Does God Love Everyone? Review of New Book about Calvinism and Arminianism

Last updated on: August 20, 2016 at 8:41 am by Roger E. Olson

Does God Love Everyone? Review of New Book about Calvinism and Arminianism 2016-08-20T08:41:59-05:00 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.

Review of New Book about Calvinism and Arminianism: Jerry Walls’s Does God Love Everyone: The Heart of What Is Wrong with Calvinism

Yesterday I was asked by bright, eager, young Christian student of theology to identify “the one major difference between Calvinism and Arminianism.” Without hesitation I identified it the way evangelical Arminian philosopher Jerry Walls does in this book (published this year by Cascade Books, in imprint of Wipf and Stock): the character of God. On page 80 Walls writes that “The deepest issue that divides Arminians and Calvinists is not the sovereignty of God, predestination, or the authority of the Bible. The deepest difference pertains to how we understand the character of God. Is God good in the sense that he deeply and sincerely loves all persons?”

I happen to know a little about the “back story” of this book (which contains a high promotional recommendation by me on its back cover). Its front cover features a picture of the now more famous than ever statue of Christ with outstretched arms overlooking Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. A few years ago I was invited by the Brazilian publisher of my books to come to that country for a speaking tour. I was unable to go and recommended they invite Walls which they did. This book contains a version of some of the lectures he gave there. The tour, both the one I did not do and his, was primarily around Brazilian Pentecostal churches and institutions. According to Walls (and I have heard this from others) Pentecostalism, especially the Assemblies of God, is the largest segment of Protestants in Brazil.

Sidebar: *The opinions expressed here are my own (or those of the guest writer); I do not speak for any other person, group or organization; nor do I imply that the opinions expressed here reflect those of any other person, group or organization unless I say so specifically. Before commenting read the entire post and the “Note to commenters” at its end.*

According to the Brazilians who invited me and according to Wells who went and spoke, “five point Calvinism” is making deep inroads into Brazilian Protestantism—including Pentecostalism including Brazilian Assemblies of God churches. Portuguese translations of John Piper’s and other North American Calvinists’ books are selling like the proverbial hot cakes in Brazil.

Back to Walls’s book….

It is a very brief, concise and succinct (only 88 pages) explanation of why five point Calvinism is “wrong.” I don’t think it adds anything to what Walls earlier argued in Why I Am Not a Calvinist (IVP, 2004) (written with Joseph Dongell) or that I argued in Against Calvinism (Zondervan, 2011). The main difference is that this book is written in a less scholarly fashion (although both other books are highly accessible to non-scholarly readers) and somewhat briefer. Of course, I would prefer that people read my Against Calvinism which I think goes into the subject more deeply—assuming they have to choose between them.

In Does God Love Everyone? however, Walls does an excellent job of driving home the Achilles Heel of five point Calvinism which is that a believer in it cannot say to any group of people or any individual “God loves you, Christ died for you, and you can be saved.” Of course, John Piper and some other five point Calvinists argue that they can say that to any group of people or to any individual. However, the “explanation” of that basic evangelistic statement, if made by a five point Calvinist, is so tortuous as to be laughable. As one five point Calvinist explained the first part of it “God loves all people in some ways but only some people in all ways.” And Piper argues that Christ’s death on the cross benefits even the reprobate—those God has predestined to hell—with “temporal blessings.” As I have said many times that amounts to giving them a little bit of heaven to go to hell in.

Walls’s book is a good beginning; it kicks open the door. It raises questions and concerns any thoughtful, reflective Calvinist must eventually confront and explain. While it is an excellent beginning book I, without apology, still more highly recommend Against Calvinism for those who really care to look deeply into those questions and concerns and who want to read at the same time a strong explanation and recommendation of the main evangelical alternative to five point Calvinism (viz., classical Arminianism).

I do not know whether or to what extent (if any) Walls struggles with this, but I will confess that I feel the burden, even the stigma, of being identified among evangelicals primarily as “that anti-Calvinist.” That is not how I regard myself, but I understand how I have brought about that perception. My only defense is that the leaders of the “Young, Restless, Reformed Movement” and of contemporary North American aggressive Calvinism in general have been much more anti-Arminian than I have been anti-Calvinist. It’s just that they hide their anti-Arminianism within the pages of their pro-Calvinist writings. It’s not very well hidden. For me this whole project began in the early 1990s when I read the first issue of Modern Reformation magazine which blatantly misrepresented classical Arminianism and, in effect, attempted to excommunicate Arminians from evangelicalism. From there came, of course, an avalanche of anti-Arminian writings and sermons by leading North American conservative evangelicals. But they were not-very-well hidden within their pro-Calvinist titles and introductions. I won’t bore with a list of examples because I’ve mentioned them here before. I’ll just mention one. On Youtube someone seeking information about Arminianism is likely to find a documentary (not just a podcast) tracing “liberal theology” and even hedonism (!) back to Arminianism. Thoughtful, reflective viewers will laugh at its ending where the filmmakers attempt to blame Arminianism for two famous women performers kissing each other on stage at a rock concert. Unfortunately, however, many YRRM people have fallen under the spell of this virulent anti-Arminianism without making any serious attempt to understand what Arminianism really is.

My Against Calvinism and Walls’s Does God Love Everyone? are both attempts to turn the tables and irenically point out the serious flaws and defects of five point Calvinism without attempting to excommunicate Calvinists from evangelicalism. Neither Walls nor I have ever said, for example, that Calvinists can be Christians “just barely” or inquired publicly how Calvinists can be considered evangelical Christians—with an implied answer that they cannot be. We have simply attempted to demonstrate that “high Calvinism” contains inner contradictions that can have negative practical consequences and that people who believe in it must necessarily, insofar as they care anything about logic, embrace belief in a God who does not love everyone, who is not really love, and whose “goodness” is incommensurate with anything we know about goodness even from the Bible itself.

*Note to commenters: This blog is not a discussion board; please respond with a question or comment solely to me. If you do not share my evangelical Christian perspective (very broadly defined), feel free to ask a question for clarification, but know that this is not a space for debating incommensurate perspectives/worldviews. In any case, know that there is no guarantee that your question or comment will be posted by the moderator or answered by the writer. If you hope for your question or comment to appear here and be answered or responded to, make sure it is civil, respectful, and “on topic.” Do not comment if you have not read the entire post and do not misrepresent what it says. Keep any comment (including questions) to minimal length; do not post essays, sermons or testimonies here. Do not post links to internet sites here. This is a space for expressions of the blogger’s (or guest writers’) opinions and constructive dialogue among evangelical Christians (very broadly defined).

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 17, 2016

Wrapping Up "Why I Am an Evangelical, Arminian Christian" (Final: Part 10)

Next Post

August 23, 2016 Preview of a New Book about Calvinism...

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

According to 1 Timothy, what is a trustworthy saying deserving of full acceptance?

Select your answer to see how you score.

God is love Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners The Lord is our shepherd Faith without works is dead