How God Shows No Partiality In Relation to Salvation

A few questions in relation to the issue of God’s sovereignty and human freedom have piqued interest in numerous individuals through the ages and provided ample amount in debate material. One of these debated matters centers around whether God is a respecter of persons if he chooses to damn some while saving others. Now without … Continue reading How God Shows No Partiality In Relation to Salvation

Paul Helm Misses The Mark on Molinism: A Response to Ligonier.org’s “Molinism 101”

Summary: Paul Helm has contributed an article to Ligonier.org in which he presents two noteworthy objections to Molinism. First, Helm presents an internal critique of Molinism purporting to show that Libertarian Free Will (LFW) undermines God’s providential control over the world. Second, Helm argues that Molinism is incompatible with the doctrine of irresistible grace. I … Continue reading Paul Helm Misses The Mark on Molinism: A Response to Ligonier.org’s “Molinism 101”

Molinism Is Biblical: A Response to a Calvinist Objector

I recently published an article entitled, “Molinism is Biblical” the morning of June 8th. That same morning a response article was written, published, and shared on my Facebook wall by Sean Luke, a self-proclaimed Calvinist who took exception to my biblical exegesis. My article referenced several passages of scripture that seem to contradict common Calvinistic … Continue reading Molinism Is Biblical: A Response to a Calvinist Objector

Gunslingers & Guilty Minds: A Response to Greg Welty

Thursday the 27th of April, I published an article responding to Greg Welty’s chapter in the book Calvinism and the problem of Evil. I specifically argued against a view of Calvinism that is wedded to exhaustive divine determinism (a view that God causally determines all things: actions, behaviors, beliefs, and thoughts). I was shocked — and … Continue reading Gunslingers & Guilty Minds: A Response to Greg Welty

Does Ockham’s Razor Preclude a Libertarian Interpretation of 1 Peter 1:3?

Summary: In my essay “How Should a Molinist Understand 1 Peter 1:3?” I defended the idea that 1 Peter 1:3 underdetermines whether libertarian free will (LFW) or divine causal determinism (DCD) obtains. One way one could attempt to adjudicate between these competing theories is to appeal to Ockham’s razor. Specifically, one could argue that a … Continue reading Does Ockham’s Razor Preclude a Libertarian Interpretation of 1 Peter 1:3?

A Few Arguments Against Divine Simplicity

In my last article I tackled what I referred to as Thomistic Compatibilism. This article can be considered a clarification of some of the earlier material while adding more argumentation against the doctrine of divine simplicity (DDS). Thomas Aquinas modeled his understanding of human free will after his take on the divine free will. Thomas … Continue reading A Few Arguments Against Divine Simplicity

Extra-Biblical Data & Hermeneutics

Should data gained apart from the Bible influence our interpretation of it? Before answering that question, consider what could be implied based on a face-value interpretation of the following passages of scripture: Genesis 1:16 – The sun and moon seem to be the largest heavenly bodies. Genesis 1:16-18 – The moon is literally a light, rather than … Continue reading Extra-Biblical Data & Hermeneutics

Fifty Shades of Compatibilism

What is “compatibilistic free will”? Years ago when I first heard of this doctrine it shocked me. Intuitively I thought it did not make sense. How can God determine (force) someone to freely do something? Little did I know that it is one of the most discussed doctrines in modern philosophy and theology. Roughly, compatibilism … Continue reading Fifty Shades of Compatibilism

Confusing Bible Verses: Matt Slick & Mark 4

Matt Slick recently debated Jerry Walls regarding the omnibenevolence of God. That is to say, the following question was addressed: Is God really all-loving? I have argued that not only is God all-loving, but that it is actually a sin to doubt God’s love for all people — let alone teach that God does not … Continue reading Confusing Bible Verses: Matt Slick & Mark 4

How Should a Molinist Understand 1 Peter 1:3?

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. . .” 1 Pet. 1:3 (ESV) For the determinist, this verse would seem to pose a problem for … Continue reading How Should a Molinist Understand 1 Peter 1:3?