Sounds refreshing. Definitely will check it out.
Sounds refreshing. Definitely will check it out.
Election: I don't see how Mouw says anything that solves the calvinistic delemma with this issue.
Greetings! I too have drifted away from calvinism in the hyper-calvinistic sense. Specifically, TULIP. (As if 5 rules of interpretation (and that is all they are) would be a source of truth.)
Total Depravity, let's face it, is only there to set up the other points. What Weslyan, Arminian, or even Pelagian would not agree that we are depraved and in need of God's grace. Some Universalists deny it, but no one is arguing with that small group. So, what is the distinction? TOTALLY... we are TOTALLY depraved. Meaning what? If we were just depraved, we would be OK???! Geesh. Rather, 5-point extremists have an agenda they are setting up.
Man can NOT receive grace, we don't even know about grace, because we are DEAD in Sin. Dead men can not have faith or do anything! That is the argument. Is "dead" the only metaphor that the Bible uses for our state? No. We are Lost. We are blind. Can lost men respond to directions? Sure can. Can Blind men understand their need and go to their place of help? Yep. But dead men can't. See, it is an analogy.
Most of us agree that we MUST, MUST trust solely of Christ's grace for our eternal salvation, hypercalvinists see that we can't even respond to the offer of grace that comes thru Christ.
BTW, there is a way to put together a meaningful understanding of election which does not compromise God's divine choice nor our "free will."
I wrote because I tire of the idea that 5 points of interpretation will lead us to truth. When in fact, time after time, those 5 points obscure the teaching of scripture. I am going through the Parables right now, folks at Church can NOT UNDERSTAND these parables apart from 5 points of Calvinism. They keep asking me to explain "XYZ" and the question tells me that they have (at some point in time) bought into 5 points of interpretive thought. Now, they can no longer see the clear teachings of the Word. Sad.
It is good that Mouw and others are attempting to temper things.
JJ
Moderate Calvinists who believes in Election. 
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