Tag: Calvinism

The Predestination Railroad

I. The Predestination RailroadWhen St. Paul describes Jesus as the “one Mediator” between God and man, he’s referring to the bridge built by Christ over this chasm. To expand on this metaphor, one way to think of predestination is a train on railroad tracks. It does not, and it cannot, arrive at any destination other… Continue reading The Predestination Railroad

St. Paul, Sola Fide, and OSAS

I. Paul on FaithPaul writes a lot on the neccesity of faith for salvation. Most famously, in Romans 3:28, he writes, “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” That’s the NIV translation. The KJV translation says, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without… Continue reading St. Paul, Sola Fide, and OSAS

Proving Too Much

David Green is, to the best of my understanding, a Hyper-Preterist, someone who believes that all of the Biblical prophesies were fulfilled by 70 A.D. with the destruction of the Temple. This includes, strangely enough, the resurrection of the body. “Futurists,” reasonably enough, point to 2 Timothy 2:16-18, but the Green’s response is that this… Continue reading Proving Too Much

Beckwith v. TurretinFan on Sola Scriptura

TurretinFan attacks Frank Beckwith’s excellent article on sola Scriptura by calling it a “bait and switch.” I’m interested in this subject, since I was quite impressed with how simply Beckwith made his case the first time I encountered this. He just says things so succinctly that you’re left to mull it over a bit before… Continue reading Beckwith v. TurretinFan on Sola Scriptura

A Reformed View of James 2:24, Part II

I previously presented and rebutted one of what I’ve found to be the clearest and most charitable Reformed presentations of James 2:24 (or perhaps more accurately, the entire second part of the James 2). My rebuttal is right here, and probably is needed reading to make sense of the response below. Anyways, I sent my… Continue reading A Reformed View of James 2:24, Part II

Protestantism and Relativism: the Conclusion

Addressing the remainder of TurretinFan’s post about this blog, he says that the claim ‘All of Christendom c. 1516 and before, you all misunderstand Christianity!’ is an absolutist claim, and hence, not relativistic. And indeed, he’s right on that. But that’s why I said that the seeds of relativism are found in the Reformation, not… Continue reading Protestantism and Relativism: the Conclusion

Are the Early Church Fathers Calvinist or Catholic?

In a post entitled “Non Sequitur Illustrated,” TurretinFan (who I don’t know from Adam), has this to say about part one of my multi-part post on the roots of relativism in Protestantism: Here is a classic non sequitur: “The biggest reason I think that Protestantism lies at the heart of relativism is this. Protestants are… Continue reading Are the Early Church Fathers Calvinist or Catholic?

Fr. William Most on Total Depravity

Fr. Most wrote a section in Grace, Predestination, and the Salvific Will of God which I think unintentionally adds to this discussion (I say unintentionally, because his focus wasn’t answering Calvinism or total depravity; it was answering arguments raised by the early Thomists which resemble Calvinism substantially in many features). The section in question is… Continue reading Fr. William Most on Total Depravity