The controversy among evangelicals surrounding the issue of who does what in salvation is among one of the most long-standing, sometimes heated debates in all of church history. Books and monographs related to this topic have been proliferating in recent years as a result of a widely noted resurgence in Calvinistic thinking, particularly on the part of younger scholars. Certainly there is evidence for this in the Southern Baptist Convention, for example.
Given the strong interest on this issue, Appleseed Ministries hosted a debate between Tom Schreiner and Bruce Ware (representing the Calvinistic persuasion) and Jerry Walls and Joe Dongell (representing the Weslyan-Arminian persuasion) on the University of Kentucky campus. I recently enjoyed watching the debate, which was extremely well-organized with all of the participants doing a fantastic job representing their positions. Each participant is given 15 minutes for introductory remarks. After that, there is an opportunity for the scholars to question each other, followed by a few questions from the students in the audience, and lastly closing remarks from both sides. In the Q&A part of the debate, it was particularly refreshing to see the students wrestling with significant theological issues and not succumbing to a postmodern (anti-objective truth) mindset pervasive in today’s university culture (though perhaps more so outside the Bible belt). The total DVD running time is about two and a half hours.
As a convinced Calvinist, I think Jerry Walls and Joe Dongell do a very good job presenting a classical Arminian position. They avoided the danger of minimizing sin (which they rightly acknowledged is more common among contemporary Arminians). I was equally impressed with Schreiner and Ware. Not surprisingly, my position was unchanged……
You may recall that Walls and Dongell published a book with IVP in 2004 entitled Why I am Not a Calvinist. I just completed reading it as part of a school assignment, and I should be reviewing (and critiquing it) soon. You’ll then see why I am still a Calvinist. Schreiner and Ware have also published on this topic in compilations such as Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives on Election, Foreknowledge, and Grace.
Whether or not you’ve landed on either side on this issue, I highly recommend this debate as a means of more accurately understanding both perspectives of this classic debate. It would also be useful in a small-group Bible study context or a Sunday school class examining the doctrine of salvation. The debate is available for $7.50 (audio CD) or $11 (DVD), but only on E-bay. All proceeds go to support Appleseed Ministries- a non-profit group designed to promote Christian thinking and outreach in university settings (tax deductions are not applicable on Calvinism Debate purchases but please know all the money goes towards ministry efforts).
Drop me a comment if you’d like to know more about Appleseed Ministries and I can put you in touch with their leadership.