This is part 1 of the Calvinism Debate

Today we begin an extended series on Calvinism and Arminianism.  For those of you not familiar, Calvinism, named after John Calvin (d. 1564), holds that God sovereignly chooses and effectually saves all whom he decides to save based on his predestined will whereas Arminianism, named for Jacobus Arminius (d. 1609), asserts that people freely choose to accept or reject the gospel message that God graciously offers to all.  Traditionally, Calvinism breaks into five major points, summarized by the acronym, TULIP, which stands for the following:

In this episode we begin by laying down the framework for future discussions.  Subsequent episodes will each take up one of these five points of Calvinism.

Jacob Rohrer

Holding the Arminian position is Jacob Rohrer, a graduate of the Atlanta Bible College. At the time of this recording he served as the Lead Worship Pastor of Living Hope Community Church in Latham, New York. Now he serves as the Assistant Pastor and Worship Leader at Lawrenceville Church of God in Springfield, Ohio.

Blake Cortright

On the Calvinist side, Blake Cortright graduated from Regent University in Virginia. He serves in missions work to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and leads worship at Living Hope Community Church in Latham, New York. Cortright also wrote and directed The 46ers, a documentary about the high peaks in the Adirondacks of New York State.

Sean Finnegan is the moderator.  He serves as the Associate Pastor at Living Hope Community Church and has degrees in theology (B.A., Atlanta Bible College) and church history (M.T.S., Boston University). You can find out more about Sean here.

Our aim in this initial episode is to briefly discuss the origins of Calvinism and Arminianism, as well as their predecessors.  Additionally we urge listeners to have an open mind going forward, regardless of which side of the issue you are approaching it from.  Don’t confuse the value of an idea with the person’s name associated with it (the genetic fallacy).  Instead measure the theology against scripture, logic, and life experience.  Pray and ask God to help you understand his book.

Here is proof that discussing deep theology and leading worship are not mutually exclusive. In this shot, Jacob is on the drums and Blake is playing guitar at Living Hope Community Church.

Subsequent episodes will be audio only and appear here each Thursday at 8pm EST, starting on May 31, 2018 and following.

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Last time, Jerry Wierwille explained the concept of covenantal nomism–the idea that rather than seeking to earn their salvation through perfect obedience, Jews at the time of Christ looked at the Law as a covenant God graciously entered into with his people.  They enter that covenant by birth and then need to remain faithful to it through obedience to Torah.  This time he shows how this new perspective on Paul affects how we read his epistles.  Looking at the first few chapters of Galatians, Wierwille deciphers what Paul was saying about the Law for Christians both Jewish and Gentile.

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How did Jews at the time of Jesus understand their relationship to the Law?  Did they believe in “works righteousness”–the idea that only by obeying the commandments of Torah could they earn salvation?  Did they believe in grace?  Jerry Wierwille leads us through this important issue so that we contextualize the epistles of Paul within their own thought-world.  Drawing on the work of Krister Stendahl, E. P. Sanders, and James D. G. Dunn, Wierwille presents the view known as covenantal nomism, often associated with the new perspective on Paul.

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Pastor Daniel Calcagno lays out a his case for what he calls a positive view of Torah. He believes that the cleavage with Judaism in early church history is something the apostles never envisioned. Sadly, this parting of the ways led to confusion, doctrinal drifting, and persecution. Although Calcagno does not believe Gentiles need to keep the Law, he sees no reason for Jews to stop observing Torah.

Here are his notes:

TOWARDS A POSITIVE VIEW OF THE TORAH

Restoring the Jewish Identity Markers to the Church

The Hebrew word “torah” means “instruction” and refers primarily to the first five books of the Bible but more specifically can refer to the commandments of God in those books.

In this podcast, Daniel attempted to show that it is biblical and proper for a disciple of Jesus to have a positive view of the Torah, specifically those elements of the Torah that are usually associated with Jewish identity (i.e. the Sabbath, the festivals, keeping kosher, etc.).

The Torah’s own presentation of the enduring nature of the commandments associated with Jewish identity:

The Sabbath: Exodus 31:13

Passover: Exodus 12:14

The Day of Atonement: Leviticus 16:29

The Aaronic priesthood: Exodus 29:9

Sign of a False Prophet: Deuteronomy 13:1-5

Positive Statements about the Torah in the rests of the Hebrew Scriptures: Psalm 19; Psalm 119; Joshua 1:7-8; Jeremiah 9:12-13; Malachi 4:4; Ecclesiastes 12:13.

Jesus and the Apostles were Torah-observant:

The Sabbath: Luke 4:16-17; Mark 1:21; Luke 23:56

Passover: Luke 22:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:6-8

Pentecost: Acts 2:1; Acts 20:16, 1 Corinthians 16:8-9

The Day of Atonement: Acts 27:9

The Feast of Booths: John 7:2, 10, 14, 37

Hanukkah (extra-biblical Jewish holiday): John 10:22-23

Daily Jewish Prayer: Acts 2:42, 3:1, 6:4

Liturgical Blessings: Matthew 14:19-20, 26:27; Acts 27:35

Tzitzit: Matthew 9:20-21

Keeping Kosher: Acts 10:14

Circumcision: Luke 1:59-60, 2:21, Philippians 3:5, Acts 16:3

Offering Sacrifices: Acts 24:17

Baptism/Ritual Immersion: Acts 2:41, 9:18

They Torah will be observed in the kingdom: Isaiah 2:3; Isaiah 66:23; Ezekiel 45:17; Zechariah 14:16-17; Isaiah 56:6-8

Positive Statements about the Torah by Jesus: Matthew 5:17-19; Matthew 23:23

Paul was a Torah-observant Jew:

Paul was born to Jewish parents: Philippians 3:5

His name was both Saul and Paul: Acts 13:9

Paul was educated under Rabbi Gamaliel: Acts 22:3

Paul attended synagogue on the Sabbath: Acts 17:2-3, 18:3-5

He said that served God “…believing everything that is in accordance with the Torah…” (Acts 24:14).

He testified that he had “…committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews” (Acts 25:8).

He was NOT teaching the Jewish people to forsake Moses, to not circumcise their children, nor keep Jewish tradition. James said about Paul: “…there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Torah.” (Acts 21:24).

Positive Statements about the Torah by Paul:

Paul said “…it is not the hearers of the Torah who are just before God, but the doers of the Torah will be justified.” (Romans 2:13).

He said “Do we then nullify the Torah through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Torah.” (Romans 3:31).

He said “the Torah is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” (Romans 7:12).

He said “…I joyfully concur with the Torah of God in the inner man” (Romans 7:22).

He said “…the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the Torah of Go

Born to Italian immigrants, Daniel Calcagno grew up in Canada, near Niagara Falls and attended a Pentecostal church.  After he began taking his faith seriously, he started researching the Jewish people–especially those who believe in Jesus.  Over time he founded Messianic Niagara, a local home group with a website that promoted audio teachings.   However, it was in listening to Michael Brown’s show that Calcagno came across the biblical unitarian theology of Anthony Buzzard.  For some time he had felt uneasy about the Trinity, and now he had an alternative that fit much better with the bible’s Hebrew context.  Now he serves as the pastor of Glad Tidings Church of God in Fonthill, ON.

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Having believed in the permanence of salvation for 46 years, Dan Gallagher recently changed his mind to believe in what he calls continuance in faith–the idea that those who fail to continue in faith can be lost. The whole process took about fourteen years from when a book introduced him to a number of verses that are difficult to interpret from a once-saved-always-saved perspective. Here is his account of how he came to a new understanding on this issue and why he thinks it’s so important.

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Are you longing for fellowship with other like-minded believers?  In this interview, John Truitt of Kentucky shares how he uses video conferencing to have interactive and encouraging virtual fellowships.  Whether you want to join in with what he does or you want to start your own, this conversation is loaded with helpful guidance on how to succeed.

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Bill Schlegel, professor and cofounder of The Master’s University extension program in Israel (IBEX), was studying the phrase “Son of God” and came to understand the term did not correlate with the traditional “God the Son” teaching, but instead meant God’s heir, the king he has designated to rule the world.  Although he had taught the bible faithfully in Israel for more than two decades, he knew that this discovery would cost him dearly.  In the end he lost his job at the institution he founded as well as any opportunity to preach and lead the church he helped to start.  He’s been maligned by many who used to regard him as a brother and blackballed in the evangelical world.  Why would Professor Schlegel go through all of this?  Why wouldn’t he just sign the statement of faith for another year and carry on in his work?  He had discovered a truth so profound and so irrefutable, that he could not hide it under a basket–he had to let it shine, even if it cost him everything.  Here is his story.

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This is part six in our series on responding to your questions and comments.  In light of our killing series, we considered whether Christians should kill the old, the young, enemies, or criminals, however we never addressed the morality of God killing. Brian asked:

Can I expect a subsequent episode where you discuss a sort of ‘divine inflicted’ death, for example, the event with Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10; also the deaths of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, in Acts 5? If yes, wonderful, if no, then perhaps you could consider it.

Hopefully in the future we can delve more deeply into this subject, but for now, here is a brief response to this important question.

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