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New Calvinism on PBS

abacabb3

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Just watched that video. Made Calvinists look like cavemen that hate women and don't understand God.

In it the Arminian editorializes: “Some of us have trouble believing that God from eternity had pre-selected only a certain number to be saved from that small group of people.”

This Arminian objection to me doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. If God can give Elijah the ability to outrun a chariot and can raise children of Abraham from stones, doesn’t it stand to reason if it was only man’s free will and the lack of good opportunities to convert people that prevents more people from being saved, can’t an all-powerful God fix that?

Can’t he give preachers super powers such as instantly healing people today, so you would have to be stupid not to believe them? Why doesn’t God bless preachers with even more wisdom, so all would be as wise as Solomon, and they can be more convincing as preachers and save more people?

The Arminian god is either not all-powerful (because He can’t do that stuff), not omniscient (doesn’t know whether He should do that stuff and if only He knew my suggestions He’d do a better job), or he is not omni-benevolent (He obviously doesn’t wish all people to be saved because He doesn’t do all in His power to save them.)

Ultimately, Arminians will have to concede to one of these points, or they will argue that God is benevolent even though He doesn’t save everyone. Wow, what you basically have is Calvinism! If God doesn’t do all He can to save everyone (which is obvious) doesn’t that mean it is His sovereign will not to? And that means, because God knows the future, that maybe He purposely gives each a measure of faith and spiritual gifts, but not a treasure trove of them, because He doesn’t want to reach as many people that theoretically can be reached?

This troubles a lot of people, but what I see is not a paradox, but a God who demands obedience and striving from the part of believers to preach the Gospel and constantly hit the limit of their natural ability and depend upon grace. And, if grace was always given in its full measure to everyone indiscriminately, grace would no longer be grace.
 
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stenerson

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The Arminian god is either not all-powerful (because He can’t do that stuff), not omniscient (doesn’t know whether He should do that stuff and if only He knew my suggestions He’d do a better job), or he is not omni-benevolent (He obviously doesn’t wish all people to be saved because He doesn’t do all in His power to save them.)

Ultimately, Arminians will have to concede to one of these points, or they will argue that God is benevolent even though He doesn’t save everyone. Wow, what you basically have is Calvinism! If God doesn’t do all He can to save everyone (which is obvious) doesn’t that mean it is His sovereign will not to?

In the hyper-Arminian Church I grew up in God is very frustrated because Christians are not working hard enough to fulfill His purpose. They said that the Lord's work would have been finished ages ago if He could find enough faithful people/workers..
 
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abacabb3

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In the hyper-Arminian Church I grew up in God is very frustrated because Christians are not working hard enough to fulfill His purpose. They said that the Lord's work would have been finished ages ago if He could find enough faithful people/workers..

Funny if it wasn't all too true. I grew up in an atheistic household, so I kinda got to approach the Bible as a blank slate. Growing up Arminian must be hard.
 
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stenerson

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Funny if it wasn't all too true. I grew up in an atheistic household, so I kinda got to approach the Bible as a blank slate. Growing up Arminian must be hard.

There were pros and cons.. They beleived in the inspiration of scripture, the supernatural, creationist world view and other positive things.
But they missed out on the God-centered nature of history and soteriology.
 
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