, 2019); Benjamin Franklin: The Religious Life of a Founding Father (Yale, 2017); Baptists in America: A History with Barry Hankins (Oxford, 2015); George Whitefield: America’s Spiritual Founding Father (Yale, 2014); and Patrick Henry: First Among Patriots (Basic, 2011). The person who is born of God is a window through which the love of God shines into the world. As a Calvinist reading this will challenge you, but the lack of evidence from Scripture will leave you more resolved about where you stand. Courage is forged only through facing one’s fears; just as steel must be refined by fire. Servants of Grace is a multi-media ministry that exists to help people know the God of the Bible and to equip God’s people to grow in and serve God’s grace in the local church and beyond. 6 “Must Read” Books on Calvinism. God similarly allows evil and suffering to bring about discipline in the life of his children. 18:32), wants everyone to be saved (Ezek. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. This point was made clear in Douglas Wilson’s debate with atheists Dan Barker. The believer expresses his love to his fellow man by doing for his neighbor what he himself wishes that others do for him. The assuring guarantee for the Christian, however, is that God does not allow evil and suffering to come into a believer’s life without producing a greater good for that person. In the Gospel God stretches out His hand to all without difference, but lays hold of only of those, to lead them to Himself, whom He has chosen before the foundation of the world. Ezek 18:32, “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live.” The death of his saints is precious to God (Psalm 116:15).

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