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N.T. Wright, Calvinism, and Scripture

Today we continue our discussion of N.T. Wright’s Scripture and the Authority of God as part of our series on learning the love the Bible for what it is, not what we want it to be. Now, last week we hit something of a snafu when, in commenting on Wright’s kingdom-focused view of sovereignty, I wrote that “N.T. Wright is not a Calvinist.” Several of you noted that this might not be entirely true, reminding me that Wright considers his views consistent with the Refor... read more

a correction (and confession) about NT Wright and Calvinism ...

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So I may have misspoken on Monday when I said that N.T. Wright is “not a Calvinist.” As several of you have pointed out, NT Wright does indeed consider his views to be in keeping with Calvin and the Reformed tradition, and his recent debates with John Piper and company over justification are something of an internal skirmish rather than a theological divide. My mistake. I apologize. Many of you also pointed out that I’ve got a bit of a blind spo... read more

Ask a Calvinist…(Response)

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It is perhaps serendipitous that yesterday’s post spoke of the “accidental fences” we build between one another as people of faith, because today’s interview highlights something that can spark emotional divides within the Christian community: the theology of Calvinism. Justin Taylor is a popular blogger and leader in the modern Reformed movement. The vice president of book publishing and an associate publisher at Crossway, he has edited and contributed to several ... read more

12 Ways to Make Arminianism Cool Again

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Roger Olson’s interview with Homebrewed Christianity got me thinking about how, with all the talk about the Neo-Reformed movement, Arminianism has been underrated. Maybe we just need some better PR. Here are some ideas: 1. Petition Microsoft to make Arminian an actual word so that bloggers ranting about the pros and cons of Armenians don’t sound like complete racists. 2. Create a Stuff Arminians Like blog. Entries could include: love, freedom, and “secretly wonder... read more

Letter to a Young Calvinist (from a young Arminian)

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photo © 2008 Smithsonian Institution | more info(via: Wylio) Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I hope this letter finds you growing in love and chasing after Jesus, brimming with all the questions, ideas, and passions that make young people like us a force to be reckoned with in the Church. I’ve been reading with interest the many books, articles, and blog posts dissecting what has been called “The New Calvinism”—... read more

Lent, Depravity, and Why Hyper-Calvinism Has It Backwards

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One of my responsibilities for The Mission is to help keep our fledgling little faith community in step with the traditional church calendar. We do this for a couple of reasons—to acknowledge that our small church is part of a much bigger Church and to remember that our young community springs from a very old Community. It keeps us humble, and it provides those of us whose singing voices can best be described as “joyful noises” with another way to worship, through liturgy. So... read more

Is God in control?

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As you may have noticed, Dan integrated a cool new comment system into the blog. I hope you like it! To give it a good test drive, I thought I’d write a post about a subject that tends to spark quite a few comments here—Calvinism. When people find out that I’m not a Calvinist and that I frequently write about the subject on the blog, (see “Calvinism” in the tag cloud), they often ask me, “But don’t you think that God is in control?” This is a ... read more

Why Calvinism Makes Me Cry

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This is not a post about Calvinism. Not really. It’s not about TULIP or John Piper or predestination or the Reformation. It’s not about why I think Calvinism is a theological system based on logical inferences rather than the clear, consistent teachings of Scripture. It’s not about all of my nasty run-ins with hyper-Calvinists who have called me a “cotton-candy Christian” and an “enemy of the Church” for not subscribing to their theology. It’... read more

The Justification Debate - Discussion Starter

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I wanted to share this summary from Christianity Today about the current debate between theologians N.T. Wright and John Piper regarding the nature of justification. I’m almost finished working my way through Wright’s book on the subject, and am pretty convinced (as I expected I would be) that his Scriptural support is abundant. In a second article about the practical implications of the justification debate, this question was asked: “Which is more scandalous? The mul... read more

Reformed or Emerging...Must We Choose?

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I ran across an old Mark Driscoll interview this weekend in which Driscoll was quoted as saying, “The two hot theologies today are Reformed and emerging. Reformed theology offers certainty, with a masculine God who names our sin, crushes Jesus on the Cross for it, and sends us to hell if we fail to repent. Emerging theology offers obscurity, with a neutered God who would not say an unkind word to us, did not crush Jesus for our sins, and would not send anyone to hell.” (Driscoll hims... read more

Reforming My Attitude: How a Little Church Made Big Impact

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Those who know me well know that I’ve had a somewhat tumultuous relationship with Reformed theology and Reformed churches over the years. A few bad experiences left me with a chip on my shoulder and festering wounds I like to nurse every now and then with a snarky comment or critical post. I’ve written about some of my experiences before—meeting a six-year-old forced to memorize and recite the Westminster Confession at dinnertime, nearly losing my faith over the notion ... read more

A Comeback for Calvinism?

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A couple of things caught my eye this week concerning what has been called a “Reformed resurgence” among young people. The first is Collin Hansen’s book Young, Restless, and Reformed (Crossway 2008), in which the Christianity Today reporter details what he calls “a Calvinist resurgence” among twenty-something evangelicals. The cover boasts an illustration of young guy wearing a T-shirt that says “Jonathan Edwards is my homeboy.” (You can... read more

Are we worthy of God's love?

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The other day I came across a beautiful poem called “God Would Kneel Down” by St. Francis of Assisi. What struck me about this poem was the reverence with which the author speaks of both God and humanity. Here it is: GOD WOULD KNEEL DOWN by St. Francis of Assisi I think God might be a little prejudiced.For once He asked me to join Him on a walkthrough this world,and we gazed into every heart on this earth,and I noticed He lingered a bit longerbefore any face that was weeping,... read more

When a theology just doesn't feel right...

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This week’s posts challenge the fundamentalists position of exclusivism-the theology that salvation is available only to those who explicitly confess faith in Jesus Christ, leaving out the billions of people throughout history who either never heard of Jesus or who were raised in religious traditions other than Christianity. Having been taught my whole life that exclusivism was the only truly biblical position, I nearly gave up on the Christian faith altogether when my moral objections to ... read more

Enns, WTS, and Why Six-Year-Olds Shouldn't Memorize Catechisms

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As you may have heard, Westminster Theological Seminary’s board recently voted to suspend professor Peter Enns over his book Inspiration and Incarnation, in which he uses an incarnational analogy to argue that that there are both human and divine elements to Scripture. The board decided that the book’s thesis fell outside the Westminster Confession of Faith’s position on biblical interpretation. Enn’s suspension comes after a two-year theological debate that has caused a ... read more

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