Just browsing through some google searches on audio lectures by certain syngergist philosophers and the search results brought up several Arminian pages. Everyone was framed on “why I am not a Calvinist.” Fair enough, I suppose, and I have my own problems with high Calvinism, but if I were wanting to leave Calvinism, I would leave it. I wouldn’t keep bringing it up. Kind of like Atheists with God and Vegans with everything.
A couple questions. First, a historical question. Would the Reformed and Post-Reformation theologians recognize you as a “calvinist”?
Second, how would you define Calvinist? Just monergism? Or is absolute predestination a necessary tenet? If the latter is a necessary tenet, then obviously someone like Torrance is not a Calvinist.
Third, do you think that the divide between Calvinism and Arminianism is somewhat artificial? It seems like there are more positions. I myself am uneasy about absolute predestination; nevertheless, I would never use the language and vocabulary that I hear most Arminians use– it makes me cringe.
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1st question: Probably not. Bucer would have.
2′ Absolute predestination is a necessary condition, but not a sufficient one. Reprobation, however, is not. I don’t think Vermigli held to reprobation.
3′ Yes. Arminianism arose within the Reformed tradition, though it heavily mutated under Wesley.
I am more or less a Torrancian right now. I don’t like absolute predestination, but I don’t like silly comments like “God saw I would choose him and that’s what predestination means.”
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What constitutes being a Calvinist for Bucer?
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