Calvinism/Reformed, Arminianism,
Neo-Arminianisd, Open, Theologies
There are the four basic theologies of Christianity that determine how the Scriptures will be interpreted. They derive from the different biblical viewpoints. They set the frame of mind and filters the reader’s understanding of the Scriptures. When starting on the Christian journey, it is best to have no previous knowledge of these, but that is a rare case. Most the brethren are brought up in one of them or it is what is taught at the first fellowship attended after salvation. And as it is common among men, the first learned is what will be stuck to no matter what. It is just to difficult and time-consuming to think and study for ourselves.
One error many people make is to learn something the wrong way and stick to it no matter what.
Harry Lorayne, Secrets of Mind Power (1961)
The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of a doubt, what is laid before him.
Leo Tolstoy (1828 – 1910); The Kingdom of God is Within You (1897)
This may seem a hash criticism, but someone has to tell you the truth. If the word of truth and this issue is approached with an open mind with a desire to serve God and seek His truth, the truth will be evident.
The subject of debate between these four centers on predestination, individual salvation, and the foreknowledge of God.
Calvinism/reformed is a belief that God predestined everything including individual salvation, history is closed. Calvinism maintains that men preexisted the creation of Genese 1:1 in some form or other and the preexisting individuals were chosen to be saved helter-skelter, without any rhyme or reason give other than it is God’s prerogative. Christ’s atonement being limited to only those chosen, the elect.
Romans 9:15 KJV For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Arminianism is derived from disagreeing with Calvinism’s method of election. It objects to God just choosing the elect without rhyme or reason and invented a method of testing the preexisting entities known as “Prevenient Faith” or faith in anticipation of election. Arminianism tests each of these preexisting souls with prevenient faith, that is, each is given just enough faith to see whether they lean toward or against believing God, see which way the wind blows so to speak. Those who lean toward God get elected to salvation. It is considered an act of free will. This would also contradict limited atonement in that all are tested giving them all a choice hence salvation would be open to all. Nevertheless,are still totally depraved and unable to come to God on their own. Men still have to be individually elected unto salvation, history remains closed.
Somewhere along the line, it became the mistaken belief that Arminianism did not hold to individual predestination. People started saying they were Arminian just to say they were not Calvinistic, this would be new or neo. In ULF the term used is Neo-Arminianism.
Neo-Arminianism rejects all predestination holding to God just knows all due to looking down form eternity on the completed past, present, and future all at once, history is closed. Therefore, he sees and knows all at one time. He does not predetermine or elect who will and will not be saved, that remains a free will choice, He just sees who does and does not believe. As the Lord is just witnessing the events of history He can not lay claim to being the causation of anything. The main problem with this, as I see it, is that no explanation is given as to where this past, present, and future came from that God did not know about and must look to see what happened. This would mean that history had to run its course for God to see what happened, and them He would have had to go back in time and insert Himself. This would mean that we are in a rerun of history.
Open Theology accepts everything happening in real time, history is open. God is simply dealing with men as they come into existence naturally at conception. Hence, there is no need of supplemental fabrications: preexisting souls, a history for God to see, etc. Certain things are predestined from the foundation of creation such as the plan of salvation, the cross, final judgment, etc.; and some predetermined in the flow of history. There are always two ways of getting to the predestined events: the easy way, obey God, the hard way, disobey God and take the long hard way around. In between the events that are predetermined is room for free will, time and chance, and most importantly God’s judgments upon men and nations. Most of the course of history has been due to God’s judgments upon the evil men do in real-time.
Ecclesiastes 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
There is one more, Universalism, which is the flip side of Calvinism. Neither could reconcile how Christ could have died for all and all not be saved. They cannot see the dual nature of eternal salvation. In consequence, Calvinism threw out salvation for all and introduced a limited atonement, just for the elect. Universalism went the other way and threw out eternal damnation and has all being saved eventually. They failed to see that Christ’s death paid for the sins of the world and opened the door of salvation to all men, but each individual has to have their personal sins forgiven. The payment for sins was accomplished en masse, while forgiveness is done on an individual basis.
It is helpful if the correct biblical definition of the nature of free will is understood and adhered to.
This has been a brief look at these four/five theologies that drive the divisions within the Church.
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