Tag: Calvinism

A Theological Response to G. K. Beale’s Article: “An Exegetical and Theological Consideration of the Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart in Exodus 4-14 and Romans 9”

By Stephen Marcy, March 2008 / Revised March 2010, Oct. 2022 Beale’s Method and Purpose We need to state up front that Beale is a Calvinist,[1] and we also need to be clear that Calvinists believe in universal divine causal determinism.[2] I have demonstrated this as a fact in many places on this website and here … Continue reading A Theological Response to G. K. Beale’s Article: “An Exegetical and Theological Consideration of the Hardening of Pharaoh’s Heart in Exodus 4-14 and Romans 9” →

According to His Own Criteria, Is Erwin Lutzer’s Calvinist Soteriology Heretical?

Introduction Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, pastor of the Moody Church in Chicago, emphatically states the following. “There are many doctrines over which we can be charitable and simply say that we do not have to agree. But the Gospel is one that we need to agree on.” [1] He also states that “the Gospel of … Continue reading According to His Own Criteria, Is Erwin Lutzer’s Calvinist Soteriology Heretical? →

1 Timothy 2:4-6: Leighton Flowers, Charles Spurgeon and the Hermeneutical Divide

The Christian Standard Bible translates 1 Timothy 2:4-6 in the immediate context as follows:                “First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and … Continue reading 1 Timothy 2:4-6: Leighton Flowers, Charles Spurgeon and the Hermeneutical Divide →

Ravi Zacharias on How to Come to Grips with the Truth

Listen to Ravi’s lecture “The Uniqueness of Christ in World Religions, Part 1” for additional context on my remarks below.  You can access it here. In a lecture on the uniqueness of Christ in world religions, Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias begins with a defense of the laws of logic and their indispensability for coming to … Continue reading Ravi Zacharias on How to Come to Grips with the Truth →

Christian Reflections on the Present Turmoil in America

Please listen to this timely message by Billy Graham on racism and the gospel.  This sermon titled, “God and the Color of Man’s Skin,” was preached in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1965 during a time of racial unrest and the civil rights movement in the United States.  You can listen to it here. Introduction             We … Continue reading Christian Reflections on the Present Turmoil in America →

The Friends of Israel, the Sovereignty of God and Election

Introduction             Although the controversy over God’s sovereignty and election in relation with human freedom and responsibility goes back to Augustine (354 – 430 A.D.), it is typically set in terms of the Reformation era debate between Calvinism and Arminianism.  Generally speaking, the doctrine of divine sovereignty is understood as God ruling or reigning over … Continue reading The Friends of Israel, the Sovereignty of God and Election →

Ryken v. Ryken: Calvinist Inconsistency in Light of Billy Graham’s Gospel

Dr. Philip Ryken, former senior pastor of Tenth Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia is now president of Wheaton College.  He believes that Calvinism is the biblical gospel and longs for it to be the pervasive soteriology in the evangelical church.  He writes,                “We long for the evangelical church to rediscover a theology of grace.  Reformed … Continue reading Ryken v. Ryken: Calvinist Inconsistency in Light of Billy Graham’s Gospel →

Open Letter to Dr. Ed Stetzer and Dr. Greg Strand of the EFCA

This letter is a response to Dr. Ed Stetzer’s Christianity Today interview of Dr. Greg Strand, The EFCA’s Executive Director of Theology and Credentialing.  Ed Stetzer is Billy Graham Distinguished Chair of Church, Mission, and Evangelism at Wheaton College and Executive Director of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College.  The transcript of the interview … Continue reading Open Letter to Dr. Ed Stetzer and Dr. Greg Strand of the EFCA →

Open Letter to Dr. Richard Land, President of Southern Evangelical Seminary

This letter was written on October 25, 2018 after last year's NCCA conference. October 25, 2018 Dr. Richard Land, President Southern Evangelical Seminary 15015 Lancaster Highway Charlotte, NC 28227 Dear Dr. Land,             I want to thank you and SES for providing yet another informative and stimulating apologetics conference this year.  I especially appreciated the … Continue reading Open Letter to Dr. Richard Land, President of Southern Evangelical Seminary →

An Open Letter to the Speakers and Attenders of the 2019 National Conference on Christian Apologetics (NCCA)

Warren Wiersbe preached an excellent sermon on the issue of Truth. You can listen to it here. The theme for the 2019 National Conference on Christian Apologetics (NCCA) was “Why Truth Still Matters.”  The informational mailing read,                “From gender and sexuality, to the existence of God, to the Bible, to the very existence of … Continue reading An Open Letter to the Speakers and Attenders of the 2019 National Conference on Christian Apologetics (NCCA) →