Three Views on Election
Table of Contents
Election Overview 3
Conditional Election 4
Overview 4
Conditional Election and Fatalism 4
Conditional Election and Semi-Pelagianism 5
James Arminius and John Wesley 6
Unconditional Election 8
Overview 8
Double Unconditional Election 8
Gottschalk of Orbais 8
Ulrich Zwingli 9
Martin Luther 9
John Calvin 10
Single Unconditional Election 10
Augustine 10
Thomas Aquinas 12
Conclusion 13
Election Overview
Gregory A. Boyd & Paul R. Eddy, in their book across the spectrum, pose a scenario:
“While driving drunk, a person hits and kills a little girl. A Christian friend of the girl's parents tries to comfort them by reassuring them that ' God is in control' and that somehow' all things work together for good.' The mother is comforted by these words, but the father becomes enraged.' If God is behind my little girl's death,' he insists, ' he's not all-loving and all-good. Any God who would purposefully snuff out our little girl's life and leave us in this nightmare is cruel!' A second friend of the family agrees with the father and insists that God was not behind the tragedy. ' The drunk driver alone is to blame for your little girl's tragic death,' he tells the father. ' God is as saddened by this event as you are. Now he just wants to comfort the two of you.'1”
As we approach this discussion, we have to ask the question, how does our interpretation of the sovereignty of God and the free will of man color our ability to counsel, encourage, and teach the lost and hurting? Is friend one in the example above correct, or is it friend two? If it is friend one, then how do you handle God controlling of tragic events (or unwillingness to intervene), such as the reckless and seemin...
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...ook III)." CHURCH FATHERS: De Principiis, Book III (Origen). http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/04123.htm (accessed May 1, 2014). Read about 5p (It was online)
Stephens, W. P.. The theology of Huldrych Zwingli. Oxford: Clarendon Press ;, 1986. Read 2p
The "Summa theologica" of St. Thomas Aquinas. London: Burns, Oates & Washburne, Ltd., 1916. Read 6p
Wesley, John. Free grace a sermon preached at Bristol.. Boston: Bristol, printed. Philadelphia, re-printed by Ben. Franklin :, 1741. Read 2p
Wesley, John. Predestination calmly considered By John Wesley, M.A.. The 6th ed. London: Printed by J. Paramore: and sold at the New Chapel; and at the Rev. Mr. Wesley's preaching-houses in town and country, 1786. Read 5p
Zwingli, Ulrich, Samuel Macauley Jackson, and Clarence Nevin Heller. Commentary on true and false religion. Durham, N.C.: Labyrinth, 1929.Read 9p
“Does belief in God influence decisions?” This question and many others are asked by countless readers after experiencing what is Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. This thrilling post-apocalyptic novel follows the journey of a nameless father and son traveling down a long road after what can only be described as the end of the world as we know it. It centers around their fight for survival and their quest to find somewhere in this new world that’s safe. In the background of the gritty feature is the constant thought of God and his influence on moral decisions. McCarthy illustrates through the choices made by the characters how belief in God or lack thereof molds someone’s personal decisions and maybe even slants their moral compass in different directions.
Reason is the first of the complimentary Quadrilateral factors. Wesley’s belief went against that of the “Enlightenment Period” which believed that reason was above scripture. This is confirmed by Wesley’s ideology that scripture is first and through scripture we gain faith and faith comes through hearing the Word of God. He also belie...
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Tellechea, Idigoras, Ignatius of Loyola The Pilgrim Saint. Loyola University Press Chicago 1994 pg.72, 77
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His life, commitment to holiness, and devotion to the word of God created a movement that still thrives two hundred years after its genesis. From the rectory fire to the forests of Savannah, Georgia, Wesley’s influence is impossible to ignore. This influence can be seen in the Methodist Church, and can be heard in church choirs each week through the hymns that he and his brother penned. A testament to the power of his preaching can be seen at his funeral, where tens of thousands flocked to his coffin in City Road Chapel despite John’s plea for a simple funeral. His pursuit of holiness ruffled the feathers of those around him, and many did not see the genius in a man who considered perfection as attainable on earth. At his core, John Wesley knew without a doubt that “man is justified by faith and perfected in love,” frequently declaring this to be true. He knew that Jesus did everything necessary for salvation, and that all men, regardless of the color of their skin, have the right to life, liberty, and freedom. John Wesley’s faults and failures “contributed to making him a great preacher and a loveable man,” which is why his preaching attracted such a large following. During his life, John Wesley sold himself out for Christ in everything, from his career to his letters, and by doing this became one of the great figures in Christian
One would like to call this a defining point in John Wesley?s belief in grace as opposed to that Calvin. Wesley stated that the "grace or love of God, whence cometh our salvation, is FREE IN ALL, and FREE FOR ALL" (John Wesley Free Grace Sermon #2) Calvinist at the time, as well as now believe that grace is not free but is forced on some. Wesley believed in gracious assistance from above. Prevenient Grave, that grace which is given before we even seek God. In the sermon we have Wesley setting the basis of this grace.
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Smart, Ninian. "Blackboard, Religion 100." 6 March 2014. Seven Dimensions of Religion. Electronic Document. 6 March 2014.
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The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 21, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org
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Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologicae. Trans. Fathers of the English Dominican Province. Notre Dame, Indiana: Christian Classics, 1948