Calvinism vs. Arminianism

Right guys, I need your advice here. This is a big one to chew on here so be prepared. You have been warned!

No doubt there are some of you that have some links in your ‘favourites’ to internet forums that you regularly visit and contribute to. Some months ago I used to be a regular on the forum belonging to Open Air Outreach. OAO is run by a team of five Christians who go around universities and colleges in America, preaching the gospel, and although they are ‘Arminian’, I have reason to believe that they do a good work.

For the most part I really enjoyed my time on their forum, and although some of us had different beliefs, the fellowship on the board was generally good and I learnt alot by debating various issues and reading what other Christians had to say about certain areas of the Christian life.

One of the topics that came up time and time again in the doctrinal area was the various differences between ‘Calvinism’ and ‘Arminianism’. In these areas I really began to learn about what I believed and why and it was very beneficial to my soul. However, as it began to go round and round in circles, it became very wearying and I began to drift from the forum.

It’s been about six months now since I contributed anything of consequence on the forum, and the other day I decided that I go on and see how things were getting on.

Not to my surprise, there were a few debates going on between the Calvinists and Arminians. Some new ‘debaters’ but the same old arguments.

After reading some of them, I decided to put up a thread entitled, “Some things never change…“. Many of the people on the board are those a church would love to have. They witness, evangelise and study the scriptures quite diligently and no doubt they pray too, but I felt that I should enter in and seek to point out a few things because some of them can become quite nasty to the opposing view.

Now I believe 100% in the doctrines of grace (Calvinism), or you might know them as TULIP (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistable Grace, Perseverance of the Saints)but sometimes the arguing really gets to me. As such I wrote the following post to them all. This is it in full:

[begin quote]

Good day my brethren!

Long time no speak! I am now ministering in Australia, check out http://www.armensblog.com to keep up-to-date on that.

Anyway, my reason for this thread is to tell you that after not being on this forum for a considerable period, things haven’t changed a bit.

What do I mean? Well the primary debate as usual is eternal security and to be quite frank, this is very saddening!

Why? Well there’s nothing wrong with discussion, but I really think that Christ must look upon his people with shame when he see’s them debating about this matter. Some of you are so dogmatic that you’d think you were Jesus!!

Yes, yes, you read the scriptures and you see ‘precisely’ what the bible says, “and brother so-and-so doesn’t see it, he believes something else and it has come from the pit of hell!”

For instance, I wouldn’t want to be the man behind evangelicaloutreach when I stand before the Lord (and no doubt he’d say the same about me). The reason? Well he seems to “know” beyond shadow of doubt, more about the scriptures than more than half of the worlds most godly and knowledgeable Christians. Now he might be right, but either EVERY godly OSAS [Once Saved Always Saved] believer isn’t saved, OR God just doesn’t speak to them, even the sincere hearted ones who seek God for His wisdom in the Word.

Now I don’t know the man, but (correct me if I’m wrong) I doubt he’s having as much beneficial impact upon the world around him as the likes of George Whitefield. I challenge anyone here to dare and say Whitefield was not in touch with God more than most men alive today and yet somehow God let him preach the devils teaching??? I doubt it!!

So what’s my point? Well simply put, God doesn’t seem to have trouble blessing BOTH sincere Calvinists and sincere Arminians, so what on earth gives either party the right to say what they’re teaching is of the devil?

Some defend their naming and ridicule by saying the apostle Paul named those that taught wrong doctrine and exposed them. But you should examine the differences between what your fellow arminian/calvinist is teaching and what the men Paul condemned were teaching. Usually it was either, leading people into law keeping bondage, or leading people into liberal life of sin, or denying the divinity of Christ, NONE OF WHICH ANY RIGHT-THINKING ARMINIAN OR CALVINIST DOES!! And, you must remember that Paul had more insight than any other Christian who has ever walked.

So my brethren (arminians and calvinists), in my opinion it’s about time some of YOU repented of your sins of so-called ‘righteous anger’ (your excuse for getting cross at the opposing beliefs) and name calling of your brothers and sisters in Christ which cause more harm in our witness and more grief to the heart of Christ than we probably can imagine.

May God deal with us all in these days!

Armen

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Now I’d like to ask you folks, and please get back to me on this one. Was I wrong? Maybe you think such things are better left unsaid. Maybe you think I compromised by saying that an Arminian “might be right”. Or maybe you think I should have been stronger in my attack. I’d really like to hear from you all on this. Even some in the Free Presbyterian Church would probably frown at my appearance of ’sympathy’ towards the Arminian. Let me make it clear that I have no sympathy towards Arminianism, but I believe that God blesses those who are humble, broken, sincere and holy and not so much their theology.
Am I wrong in this also, or do you agree?

Please share your thoughts.

God bless!

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