Against Calvinism Quotes

“Who would believe that a teacher who withholds the information students need to pass a course merely permitted them to fail? What if that teacher said, "I didn't cause them to fail; they did it on their own"? Would anyone accept that explanation or would they accuse the teacher of not merely permitting the students to fail, but actually causing them to fail? And what if the teacher argued that he actually planned and rendered the students' failure certain for a good reason—to uphold academic standards and show what a great teacher he is by demonstrating how necessary his information is for students to pass? Would not these admissions only deepen everyone's conviction that the teacher is morally and professionally wrong?”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology

“Non-Calvinists take God’s permissive will more seriously than Calvinists and explain biblical stories such as Joseph and his brothers (gen. 50) and the crucifixion of Jesus in that way—God foresaw and permitted sinful people to do things because he saw the good that he would bring out of them.49 But God by no means foreordained or rendered them certain.”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology

“If God’s love is absolutely different from the highest and best notions of love as we derive them from Scripture itself (especially from Jesus Christ), then the term is simply meaningless when attached to God. One might as well say “God is creech-creech”—a meaningless assertion.”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology

“If God’s love is absolutely different from the highest and best notions of love as we derive them from Scripture itself (especially from Jesus Christ), then the term is simply meaningless when attached to God. One might as well say “God is creech-creech”—a meaningless assertion. As I hope to demonstrate, some Calvinists agree with me about the analogy between God’s goodness and love and our highest and best ideas of goodness and love. Paul Helm, for example, rejects any idea that God’s goodness and love is totally qualitatively different from ours (as ours is derived from Scripture, of course). Yet, I will argue, even those who agree with me cannot adequately explain how their account of God’s sovereignty, especially in relation to sin, evil, and reprobation, is consistent with goodness or love.”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology

“Someone has said that no theology is worth believing that cannot be preached standing in front of the gates of Auschwitz. I, for one, could not stand at those gates and preach a version of God’s sovereignty that makes the extermination of six million Jews, including many children, a part of the will and plan of God such that God foreordained and rendered it certain.18 I want young Calvinists (and others) to know and at least come to terms with the inevitable and unavoidable consequences of what this radical form of Reformed theology teaches. And I want to give their friends and relatives and Spiritual mentors ammunition to use in undermining their sometimes overconfidence in the solidity of their belief system.”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology

“Taken to their logical conclusion, that even hell and all who will suffer there eternally are foreordained by God, God is thereby rendered morally ambiguous at best and a moral monster at worst.”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology

“Arminian theology does affirm divine election, but it interprets it as corporate rather than individual.”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology

“Traditional Arminian theology says that in and through the cross of Christ the sin of Adam inherited by all was forgiven (Romans 5) so that people are only condemnable for their own sins. The cross completely removes every obstacle to every human being’s salvation except their own resistance to God’s freely offered grace, which is given to all in some measure but especially through the preaching of the Word.”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology

“Only a moral monster would refuse to save persons when salvation is absolutely unconditional and solely an act of God that does not depend on free will.”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology

“no theology is worth believing that cannot be preached standing in front of the gates of Auschwitz.”
― Roger E. Olson, Against Calvinism: Rescuing God's Reputation from Radical Reformed Theology