Koinonia

Wednesday Giveaway - For and Against Calvinism

Evangelical Christianity has been profoundly influenced by both Calvinism and Arminianism, as well as the continuing debate between these two systems. 

There has been plenty of polemic, on both sides, and it has become commonplace to see portrayals of Calvinist and Arminian distinctives that are at best misinformed, and at worst disingenuous. 

What is needed is not more conflict but a conversation between respected representatives of each side, who can accurately portray what their system does and does not teach, while charitably pointing out their differences with the other side.

That is exactly what this week’s giveaway books, For Calvinism by Michael Horton and Against Calvinism by Roger Olson, attempt to do.

There is one copy of each book available, and since they are a set, this week one winner will receive both. 

To enter, simply answer this question in the comments below: If you lean towards Calvinism, who is your favorite Arminian theologian, or if you lean towards Arminianism, who is your favorite Calvinist theologian?

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*If you are reading this via Facebook, email, or RSS, please visit the blog to enter. Winners determined by Random Integer Generator. Giveaway ends Thursday at midnight*

 

Carolyn Custis James, John Piper and Collin Hansen - Panel Discussion on New Calvinists

This video was posted by Desiring God ministries. Carolyn Custis James, John Piper, and Collin Hansen participated in a panel discussion on the New Calvinists for the Religious Newswriters Association.

There are video and audio clips of John Piper's and Collin Hansen's presentations here. There's also a video of the panel's Q and A time with the newswriters - don't miss it.

Carolyn Custis James (MA, Biblical Studies) travels extensively as a popular speaker for women's conferences, churches, colleges, seminaries, and other Christian organizations. Her ministry organization, Whitby Forum, promotes thoughtful biblical discussion to help men and women serve God together. She is a consulting editor for Zondervan's Exegetical Commentary Series on the New Testament and author of When Life and Beliefs Collide, The Gospel of Ruth and Lost Women of the Bible. Carolyn lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband and daughter.

Why I'm a "Calminian" by Craig Blomberg

"You intended it to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Gen. 50:20).

If either pure five-point Calvinism or its consistent repudiation in pure Arminianism were completely faithful to Scripture, it is doubtful that so many Bible-believing, godly evangelical Christians would have wound up on each side. The former wants to preserve the Scriptural emphasis on divine sovereignty; the latter, on human freedom and responsibility. Both are right in what they want and correct to observe in Scripture the theme that they stress. Both also regularly create caricatures of what the other side believes. Straw men are always the easiest to knock down.

John Calvin's Institutes: 2.11.1 (on Justification)

Justification by Faith: First the Definition of the Word and of the Matter

Christ was given to us by God's generosity, to be grasped and possessed by us in faith. By partaking of him, we principally receive a double grace; namely, that being reconciled to God through Christ's blamelessness, we may have in heaven instead of a Judge a gracious Father; and secondly, that sanctified by Christ's spirit we may cultivate blamelessness and purity of life.

Excerpt from Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion 1, ed. McNeill, John T. Westminster, 1960, pg.725

Return to Calvin: A Personal Reflection on how Calvinism has Lost its Way By Douglas Estes

A knock came at my door.

Even though I was studying, I pulled my feet off my desk, jumped up from my chair and opened the door of the closet that was my seminary dorm room without any hesitation. After all, it was the middle of the day and I had dormmates who would soon be returning from classes looking to hang before dinner. Instead of friends, it was two big men—they were students but I didn’t really know them. They were dressed nicely but perspiring terribly in the Carolina spring heat.

"Are you a Calvinist?" one of the sweaty men asked without any salutation or introduction.

"No." Here we go, I thought.

"Can we share with you the five points of Calvinism?" asked the second one.

"No."

"But—look—as Spurgeon said there is ‘no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach Calvinism. Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else,’" declared the first fellow.

John Calvin: Why He Would Have Embraced Social-Networking (and Why We Should, too) by Douglas Estes

John Calvin is up late reworking some rudiments of the faith and preparing for tomorrow’s lectures.

11 minutes ago · Comment · Like

There is no doubt that John Calvin, had he lived during our time of blogs and tweets, would have fully embraced social-networking technologies—even though he was not known to be a strongly social person.

By all accounts, John Calvin had a choleric personality. As a result, he had a passion for what he felt was truth, and an unending desire to see that truth known. At times, that made Calvin as pleasurable as sandpaper on bare skin, especially to those with whom he disagreed. Due to the success of his ministry, as well as some of his more visible personality flaws, Calvin’s detractors had a great deal of ammunition to use against him.

John Calvin, Virtual Church Pioneer by Douglas Estes

(Z Academic welcomes author, pastor, and NT scholar, Douglas Estes, for a week long series on Koinonia!)

John Calvin was not only one of the church’s greatest trailblazers; he was also one of the virtual church’s leading pioneers. In fact, John Calvin was all about virtual churches. Even though Calvin lived almost a half-millennium before the first virtual church was born, were he alive today he would be a fan—though he also would be unsatisfied with the direction that most virtual churches are taking.

Calvin was a pre-Enlightenment Christian, meaning that he was born before the modern ideal became the mindset in the Western world. As such, he held many non-modern viewpoints about the church. Let’s look at two examples.

John Calvin's Commentary: John 1:6

6. There was a man sent by God, whose name was John. 7. He came for a testimony, that he might testify of the light; that by him all might believe. John 1:6-7

6. There was a man. The Evangelist now begins to discourse about the manner in which the Son of God was manifested in flesh; and that none may doubt that Christ is the eternal Son of God, he relates that Christ was announced by John the Baptist, as his herald. For not only did Christ exhibit himself to be seen by men, but he chose also to be made known by the testimony and doctrine of John; or rather, God the Father sent this witness before his Christ, that they might more willingly receive the salvation offered by him.

But it might at first sight appear ridiculous that Christ should receive testimony from another, as if he needed it, while, on the contrary, he declares that he does not seek testimony from man, (John v. 34.) The answer is easy and obvious, that this witness was appointed, not for the sake of Christ, but for our sake. If it be objected that the testimony of man is too weak to prove that Christ is the Son of God, it is likewise easy to reply, that the Baptist is not adduced as private witness, but as one who, having received authority from God, sustained the character rather of an angel than of a man. Accordingly, he receives commendation not for his own virtues, but for this single circumstance, that he was the ambassador of God. Nor is this at variance with the fact, that the preaching of the gospel was committed to Christ, that he might be a witness to himself; for the design contemplated by the preaching of John was, that men might attend to the doctrine and miracles of Christ.

Excerpt from Calvin's Commentaries Volume XVII: Harmony of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John 1-11, Baker Books, 2009, p.35

July 2009 is John Calvin Month on Koinonia in celebration of John Calvin's 500th birthday! As part of the celebration we'll be posting short excerpts of his writing along with posts from Zondervan Academic authors.

John Calvin's Commentary: Psalm 1:1

1. Blessed are they who are upright in their way, walking in the law of Jehovah. Psalm 1:1

1. Blessed are they who are upright. In these words the prophet sets forth the same paradox which we met with at the commencement of the Book of Psalms. All men naturally aspire after happiness, but instead of searching for it in the right path, they designedly prefer wandering up and down through endless by-paths, to their ruin and destruction. The Holy Spirit deservedly condemns this apathy and blindness. And but for man's cupidity, which, with brutish impetuosity, hurries him in the opposite direction, the meaning of the words would appear quite plain to him. And the farther a man wanders from God, the happier does he imagine himself to be; and hence all treat, as a fable, what the Holy Spirit declares about true piety and the service of God. This is a doctrine which scarcely one among a hundred receives.

Excerpt from Calvin's Commentaries Volume VI, Psalms 93-150, Baker Books, 2009, p.399, 402-403

July 2009 in John Calvin Month on Koinonia in celebration of his 500th birthday! As part of the celebration we'll be posting small excerpts of writing as well as posts from Zondervan Academic authors.

John Calvin's Institutes: 1.6.1

Scripture Is Needed as Guide and Teacher for Anyone Who Would Come to God the Creator

1. God bestows the actual knowledge of himself upon us only in the Scriptures

That brightness which is bornein upon the eyes of all men both in heaven and on earth is more than enough to withdraw all support from men's ingratitude - just as God, to involve the human race in the same guilt, sets forth to all without exception his presence portrayed in his creatures. Despite this, it is needful that another and better help be added to direct us aright to the very Creator of the universe. It was not in vain, then, that he added the light of his Word by which to become known unto salvation; and he regarded as worthy of this privilege those whom he pleased to gather more closely and intimately to himself.

For because he saw the minds of all men tossed and agitated, after he chose the Jews as his very own flock, he fenced them about that they might not sink into oblivion as others had. With good reason he holds us by the same means in the pure knowledge of himself, since otherwise even those who seem to stand firm before all others would soon melt away. Just as old or bleary-eyed men and those with weak vision, if you thrust before them a most beautiful volume, even if they recognize it to be some sort of writing, yet can scarcely construe two words, but with the aid of spectacles will begin to read distinctly; so Scripture, gathering up the otherwise confused knowledge of God in our minds, having dispersed our dullness, clearly shows us the true God.

This, therefore, is a special gift, where God, to instruct the church, not merely uses mute teachers but also opens his own most hallowed lips. Not only does he teach the elect to look upon a god, but also shows himself as the God upon whom they are to look. He has from the beginning maintained this plan for his church, so that besides these common proofs he also put forth his Word, which is a more direct and more certain mark whereby he is to be recognized.

Excerpt from Calvin: Institutes fo the Christian Religion 1, ed. McNeill, John T. Westminster, 1960, pg. 69-70