Calvinism, Arminianism, and the Word of God: A Calvary Chapel Perspective

by Chuck W. Smith

Calvinism and Arminianism . . . since the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century, Christian churches and leaders have disagreed over such issues as depravity, God s sovereignty, human responsibility, election, predestination, and eternal security, as well as the nature and the extent of the atonement of Jesus Christ. In the midst of this tumultuous debate, it is easy to ignore the plain statements of the Bible and to believe we have the ability to fully understand God s ways. How tragic it is when we become more concerned with being "right" than being loving. Our desire at Calvary Chapel is to bring believers together in the love and unity of the Holy Spirit, focusing on our awesome God rather than on ourselves.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction

16 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A need to read quick explanation of calvinism, and arminianism and what the Bible says regarding both. Great great read.

[David Cowpar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chuck Smith takes a super complicated issue and really simplifies it. He looks at the Five Points of Arminianism and the Five Points of Calvinism and then looks at what the Bible says about each of those topics. Those things are then what Calvary Chapel believe.

Chuck concludes by saying he tends towards things that make him more loving and more like Christ and not things that divide. He makes this statement to those who feel strongly Arminian or Calvinistic:
"If you have come to a strong personal conviction on one side of a doctrinal issue, please grant us the privilege of first seeing how it has helped you to become more Christ-like in your nature, and then we will judge whether we need to come to that same persuasion."

[Kyle Vanover · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically a pamphlet. Smith compares 5 points of Calvinism with 5 points of Arminianism and purports to have found a “third way” that helps his denomination to make room for people on both ends of the theological spectrum. I only gave this 3 stars because he really doesn’t present anything new here. He attributes the popularity of Arminianism to John Wesley and the Methodists, but fails to point out how people in Wesleyan traditions typically vary from the classical tenets of that perspective. Then, as he presents his “third way,” Smith basically teaches exactly the way I have heard Wesleyan-Arminian doctrine explained over the years. Where Smith would vary from classic Wesleyan belief is really on his insistence on dispensationalist eschatology, but he only briefly mentions this near the end of the pamphlet and does not seem to recognize why this would be divisive. I’m not sorry that I took the time to read this, but I feel like it didn’t really accomplish for me what it set out to accomplish.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple. Brings out a few facts from each side. But, the most important aspect of this book is that we all too often become more concerned with being right, than being loving. The key is to not focus on century-long battles that we will not resolve this side of heaven, but to focus more on those things that are clear... loving Jesus and becoming more like him.

[Marshall Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise and accurate representation of the facts, with an informed historical and biblical background. It hits all the right notes, emphasizing unity over controversy.

[Matt Friedman]

Pastor Chuck's conclusions are good, but his description of Arminianism is less like the actual teachings of Arminius and Wesley, and more like a kind of skewed, "popular level" version which is Semi-Pelagian rather than Arminian. For example, Calvinism and Arminianism actually are agreed about the "T", that is, "Total Depravity": People are unable to respond to God without the awakening provided by God's grace. In fact, Chuck's conclusions quite precisely mirror classical Arminian teaching.

[Candi Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book simply explains the two doctrinal perspectives and Calvary Chapel's stance. I found it to strike a Biblical balance.