James White, Steve Gregg Debate

Well, I listened to the debate between Steve Gregg and James White and came out a Calvinist still. Steve Gregg really stretched things. There was a point when he said that when someone reads the Bible for themselves they are Arminian by default. People, he said, do not become Calvinists until someone comes along and teaches them Calvinism. I had three thoughts on that.

1. When I was Arminian in my theology, which was from my childhood, I struggled with the plethora of passages that seemed to indicate God was in total control of all things, including who would be saved. But (get this) I was TAUGHT that those passages did not mean what they appear to mean. I trusted my pastors, but I was never satisfied. I wanted the right answers.

2. I wondered how many people were amen-ing Steve Gregg when he said that and when it came to discussing Romans 9 were eagerly awaiting how Steve Gregg would interpret it. But if the Bible is Arminian by default, why would they need Steve Gregg to come up with an answer for them. I mean, when you read Romans chapter 9, aren't you an Arminian by default by reading it? Steve Gregg said he never met a person who read the Bible on their own and came out a Calvinist. Well, I have never met a person who read Romans 9 and came out saying, "That totally fits my Arminian thinking." Of course it really does not matter what people are or are not "by default". What matters is the objective truth. And I will add that, it would not surprise me that man would be Arminian by default because it is natural to come to the Bible with the presupposition of man having "free will".

3. We need others to teach us the meaning of the Scriptures. Steve Gregg acts as if this is a bad thing and proves the "evil" of Calvinism. The truth is God gave us teachers to...thats right...teach. No scripture is a matter of ones own private interpretation.

There was another comment by Stever Gregg that was misrepresentative and misleading. He said Calvinism was not taught in the church until Augustine taught it. This reminds me of the Jehovah's Witness's poor claim that the Trinity was not taught until the church declared Arius a heretic. Doctrine is in the Bible. It is not formulated in the Bible. It is not given in systematic doses. For example we do not have "The Book of the Trinity" which formulates and presents for us all the details of the Trinity. It is duduced from all of Scripture. We don't have the book of "The Deity of Christ" where all teaching of Christ's godhood can be found. The church had always believed certain things, but in most cases had not formulated those beliefs until those COMMON beliefs were challenged by people like Arius and Pelagius. When serious challenges arose, councils would convene and determine if opposing views were acceptable in any way. So to use that as some sort of litmus test as to whether or not "Calvinism" was always taught is misleading and ill-informed.

This is not at all a comprehensive look at that debate. But just some thoughts. More on Calvinism is coming.