QUESTION: 'Keith, what is the best book on Arminianism that I can give to a thinking lay person in my church--one that explains the views in an intelligent way but is written for a non-theologian?
ANSWER: I'd say (and Chris Bounds agrees) right now it is Why I am not a Calvinist by Asbury's Jerry Walls.
Though the title sounds argumentative it is not as argumentative as it sounds... (there is another int he series but a Calvinist "Why I am not an Arminian") I wish I had written this book! But I couldn't do it as good as Jerry walls did.
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I've done some smaller writing too--not as good as Jerry's but cheaper.... here are a few links:
John Wesley--the Calvinist
"Triumph of Arminianism (and its dangers)
My open letter to Calvinist friends
A review of Jerry Walls' book
Where are the Calvinists when you need 'em
Interview with Calvin, Wesley and modern Wesleyan ;-)
Also, my son David Drury got tossed into the deep end of Calvinism At Gordon-Conwell and also wrote these two item on what he took and left from Calvinism:
What he took:
and the flip side...what he tossed out
5 comments:
The Walls book is excellent. In speaking to a reformed acquaintance who read Why I am not an Arminian, Walls and Dongel's book seems to be the superior of the two books.
"...but written for a non-theologian..."
That can't make Bounds too happy.
Roger Olson has also written a good introduction entitled Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities. It is not written in as lively a style as Dongell/Walls, but it a bit more topical and especially aims at answering common objections. It's a bit more "historical" and "doctrinal" in its argumentation, as up against the "biblical" and "philosophical" arguments in Dongell/Walls. I think the two books complement one another nicely.
Pardon the self-reference, but here's my review essay summarizing and discussing Olson's book:
http://www.drurywriting.com/john/ReviewEssay.Olson.ArminianTheology.pdf
Mm, I haven't read it, but would "Responsible Grace: John Wesley's Practical Theology" by Randy Maddox be on the list?
Thanks for the links.
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