excellent presentation of arminian theology with strong biblical exegesis

books:

	• Grace, Faith, Free Will: Contrasting Views of Salvation: Calvinism and Arminianism Robert E. Picirilli Randall House Publications, 2002 - 245 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Grace, Faith, Free Will

I found this book to be essentially everything I'd hoped it would be: a fair look at Calvinism and Arminianism (the author is a proponent of "Reformed Arminianism") which is focused on the Biblical and philosophical arguments for Arminianism and not on flinging vitriol at Calvinism and Calvinists. If you've never heard of Calvinism or Arminianism this book may a bit too much, but in general the intellectual level is such that if you read carefully and keep your Bible close by you will not have problems. (One exception to this is the occasional use of terminology which is not really explained and which is not necessarily common knowledge, ex. "Pellagianism"; this is not frequent enough to cause problems.) The author aims to present Arminius's theology ("Reformation Arminianism") and thus avoid some later developments whose roots many would trace to Arminian theology (such as "open theism", a kind of Yoda-like view of God ["Difficult to see. Always in motion the future is."], and compare/contrast this with modern Calvinism (hence the complaints I recall from other reviewers that the author does not cite Calvin himself). Interestingly, the one area where he departs from this aim is in the doctrine of perseverance. Picirilli quotes Arminius as saying he had never taught the possibility of apostasy [loss of salvation] but that some passages of Scripture seem to suggest it. Thus, at least based on what Picirilli cites, Arminius believed in perseverance but had questions, or even doubts, about it. The author departs from Arminius here and argues for the possibility of apostasy in believers who subsequently reject their faith.

The author makes a number of good points that I hadn't thought of before and includes a number of good word studies, particularly regarding a couple of passages which 5-point Calvinists and 4-point Calvinists/Arminians disagree on regarding the atonement of Christ's death for only the elect or for all mankind. As with all books on theology, though, read carefully and read critically. Theologies are manmade constructions which cannot ever hope to contain the greatness of God and His purposes. Whether you agree with Picirilli in part, in whole, or not at all, I think you will find that he is indeed attempting to draw his beliefs from Scripture. Regardless of where we line up in the Calvinism/Arminianism debate, may that be true of all believers.

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excellent presentation of arminian theology with strong biblical exegesis

Picirilli's work is long overdue as an accurate presentation of the Arminian position. The author does a very good job contrasting the views of James Arminius with Calvinism and the erroneous beliefs of many that would call themselves Arminians today (i.e. Pinnock's open theism).

I especially enjoyed the sections dealing with foreknowledge and predestination. Picirilli makes a very helpful distinction between what is "necessary" and "certian" as pertains to a proper understanding of God's foreknowledge. He argues that while future events are "certian" they are not "necessary", therefore preserving real contingencies as pertains to human freedom.

Picirilli is also careful to present modern Calvanism in all its different flavors in comparing it with James Arminius' understanding of scripture. Picirilli is not concerned with caricatures, and is careful to deal with relevant Calvinist objections rather than straw men.

I was pleased that the author demonstrated that the doctrine of "prevenient grace" (which he prefers to call "pre-regenerating grace") was taught by Arminius and was not a "Weslyan" departure as some believe. He failed, however, to cite or interact with some of the more relevant passages (John 1:9; 12:32; Titus 2:11; Philippians 2:12-13).

I was also disappointed that he did not interact with passages outside of Heb. 6, and 10, and 2 Pet. 2:20-22 with regards to apostasy. While I agree that Heb. 6, and 10 constitutes an apostasy without remedy (which I would equate with blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, Mark 3:29) I was not persuaded that the same could be said concerning the 2 Pet. passage. I would like to have seen Picirilli interact with passages like James 5:19, 20; Rom. 11:23; Luke 15:11-32; and Gal. 4:19, which seem to indicate an apostasy that is not irrevocable.

All in all the book was very well written and should be read several times to gather its full import. Picirilli is not only an excellent Arminian theologian, but also a skilled exegete and former Greek professor. He writes with grace and tries to accurately present the views of his opponents. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand Arminian theology as Arminius himself taught, and avoid aligning oneself with so many who think they understand Arminianism based on the inaccurate and unfair critiques of staunch Calvinists.

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Grace, Faith, and Free Will

This is a book that should be in every serious Christian theology student. The author made a great case concerning salvation which has long be debated by Calvinists and Arminians alike. He made a great case for the Arminian view on Salvation. It is very interesting to know that many of the doctrines of salvation preached in most, if not all, churches hinge between these two points of view (Calvinists and Arminians). What it is interesting is that many of the things we give credit that Calvin and Arminius said, they never said. I learned a great deal on grace and faith as well as free will, though the Bible does not mention such term but, like the term "trinity", it is implied. Great book! You won't be disappointed if you buy it.

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Clearest presentation of Arminianism available

This book is the best introduction to Arminianism available. Picirilli is articulating what he calls "Reformation Arminianism," the actual views of Arminius himself. His arguments are fair and compelling, and any Calvinist will admit that Picirilli has presented their position correctly. The only thing I don't like about this book is the frequency of statements like "Due to lack of space in this volume, I have to restrict my explanation to this one point," and a few typographical errors (which can be expected with the first printing of anything).

Worthwhile read for Calvinists and Arminians alike

Having been studying this field for a couple years, I found there to be a huge range of variations in both camps. This book, I felt, clearly explained the key points of the common variations from each camp. And as a beginner I found this helpful.

I am an Arminian in a decidedly Calvinist fellowship (and they still love me.). I recommend this to my friends there because it gives a clear, logically consistent explanation of their view, yet is concise.

The average lay Calvinist only needs to read pages 21-33. The average lay Arminian should read 21-64. They should especially read and reread the section on certainty, contingency and necessity starting on page 37.

If you buy this book, I would also read all of the reviews as they offer useful insights into the topic.

I would put some kind of symbols in section 21-33 indicating where the Arminians disagree. This would make it easier to refer to when reading chapter 3.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3

Grace, Faith, Free Will addresses issues that have divided Calvinists and Arminians since the Reformation. Using historical, systematic, and Biblical theology, Robert Picirilli contrasts both views of salvation. His "Reformation Arminianism" reclaims the original beliefs of Arminius and his defenders.

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