This is the second episode in a three podcast series that will examine the views of Arminius on depravity. In this episode we will be reading through a section of Public Disputation VII: "On the First Sin of the First Man." Here Arminius describes the impact of the fall on humanity and how sin has spread through the human race. We will then move on and read a selection from his letter to Hippolytus A Collibus where he describes the necessity of grace and the inability of man in VERY strong terms. Another good episode to share with your Reformed friends.
Links:
This minisode will launch a three podcast series examining the doctrine of depravity as taught by Jacob Arminius. In this minisode we will be reading through a portion of Arminius's public Disputation 11: "On the Free Will of Man and Its Powers." Here Arminius contrasts the state of man before and after the fall. He also discusses the impact of sin on mankind after the fall and the benefits of grace given through Christ. There is literally no way that someone could claim Arminius denied total depravity after listening to this episode. Please share this episode to help clarify the position of Arminius in regards to depravity. The link to the full disputation is below.
Link:
Merry Christmas! In this episode we will be talking about John Wesley's doctrine of Predestination. In doing so we will touch on Wesley's understanding of foreknowledge as well. We will also discuss the history of the controversy between Wesley and George Whitefield on the question of Predestination. Then we will look at Wesley's Doctrine of Decrees and some of his criticisms of the Calvinist understanding of Predestination. We also give some recommendations of what you should put on your Christmas list this year.
Links:
http://www.seedbed.com/predestination-and-gods-sovereignty/
https://jamespedlar.wordpress.com/2012/02/16/john-wesley-on-predestination/
http://evangelicalarminians.org/john-wesley-predestination-calmly-considered/
In this minisode we will be reading through a portion of John Wesley's sermon, "Free Grace." Here he defines "Free Grace" and then presents eight points against the doctrine of absolute, double predestination. At the end of the sermon Wesley explains his own doctrine of decrees.
Links:
"Free Grace" (full text and audio versions below)
http://www.umcmission.org/Find-Resources/John-Wesley-Sermons/Sermon-128-Free-Grace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYtoqvo9aYc
"John Wesley's Teaching" by Thomas Oden, put this on your Christmas list this year!
https://www.amazon.com/John-Wesleys-Teachings-Complete-Set-Volumes/dp/0310516455
This minisode will begin a three podcast series that will examine Wesley's teaching on Predestination. For this episode we will be reading through Wesley's Sermon "On Predestination" which is obviously a good place to start. Contrary to popular opinion Wesley did have a doctrine of Predestination. We will also receive help from Thomas Oden in his book, "John Wesley's Teachings Volume 2: Christ and Salvation" which you absolutely MUST buy.
"On Predestination" by John Wesley
"John Wesley's Teachings" by Thomas Oden (BUY IT!!!)
https://www.amazon.com/John-Wesleys-Teachings-Complete-Set-Volumes/dp/0310516455
In this episode we will be reading through and discussing some important points that Dr. Joseph Dongell brings up in his article titled, "Ten Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Arminianism." Dr. Dongell writes a lot of insightful things regarding Arminianism and the history of Arminian theology and we are excited to talk about it. Be sure to check out the full article below so Dr. Dongell's wish could come true.
Links:
"Ten Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Arminianism"
https://www.onfaith.co/discussion/10-things-i-wish-everyone-knew-about-arminianism
"Jacob Arminius: Presbyterian Reformed"
http://www.solusarminius.com/2016/10/jacob-arminius-presbyterian-reformed.html?spref=fb
Happy Reformation Day! In this episode we will be examining how the theologies of Jacob Arminius and John Wesley were aligned with the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation: Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura, Solus Christus, and Soli Deo Gloria. To do this we will be examining both primary and secondary sources. You may be surprised to find out that both Arminius and Wesley were theological heirs of the Protestant Reformation and their theology and doctrine were faithful to all five of the solas. That is why all Wesleyan-Arminians should be excited about Reformation Day! Soli Deo Gloria.
Links:
Two Luther Documentaries:
"A Man named Martin Luther: The Moment"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANNwv-j_4_0
"A Man Named Martin Luther"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAbjgTHSkJI
Wesley Sermons:
"John Wesley as a Theologian of Grace" by Robert V. Rakestraw:
http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/27/27-2/27-2-pp193-203_JETS.pdf
Happy Reformation Month! In this episode we will be reading a short selection from John Wesley's writing, "Popery Calmly Considered." Wesley is pretty "calm" for most of it, although he gets fired up in a few places. In this work Wesley makes VERY clear that he is Protestant to the core. He affirms the five solas, and particularly "Sola Scriptura." Hopefully this episode will clear up any false ideas about where Wesley stood in regards to Roman Catholic doctrines and theology. Don't miss the full Reformation Day episode that will be dropping on October 31st. Soli Deo Gloria.
Happy Reformation Month! We are counting down the days to the 499th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation! Why? Because as Wesleyan-Arminians we are 100% Protestant. In this first podcast in a three podcast series on the Reformation we will be looking at how John Wesley affirmed the Reformation teaching of Sola Fide. To do this we will be reading a short selection from his writing, "The Principles of a Methodist" where he explains his teaching on Sola Fide. Don't miss the next episodes in this series and the full length episode that will be released on October 31, 2016. Soli Deo Gloria!
This is the seventh full episode! We will be discussing the doctrine of Predestination as articulated by Jacob Arminius. First, we define Predestination. Then we look how Arminius defined Predestination. What becomes very clear is how Christocentric the Arminian doctrine of Predestination is! Then we look through the "Declaration of Sentiments" by Arminius and see what he had to say about the Divine Order of Decrees and compare the Arminian Order of Decrees to the Supralapsarian and Infralapsarian orders of decrees. We then look at what Thomas C. Oden had to say about the alignment between the Arminian understanding of Predestination and the Patristic understanding.
Links:
http://store.seedbed.com/collections/seedbed-seedlings
https://www.amazon.com/Arminius-His-Declaration-Sentiments-Introduction/dp/1602585679
We will be diving into two private disputations by Arminius on this minisode. The first is Private Disputation 40: "On the Predestination of Believers" and Private Disputation 41: "On the Predestination of Means to the End." In these disputations Arminius presents a very Christocentric understanding of predestination and election while simultaneously showing his strong opposition to human ability without grace! Arminius is not optimistic about anthropology one bit.
Here are the links to the disputations:
Disputation 40: http://wesley.nnu.edu/?id=4833
Disputation 41: http://wesley.nnu.edu/?id=4832
Look out for the next full episode that will drop the first week of October!
This minisode will kick off a three podcast series that will examine what Arminius had to say about the Doctrine of Predestination. Many people wrongly assume that Arminius did not hold to a Doctrine of Predestination. This is NOT true! He held strongly to the Doctrine of Predestination, but believed nothing should be taught beyond what the Scriptures had to say. In this episode we will be reading Public Disputation #15: "On Divine Predestination." In this writing Arminius does an incredible job explaining a Biblical doctrine of predestination. There will also be some commentary as we move through the disputation.
Here is the full text to the Disputation 15:
This episode of Remonstrance is entirely devoted to the question, "What is the will of God?" We first discuss the Calvinist understanding of the will of God to provide context for the Arminian understanding. We also look at Calvin's distinction between the decretive and prescriptive will of God. We then discuss the philosophical differences between Voluntarism and Intellectualism. It is more important than you might think. We then look at the distinction between the Antecedent and Consequent will of God that Arminius emphasized in his theological writings. We then look at the question of divine determinism and look at how Thomas C. Oden explains how God governs the world according to His will. We hope you are blessed by this episode!
Here are some links to articles we discuss:
"God's Will In Calvinism and Arminianism" by Roger E. Olson
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2014/08/gods-will-in-calvinism-and-arminianism/
"A Much Neglected Basic Choice in Theology" by Roger E. Olson
http://www.patheos.com/blogs/rogereolson/2010/12/a-much-neglected-basic-choice-in-theology/
This minisode is the second in a three podcast series where we will be asking the question, "what is the will of God?" from a Wesleyan-Arminian perspective. In this episode we read a selection from Public Disputation IV by Jacob Arminius. We will only focus on Section 2, "On the Will of God." We will read a brief excerpt from the Disputation and then have some brief theological commentary on it. This is not an easy Disputation, but it is really good! Maybe listen through this more than once.
Here is a link to the full Disputation IV if you are interested:
Scroll down to the Second Section: ON THE WILL OF GOD
This minisode is the first in a three podcast series where we will be asking the question, "what is the will of God?" from a Wesleyan-Arminian perspective. In this episode we will read two private disputations of Jacob Arminius. The first is Private Disputation 18, "On The Will of God." The second is Private Disputation 19, "On the Various Distinctions of the Will of God." Each reading will be followed by a brief theological commentary. These disputations are tough so get ready for some serious scholastic theology!
For your reference here are links to both Disputations. It might be good to read along:
http://wesley.nnu.edu/?id=4787
http://wesley.nnu.edu/?id=4786
In this episode we ask the very important question, "What Does It Mean to Be Arminian?" Historically, there have been many different definitions of the term "Arminian" and it becomes very confusing. To add to the confusion the term "Arminian" means something else in different historical eras and even in different countries throughout history!
In this episode we make a distinction between "Arminianism of the Heart" and "Arminianism of the Head." Unfortunately, many of the later Remonstrants and the English Arminians in England and New England were liberal "Arminians of the Head." It was really John Wesley who recovered true Arminian theology and restored a theological movement based on "Arminianism of the Heart."
Our hope is that through this episode people will begin to see that true Arminianism is "Arminianism of the Heart" taught by Jacob Arminius, John Wesley, and all their Protestant, Orthodox, Evangelical heirs.
Links:
"A New Perspective on Arminius" featuring Keith Stanglin (podcast)
http://reformedforum.org/ctc446/
"The Loss of Arminius to the Remonstrants" by William Birch
http://evangelicalarminians.org/the-loss-of-arminius-to-the-remonstrants/
"John Wesley, A Faithful Representative of Jacobus Arminius" by W. Stephen Gunter
https://oimts.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/2002-2-gunter.pdf
In this Minisode we will be asking the basic (but not so basic) question: "What Is An Arminian?" And see how John Wesley answered this question in his short writing titled (very appropriately) "What Is An Arminian?" In this writing Wesley brings up a lot of good points. He is clear that Arminians and Calvinists should come to an understanding of each other's theology so they could have a productive dialogue.
He also points out that no one should speak out against Arminianism unless they have actually read at least a page of his writings. This point is true of people who claim to be Arminian as well.
Wesley promoted more of a spirit of unity through understanding. Here at Remonstrance we believe that this is the way forward. We may disagree, but at least we can disagree based on an understanding of where each other are coming from.
To read through the full text of "What Is An Arminian?" you can find it by following this link: http://www.umcmission.org/Find-Resources/John-Wesley-Sermons/The-Wesleys-and-Their-Times/What-Is-an-Arminian
This episode is a call to study Wesleyan Theology in a systematic way. As Fred Sanders points out, the Wesleyan-Arminian Tradition is not known for its systematic theologians...but they are out there. In fact, NOW is the best time in history to begin studying Wesleyan theology in a "systematic" way because of the resources that are available!
In this episode we will briefly look at why there was a lack of systematic theologians at the beginning of the Wesleyan Movement. We will then look at the early Wesleyan-Arminian Systematic Theologians: Watson, Summers, and Pope. Then we will talk about Thomas C. Oden's "Classic Christianity." After that we will focus on why NOW is the best time to study Wesleyan Theology in a Systematic way because of the work that Kenneth J. Collins and Thomas C. Oden have done to systematize Wesley's theology for the first time in history!
You should really look into buying "The Theology of John Wesley: Holy Love and the Shape of Grace" by Kenneth J. Collins and the four volume set "John Wesley's Teachings" by Thomas C. Oden.
You can find hyperlinks to their books by following this link:
https://wordpress.com/stats/insights/remonstrancepodcast.com
This episode is entirely devoted to the Doctrine of Justification with specific emphasis on what Wesley and Arminius had to say about Imputation. We realize there is a lot of debate and confusion today about the Doctrine of Justification. It is important for Wesleyans and Arminians to see what their theological founders had to say. To do this we will be reading and discussing a variety of secondary and primary sources on Justification and Imputation. It is clear that both Wesley and Arminius stood with the Protestant Reformers on this issue.
We will also spend time focusing on three aspects of Justification that both Wesley and Arminius had in common: (1) they both expressed agreement with John Calvin (2) they both did not want to make a distinction between the "Active" and "Passive" righteousness of Christ in their Doctrine of Imputation and (3) they both taught that "Faith is Imputed for Righteousness" and for this they were criticized by their Reformed contemporaries.
Please visit the theologians page of our website to find links to all the books we references in this episode. We encourage you to buy them and read them all for yourself.
In this minisode we will be mostly reading John Wesley's sermon, "The Lord Our Righteousness" to investigate his views on Imputation. If you want to understand Wesley's most mature thought on Justification, and namely Imputation, this is the best sermon to read. He wrote it in 1765 after a time of reflection and refinement of his teaching on this.
Wesley undoubtedly held to the Doctrine of Imputation in a way not very different (if different at all) from his Reformed contemporaries. He (like Arminius) quotes Calvin in explaining his views. Hopefully this minisode will bring clarification to Wesley's views on imputation and help to stop false accusations against him.
Wesley was also clear to keep his doctrine of Imputation from becoming a "license to sin" and the end of the sermon he covers this concern as well.
Here is the full text of the sermon:
In this minisode we will be looking at Arminius on the Doctrine of Imputation within his larger doctrine of Justification. You may be surprised to find out how close Arminius was to Calvin on this! And we are not making this up...this is all what Arminius wrote himself! To explore this topic we will be looking at "The Declaration of Sentiments" by Arminius as well as his "Public Disputation 19: On the Justification of Man Before God."
We will be releasing an episode in the next couple of weeks focusing on what Wesley had to say about the Doctrine of Imputation. Then a full Remonstrance episode will be released in July for a full treatment of this doctrine and how Wesley and Arminius were able to simultaneously hold to the Doctrine of Imputation while avoiding Antinomian conclusions. Please subscribe!
This is our third full episode of Remonstrance Podcast. In this episode we will discuss the Wesleyan-Arminian Doctrine of the Atonement. First, we will explain the various major views on the Atonement. They are the Governmental, the Satisfaction, and the Penal-Substitution views. After that we will look at Hugo Grotius and the history of the Governmental View of the Atonement. Then we will look at what Arminius and Wesley taught in regards to the Atonement (spoiler alert: they did not hold to the Governmental Theory). Then we will focus on the views of the Atonement held by the major early Methodist Theologians: Watson, Pope, and Summers. Then we will discuss John Miley and how the Governmental Theory of the Atonement was introduced to Methodism. We will finish with some clarification from Thomas Oden. In this episode we reference works by Roger Olson, Kenneth J. Collins, and Thomas Oden. We highly recommend the works of all three of these theologians.
Here is the link to the J. Matthew Pinson Article on the Atonement:
http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/53/53-4/JETS_53-4_773-785_Pinson.pdf
It is titled, "The Nature of Atonement in the Theology of Jacob Arminius." If you want to learn what Arminius taught on the Atonement then READ THIS ARTICLE! Also download Remonstrance Podcast Minisode 7.
In this minisode we will begin exploring what Arminius taught on the Doctrine of the Atonement. It is clear that Arminius did not hold to the Governmental Theory of the Atonement but to (at least) the Satisfaction Theory instead. This episode will show this from the works of Jacob Arminius "Oration IV." We will also receive theological guidance from Dr. Roger Olson and his excellent book, "Arminian Theology Myths and Realities." Be on the look out for our next full episode that will be entirely devoted to the Wesleyan-Arminian view of the Atonement. Please subscribe!
Here is a link to "Arminian Theology Myths and Realities" by Roger E. Olson. You should buy it!
http://www.amazon.com/Arminian-Theology-Realities-Roger-Olson/dp/0830828419
This is our second full episode of Remonstrance podcast! On this episode we will be taking an in depth look at the theology of Jacob Arminius and John Wesley in regards to Divine Providence. We will start off by defining Providence and Meticulous Providence. Then we will be looking at what Arminius had to say, specifically in regards to preservation, divine governance, divine concurrence, and permission. We also look at the "greater good" theodicy in the thought of Jacob Arminius and how God directs evil and sinful actions toward a greater good. We then look at what John Wesley had to say and how he affirmed both meticulous providence and "greater good" theodicy as well.
In this episode we made many references to "Jacob Arminius: Theologian of Grace" by Keith Stanglin and Thomas McCall. You can buy the book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Jacob-Arminius-Theologian-Keith-Stanglin/dp/0199755671
The Society of Evangelical Arminians Site:
http://evangelicalarminians.org
Also, we made reference to a great article from William Birch from the Society of Evangelical Arminians. You can find his article here:
http://www.williambirch.net/2016/03/jacob-arminius-and-open-theism.html
In this minisode we will be briefly looking at the views of John Wesley concerning Divine Providence. To do so we will be reading a selection from Wesley's sermon, "On Divine Providence." We will also receive some help from the writings of Kenneth J. Collins. This minisode will be followed up by our next full episode that will be all about the doctrine of Divine Providence that will be released next week. Please subscribe!
A link to Wesley's full sermon, "On Divine Providence"
https://www.umcmission.org/Find-Resources/John-Wesley-Sermons/Sermon-67-On-Divine-Providence