Where Grace Abounded Sin Abounded More?
In his 1611 work A Short and Plaine Proofe, Thomas Helwys argued against unconditional election and limited atonement. Helwys was convinced that these doctrines were not only unbiblical, but actually implicated God in man’s sin. What follows is a quite intriguing portion of his argument: Yet those of this opinion that hold God has decreed some to reprobation say he would not have all, but some to repent. If they would speak...
Reformed Arminianism & the Death of the Holiness Movement
Through a friend’s recommendation, I recently read a blog entitled, “The Death of the Holiness Movement and The Imminent Collapse of Arminianism” by Jeff Paton.[1] I know very little about the author, but the blog was intriguing for a couple of reasons. First, Paton rightly understands that various forms of Arminianism exist. For many, only one form of Arminianism exists, and it is Wesleyan Arminianism. Paton is aware that...
Autonomous But United
I grew up in Free Will Baptist churches, occasionally attended local association meetings with my father, and regularly attended the annual National Association Free Will Baptists. Even from a young age I knew that all Free Will Baptists didn’t share identical philosophies of ministry, nor did they agree on Bible translations, or what men and women ought (or ought not) to wear. But from what I could tell, we were a lot alike. I knew...
Thomas Grantham: Christianismus Primitivus
Thomas Grantham lived in an age when kings were beheaded, national church structures were dissolved, and Baptists were regularly imprisoned. Grantham was a prolific theologian, a farmer, and a tender shepherd of souls. He staunchly defended Baptist beliefs and heralded universal religious freedom. Thomas Grantham (1633/34-1692) was born in Hatton, England, a region near Lincolnshire. Like many seventeenth-century figures, his early...
Is Schleiermacher Sharing Your Pulpit?
Some say it doesn’t matter the path you take so long as you arrive at the proper destination. According to this advice, the final destination is assumed to be more important than the path taken. But the path and destination are not so easily separated. Whether discussing travel or life, we’re all aware that paths shape us, for good or ill. What’s more, they always determine our condition when we arrive at our destination—and often...
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