The African Roots of Christianity

We Need a Debate Between Dr Ken Wilson and Dr James White

In the past several weeks I have been watching an online back-and-forth between James White and Leighton flowers over Calvinism. Nothing new. The current debate centers on where John Calvin and Martin Luther got their ideas during the Protestant Reformation. Leighton Flowers and many folks who reject the ideas of Calvinism try to argue that the idea that salvation is outside of people's free-will choice was introduced to Christianity by Augustine and no early Christian church fathers believed in the total ability of man or God's meticulous control of reality, decreeing all that happens,  before Augustine taught it. They even take it far enough to that Augustine was influenced by Gnosticism.

Of course James White disagrees and has been interacting with an interview of Ken Wilson by Leighton Flowers on his podcast and a book Ken Wilson has written on how he believes that Augustine was influenced by 4th century Gnosticism. James White is spending several hours on this because he is also explaining what Gnosticism was and reading quotes from the Church Fathers.

I think both sides are talking past each other and not really interacting. Both White and Wilson have said that they want to debate each other. I sure hope this will happen. I think they need to agree on definitions including on what James White and Ken Wilson believe about what Calvinism and what Provisionism are and what they believe before they really get down to the fundamental questions that their disagreement raises: "Was Augustine the first to introduce the ideas, regarding Human free-will, that gave rise to Calvinism?"

Here are two videos that really sum up Ken Wilson's arguments.

James White has not finished his arguments but he has presented evidence that some Church Fathers did affirm God's sovereign control over everything. Here is an example from White's webcast.

I don't think James White has answered Wilson's thesis yet, but I do appreciate White going through all this history and thought I have not been exposed. I sure hope he will answer the video where Flowers and Wilson speak to White's critiques directly.

Here are some questions that I want answered in the debate between White and Wilson:
What is "predestination"?
What is "free libertarian will? Is it autonomous?
Was the a single early Christian author agree with libertarian free-will?
Is there anything "good" in me or you apart from God?"
How do we know what "good" is?
Does God control human will?
Has God ever controlled human will or just responded to it?
Is there a difference between the New Testament and the Church Fathers use terms like "Boulimai" and "Thelo"?

OK, How Many Lies Can You Pack into One Video? Ask Michael Voris!

Dr. James White posted the following video and comments today on his blog.




You can read his comments on the video at the following link

OK, How Many Lies Can You Pack into One Video? Ask Michael Voris!

He responded to this video on today's Dividing Line. You can hear that at the following link.

Today on the Dividing Line: Michael Voris and 40,000 Denominations, Ehrman, Diaa Mohamed

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Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Why Lutherans say Salvation can be Lost, and the Reformed say it Can't

Image via WikipediaJames Swan has posted a very interesting article about "Eternal Security" or "Preservation of the Saints". Why do Lutherans reject it? I often wondered that myself. Follow the link to read his answer.

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Why Lutherans say Salvation can be Lost, and the Reformed say it Can't

Related articles

• The Calvinist case against Lutheranism (geneveith.com)

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Sproul: "The Bible is a fallible collection of infallible books"

Here is a really good article about thinking through the following statement by Dr. R.C. Sproul:

“Roman Catholics view the canon as an infallible collection of infallible books. Protestants view it as a fallible collection of infallible books. Rome believes the church was infallible when it determined which books belong in the New Testament. Protestants believe the church acted rightly and accurately in this process, but not infallibly.”[Source: R.C. Sproul, Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology, 58].

I think that Sproul brings a very important point and James Swan does a great job unpacking the statement and explaining it.

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Sproul: "The Bible is a fallible collection of infallible books"

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A Classic Illustration of God's Sovereign Electing Freedom

Alan Kurchner continues to post thought provoking articles on the Alpha and Omega Ministries blog. Here he gives a classic illustration of God's grace and his sovereignty. I wasn't raised in Reformed circles so this illustration is new to me.

You have 100 criminals on death row. They are all equally guilty and deserving of death. Every single one of them hates the governor of the state. So much so, that all of them conspired together and successfully killed his only son. One of these death row criminals is you. The governor has the freedom and right to pardon and give clemency to any of them. It could be one person, ten, all of them, or just none of them. If he chose to pardon none of them, would he be perfectly just to do so? Yes. And he is not obligated to choose between a dilemma of bestowing mercy either on all 100 of them, or none of them---he could choose any number in between, if he wills. He can do whatever he wishes because of his right as governor. But let us say he chooses to have mercy on 10 of the 100 justly deserved death row criminals. The ten are just as guilty and deserving of death as the other 90. And one of those ten to be graciously pardoned is you. You are free! You are pardoned! You have been granted mercy! Now as you are stepping out of that prison into freedom, are you going to look back and point your finger at the governor and utter, "How dare you pardon me, and not everyone else." You would be an ungrateful halfwit.

From scripture, I would have to say I agree. Of course being pardoned does include a change of mind and nature. Such a one pardoned would not say "How dare you pardon me, and not everyone else." God changes us from being ungrateful halfwits. I'd say that such a one who does not recognize the grace of God as being just and in God's control is either deluded or not pardoned.




A Classic Illustration of God's Sovereign Electing Freedom

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What Was Recovered During the Reformation?

Jeff Downs has posted a great video of Pastor Ian Hamilton discussing the Reformation and its purpose today!


What Was Recovered During the Reformation?

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Doctrinal causes of the Reformation

Here is a great article about the doctrinal causes of the Reformation. There were good reasons. Martin Luther and the other reformers didn't just wake up one day and decided they didn't want to be Roman Catholic anymore...they had good reason to do what they did.

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Doctrinal causes of the Reformation

Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Erasmus as a Problem, not a Reformation Solution

 James Swan posted a great article a few days ago about Erasmus and how the Roman Catholic Church is now  viewing Erasmus and Martin Luther. He expands on it in this post - linked below.


Beggars All: Reformation And Apologetics: Erasmus as a Problem, not a Reformation Solution