Dr Paul Allen

English: Young Johann Sebastian Bach. 1715. Teri Noel Towe seems to demonstrate that the portrait is probably not of Bach http://www.npj.com/thefaceofbach/09w624.html. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Soli Deo gloria  is the motto that grew out of the Protestant Reformation and was used on every composition by Johann Sebastian Bach .  He affixed the initials  SDG  at the bottom of each manuscript to communicate the idea that it is God and God alone who is to receive the glory for the wonders of His work of creation and of redemption. At the heart of the sixteenth-century controversy over salvation was the issue of grace. It was not a question of man's need for grace.   It was a question as to the extent of that need. The church had already condemned Pelagius, who had taught that grace facilitates salvation but is not absolutely necessary for it. Semi-Pelagianism since that time has always taught that without grace there is no salvation.  ...

English: "John Wesley," by the English artist George Romney, oil on canvas. 29 1/2 in. x 24 3/4 in. Courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, London. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) FAQ : What is “classical Arminianism?” A: “Classical Arminianism” has nothing to do with “Armenia.” It is a type of Christian theology especially associated with 17thcentury Dutch theologian Jacob Arminius (d. 1609). However, I also refer to it as “evangelical synergism” (“synergism” here referring to “cooperation” between God and creature) because Arminius’ beliefs did not begin with him. For example, Anabaptist theologian Balthasar Hubmaier promoted much the same view almost a century before Arminius. In brief, classical Arminianism is the belief that God genuinely wants everyone to be saved and sent Christ to live, die and rise for everyone equally. It is the belief that God does not save people without their free assent but gives them “prevenient grace” (grace that goes before and prepares) ...

Image via Wikipedia Many of you would, no doubt, agree that there is a great need to recover the gospel in our age.  In order to begin moving out of the present state of chaos in the church, we need to subvert many of the false narratives borrowed from the world that have taken hold of us.   The intent of this book is both to dismantle one of these core inconsistent narratives in light of Holy Scripture and then replace it with a consistent and biblical one.  I will propose that one of the most dominant reasons for the current downgrade in the Church is the presuppositional lens through which Scripture is read called "libertarian freedom".  To begin to understand the full extent of the crisis we must begin here. As we define and then closely explore the problems with libertarian free will we will not only expose its outright errors but perhaps even more importantly, its inconsistencies which may have previously gone unnoticed by some. This will help us all th...

Image via Wikipedia Many of you would, no doubt, agree that there is a great need to recover the gospel in our age.  In order to begin moving out of the present state of chaos in the church, we need to subvert many of the false narratives borrowed from the world that have taken hold of us.   The intent of this book is both to dismantle one of these core inconsistent narratives in light of Holy Scripture and then replace it with a consistent and biblical one.  I will propose that one of the most dominant reasons for the current downgrade in the Church is the presuppositional lens through which Scripture is read called "libertarian freedom".  To begin to understand the full extent of the crisis we must begin here. As we define and then closely explore the problems with libertarian free will we will not only expose its outright errors but perhaps even more importantly, its inconsistencies which may have previously gone unnoticed by some. This will help us all th...