This is a response to a letter written as a reply to my paper, Dialogue with a Hostile, Anti-Christian Gay Activist. The words of my opponent from that paper will be in green. My older words from the same paper will be brown, and my present (anonymous) opponent’s words will be in blue. ***** First of all let me thank you for quite an extraordinary letter – especially coming from a 17-year-old. It isn’t often that I receive such a thorough and... Read more
My friend, the ecumenical Reformed Presbyterian (OPC) “Pilgrimsarbour” started discussing and defending three of the five points of the famous Calvinist acronym “TULIP”. After that it was off to the dog races (but an enjoyable dog race it has been . . .). His words will be in blue. * * * * * Calvinism requires belief in things such as Total Depravity and Limited Atonement and Irresistible Grace and Calvinists too often virtually equate the gospel with the five points of TULIP, or... Read more
A Calvinist stated: “I am having trouble distinguishing the Calvinist doctrine of Total Depravity from the determination of the Second Council of Orange.” [529 AD]Particularly, he was referring to the following decrees: CANON 7 If anyone affirms that we can form any right opinion or make any right choice which relates to the salvation of eternal life, as is expedient for us, or that we can be saved, that is, assent to the preaching of the gospel through our natural powers... Read more
***** For background, see my paper, Total Depravity: Reply to James White: Calvinism and Romans 3:10-11 (“None is Righteous . . . No One Seeks For God”) * * * * * The paper above dealt with Romans 3 and also Romans 2. The former was dealt with at great length, including an examination of the OT texts that Paul cited. The treatment of Romans 2 was shorter, and so I shall cite it here: Paul doesn’t teach, in context,... Read more
My opponents’ words shall be in blue:******Your dialogue [referring to “Homosexual Sex: Dialogue with a Liberal Christian” (link) ] is quite one-sided. Well, now you are here to present the other side! :-) The gay rights movement has nothing to do with seeking moral approval. It sure does, else why do homosexual activists have a cow when we dare to state our Christian belief that homosexual acts are immoral, and that there is no such thing as same-sex marriage? Why don’t they allow us to disagree... Read more
From my Apologetics / Ecumenism discussion list, which I founded and moderated in the late 90s. Words of Sogn Mill-Scout will be in blue. *** Gay rights is about equal respect and moral approval being granted to the homosexual orientation; A-ha! You hit the nail on the head. You prove the point many of us have made. Thanks for your refreshing honesty. The so-called “gay rights” movement is not about mere legal equality but truly forcing others to believe as they do — precisely... Read more
See Part I and Part II and Part III. “JS” is a Catholic and a Thomist. Note the different color scheme below. My words will be in blue [not the usual black], “JS’s” in black [not the usual blue]; JS’s previous responses green; Scripture red; Ludwig Ott purple; William G. Most, J.P. Holding, Adam Clarke, and Church Fathers in brown. ***** What shall we say then? Is there injustice with God? God forbid! For He saith to Moses: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy.... Read more
See Part I and Part II. “JS” is a Catholic and a Thomist. Note the different color scheme below. My words will be in blue [not the usual black], “JS’s” in black [not the usual blue]; JS’s previous responses green; Scripture red; Ludwig Ott purple; William G. Most in brown. *** This conditioned dimension of Molinism is precisely its weakness, since God’s will is not conditioned by anyone or anything, let alone man’s foreseen merits. That’s not true as a general statement because God’s will is clearly conditioned by... Read more
Ed’s post appeared on the Debunking Christianity blog. Victor Reppert is a (Protestant) Christian teacher and author of C. S. Lewis’s Dangerous Idea: In Defense of the Argument from Reason, published by Inter-Varsity Press. He runs an excellent blog, dangerous idea, whose purpose is to “to discuss philosophy, chess, politics, C. S. Lewis, . . .” My kind of place! Ed’s words will be in blue; Victor’s in green. * * * * * I saw through Plantinga’s initial assumptions regarding his “solution” to the problem of... Read more
See Part I. Words of “JOS”: a Thomist, will be in blue. My older cited words will be in green. *** This “conditioned” dimension of Molinism is precisely its weakness, since God’s will is not conditioned by anyone or anything, let alone man’s foreseen merits. That’s not true as a general statement because God’s will is clearly conditioned by those who reject His grace; i.e., those who are damned (conditioned by demerits in that case). This is Catholic teaching over... Read more
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