Must One Agree with Arminius to be Arminian?

Last updated on: November 14, 2013 at 2:17 pm by Roger E. Olson

Must One Agree with Arminius to be Arminian? 2013-11-14T14:17:37-05:00 Roger E. Olson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I will be responding to two new books about Arminius at the upcoming annual meeting of the American Academy of Religion. The session is A24-274 Evangelical Studies Group and Open and Relational Theologies Group (joint meeting of two program units). The Theme is “Arminius and Open Theology” and the time is Sunday, November 24 at 3:00. The location is announced in the program book and only persons registered for the AAR meeting are able to attend.

The two new books are Jacob Arminius: Theologian of Grace by Keith D. Stanglin and Thomas H. McCall (OUP, 2012) and Arminius and His “Declaration of Sentiments” by W. Stephen Gunter (BUP, 2012).

I can’t give away my responses here, before the meeting, so let me approach the books from a different angle.

Reading them, like reading Arminius and other books about him, raises the question whether one must agree with Arminius entirely in order to be Arminian. My answer is “No.”

I recently spoke about Calvinism and Arminianism at a large church in Springfield, Missouri (Central Assembly of God) and at the AG Seminary there. One questioner (after my talk) asked why a person would promote Arminianism since we don’t really know what Arminius himself said. He was under the false impression that Arminius’ main treatises were written by his students after his death—based on notes from his lectures. I corrected that for him. But his question indicated a belief that being Arminian is somehow tied to agreeing with what the man Jacob Arminius actually believed and said.

“Arminianism” is a theological construct not tied wholly to Arminius. “Calvinism” is the same—a theological construct (with variations) not wholly tied to John Calvin. Charles Hodge, for example, in his Systematic Theology, makes the point that one can be a Calvinist, as he was, without agreeing with Calvin about everything.

In fact, I would argue that Arminianism was already believed and taught long before Arminius. Arminianism is simply a Reformed Protestant version of the soteriology of the ancient Greek church fathers (Thomas Oden makes this point in The Transforming Power of Grace). Years ago when reading the Anabaptist theologians Balthasar Hubmaier and Menno Simons (who lived before Arminius) I found their accounts of soteriology basically the same as Arminius’—at least in terms of ethos and general impulses.

Arminius had many opinions that are not crucial to Arminianism, just as Calvin had many opinions not crucial to Calvinism.

For example, Arminius believed Romans 7 was Paul’s testimony about his pre-conversion existence in Judaism. That led him to believe that a kind of “Christian perfection” (not necessarily sinlessness) was at least theoretically possible for the believer. (About this he anticipated Wesley who would come to the same conclusion over a century later.) One does not have to agree with Arminius or Wesley about that to be Arminian. I don’t know anyone who thinks so.

When I promote Arminianism I am not promoting the whole thought of Jacob Arminius. I am using “Arminianism” as a handy (because well known even if often misunderstood) synonym for “evangelical synergism” (a term I borrow from Donald Bloesch). It revolves around certain theological beliefs about God’s character, grace, election, free will (“freed will!”), conversion, regeneration, etc. It’s simply a Protestant perspective on salvation, God’s role and ours, that is similar to, if not identical with, what was assumed by the Greek church fathers and taught by Hubmaier, Menno Simons, and even Philipp Melanchthon (after Luther died). It was also taught by Danish Lutheran theologian Niels Hemmingsen (d. 1600)—independently of Arminius. (Arminius mentions Hemmingsen as holding the basic view of soteriology he held and he may have been influenced by Hemmingsen.)

So why does all this matter? Well, for one thing, it may be (I reluctantly admit) that, at least some of the time, Arminius believed in Molinism. That doesn’t commit me to being a Molinist if I’m Arminian. In fact, I think Molinism conflicts with the basic impulses of Arminianism—even if Arminius himself did not see that. The debate over Molinism is one among Arminians; it is not an issue that divides “real Arminians” from “false Arminians.”

Like “evangelicalism” I regard Arminianism as a large tent. People who have never considered themselves “Arminians” because, for example, they believe in evangelical synergism from the Anabaptist founders before Arminius, can be under the tent. Because “Arminianism” is not “agreement with Arminius.” It’s a theological term for evangelical synergism.

When I lived in Europe and traveled in Switzerland I found people who believed in what I would call Calvinism who bristled when I called it “Calvinism.” They let me know in no uncertain terms that Calvin was just one of the great Reformed theologians and they had no interest in being labeled by his name. Zwingli lived before Calvin and was the real “father” (perhaps along with Martin Bucer) of the Reformed tradition. That we call it “Calvinism” is mainly because of the Puritans, many of who studied in Geneva under Calvin or his successors there. But there were strong centers of Reformed theology that owed nothing to Calvin and some of their leaders had harsh words for Calvin about some of his opinions and actions.

I consider anyone a fellow Arminian who is an orthodox Protestant Christian (justification by grace alone through faith alone) who believes in human inability to initiate a saving relationship with God apart from prevenient grace (whatever they might call that), corporate election, prevenient grace (again, whatever they might call it), universal atonement, and resistible grace and does not believe God “designed, ordained, or rendered certain” the fall of humanity and all of its consequences. Yes, that’s a large tent and I invite anyone who fits that profile into/under it—whether they agree with Arminius about other matters or not and whether they call themselves Arminian or not.

I find Arminius studies interesting and relevant but not crucial to being Arminian. The “historical Arminius” does not matter to my being Arminian. It’s a theological category not tied to a man (except historically). In other words, if it should somehow be found that Jacob Arminius secretly believed in TULIP (not likely) it wouldn’t affect “Arminianism” which has become independent of the man Jacob Arminius and what he believed. It has taken on a life of its own that cannot be changed by whatever is discovered in “Arminius studies.” I frequently refer to Hubmaier and Menno Simons, for example, as “Arminians before Arminius.” I fully realize that’s anachronistic and might offend some Anabaptists. In their presence I will gladly admit that it really goes back to their founding theologians if not before. It’s truth rests not on Arminius or Hubmaier or any other theologian; it rests on Scripture alone.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

November 12, 2013

Needed: Robust Arminian Theology for Lay People (Especially Youth)

Next Post

November 17, 2013 2013 Maston Lecture: "Sin Boldly: Christian Ethics for a Broken World"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Isaiah see in his vision in Isaiah 6?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A chariot of fire A ladder to heaven The Lord seated on His throne A burning bush