<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: looking good
Review: Although I have only read the first 2 chapters of this book and the appendix "My Theological Pilgrimage", I have found it to be remarkable.In those chapters Olson lays out the issues and the approach he takes on them in the chapters to follow. His testimony and his approach are pleasing to the spiritual eye. One of the foundations of Olson's approach is missions, and he notes, "The great scandal of the Protestant Reformation lays in the fact that Protestants did not send out missionaries for almost two centuries after the reformation". His comment as to reactionary theology is well quoted from Berkouer, "Reaction from some unbiblically one-sided proposition has often landed theology in another unbiblically one-sided proposition", and there is much truth in this. Olson is also very concerend about how Biblical words are interpreted, especially in the light of context, and rightly so. The following comment spoke much to me, as I have come to the same conclusion in my studies: "Thiessen's systematic thelolgy IN ITS ORIGINAL EDITION (1949) (my emphasis) espoused election and eternal security, and thus is the only full theological work holding to a mediate theology of salvation". (See my comment on that book on this web site). Some other notable statements in the book:
"...many of Calvinism's weaknesses have derived from its tendency to a deductive theology, often coloured by Greek philosophy... Many aspects of Calvinistic doctrine seem to be extrapolations of biblical data". Regarding limited atonement, "None of the church fathers, including Augustine, nor any of the reformers,including Calvin, held to it." "What was most interesting to my Calvinistic bias was to find that nowhere in classical, Koine, Septuagintal or New Testament Greek does 'proginoskein' mean more than "to know beforehand". I discovered that centuries of theological tradition have read into this word a meaning inconsistent with its usage in Greek literature." "...exegesis of Ephesians 1 reveals that the only election we have is "in Christ", an emphasis repeated twenty time in the first two chapters and that in this church epistle the context militates for corporate, not individual, election." "The exegetical flimsiness of using Ephesians 2:8-10 to prove that faith is the gift of God is well known and will be examined carefully." "It is also significant to distinguish the Calvinistic doctrine of the perseverance of the saints from the Biblical teaching of eternal security, since Calvinism has significantly intruded a believer's experiential sanctification into assurance of ultimate salvation." I look forward to reading the remainder of this book, and have offered the above to whet your appetite for what looks like sound Biblical positioning in the face of the current thrust by many in Evangelical circles to espouse Calvinism, a defective, philosophical view of God and His plan for mankind that ends up putting Him in a box. 4 stars, because I have not yet completed it, but highly recommended based on what I have read.
Rating: 
Summary: A TRULY "BIBLICAL" AND EXCITING STUDY OF GOD AND MAN
Review: I FOUND THIS BOOK A DEEPLY EXCITING AND FULFILLING READ. FOR ONCE, SOMEONE IS ASKING THE MOST BASIC QUESTION ABOUT THE ISSUES RAISED BY CALVIN AND ARMINIUS: WHAT DOES GOD SAY ABOUT IT? THAT MAY SOUND SIMPLISTIC, BUT ITS NOT - VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING ELSE I'VE READ ON THE SUBJECT HAS NEVER GOTTEN TO THAT POINT. NEVER ANSWERED THAT MOST BASIC QUESTION. AND FURTHERMORE: THE AUTHOR HAS A LOVING ATTITUDE - PRAISE!
FOR YEARS, IVE STRUGGLED WITH THE VIEWS OF STRICT 5 POINT CALVINISM, SENSING AN INCOMPATIBILITY BETWEEN GOD, AS PORTRAYED IN THOSE DOCTRINES, AND GOD AS HE PORTRAYS HIMSELF IN THE BIBLE AS A WHOLE. IVE LONG THOUGHT THAT THE ONLY WAY TO TRULY SETTLE THE ISSUE IS TO DO A STUDY OF ALL THE PASSAGES USED BY EITHER SIDE, ONE PASSAGE AT A TIME, LOOKING AT EACH IN ITS CONTEXT. FURTHERMORE, SINCE MUCH OF THE DEBATE ON THIS ISSUE IS BASED ON THE MEANINGS OF THEOLOGICALLY (AND EMOTIONALLY) CHARGED WORDS (ELECTION, FOREKNOWLEDGE, PREDESTINATION, ETC) ONE WOULD NEED TO DO WORD STUDIES ON ALL THE WORDS INVOLVED IN THE ARGUMENT. I RECOGNIZED THIS AS SOMEWHAT OF A MAMMOTH TASK, BUT LOVE TO STUDY THE WORD AND INTENDED ONE DAY TO DO SO. WELL THATS EXACTLY WHAT DR OLESON HAS DONE HERE! I'VE GOTTA TELL YOU - IM ABSOLUTELY THRILLED!
HE TAKES NEITHER POSITION (CALVIN'S OR ARMINIUS') BUT EXHIBITS AN APPARENT REAL DESIRE TO LOOK AT THE ISSUE ON THE SOLE BASIS OF GOD'S WORD, UNDERSTOOD IN ITS CONTEXT. AS A LONG TIME STUDENT OF BIBLICAL EXEGESIS, WITH A DEGREE IN THE SAME, AND AS A LOVER OF LANGUAGE, I READ THE BOOK WITH AN EYE TO THE AUTHOR'S FAIR TREATEMENT OF HIS SUBJECT, AND SO FAR (PAGE 150) HAVE FOUND HIM TO BE FAIR, AND FAITHFUL TO THE RULES OF BOTH GOOD BIBLE STUDY AND LOGIC. ONLY TWICE HAVE I CAUGHT HIM IN SMALL LOGICAL LEAPS (IN BOTH CASES WITHOUT IMPACT ON HIS ARGUMENT).
HAVING SAID ALL THAT, LET ME SAY THAT THE BOOK, WHILE NOT DRY, DOES DEAL WITH THE DETAILS OF THE MATTER (NECCESSARILY) AND IS NOT A TYPICAL SLEF-HELP "COTTON CANDY" READ. THE AUTHOR IS WELL WRITTEN, CLEAR, AND DOES NOT BOG DOWN IN MINUTIAE. HE PRESENTS A WELL ORGANIZED LOOK AT GOD'S CHARACTER AS REVEALED IN THE BIBLE. WHILE READING IT, I'VE FOUND MYSELF IN HEARTY AGREEMENT ON ALMOST EVERY POINT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: Reasonable polemic against Calvinism
Review: Olson has put together a masterpiece in his defense of a "mediate" view towards soteriology as it relates to Calvinism and Arminianism. One of the basic premises that Olson establishes is the fact that his theology is "Inductive" and not "deductive" as the Cavinists' is. This is important. The Calvinist makes his claims and bases his theology on a deductive reasoning of the scriptures instead of letting the scriptures speak for themselves within their context. Olson lays out his thesis chapter by chapter and builds upon a strong foundation which is buttressed by each additional chapter. His tone is informative--not vitriolic. And his writing is easy to read and engaging. However, do not expect this to be coffee table reading. It is a substantial book filled with a good deal of facts, foundations, and historical analysis. He makes an appealing case for his position and has strong scriptural support--using excellent exegesis I might add. If you are wondering about this whole Calvinism vs Arminianism debate and are looking for a reasonable middle ground, I can't think of a better tome than this one. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Polemic Against Deterministic Salvation
Review: Olson has written an excllent polemic against Calvinistic theology. He confronts their theology and arguments with in context Scripture. Also offers rebuttals against common Calvinist prooftexts. This book proves from Scripture that divine sovereignty does not mean "all controlling," That faith comes BEFORE regeneration and not after, among many other things. This book also shows the impact that Reformed Theology has on Christianity and why it needs to be confronted. Unfortunately the author does not do as well against Open Theism as he does against Calvinism. The Open Theists present better Scriptural apologetics for their beliefs than Olson does against them. In some parts of the book Olson makes snide remarks about Pentecostals and Charismatics that do not fully represent diversity of views among those in these movements. Finally, I believe that his defense of OSAS leaves much to be desired. Outside of these observations I still highly recommend this book as a rebuttal to Reformed Theology, a theology that Olson certainly proves does not stand up to the light of Scripture.
<< 1 >>
| 
