Remonstrance

Latest Episodes:

Episode 65: The Synod of Dort Revisited (Part 2) Jun 25, 2019

Show notes

In this series of episodes we will be discussing the Synod of Dort again along with the events that followed it. To do this we will continue reading through portions of an article by Kevin D. Young titled, "The Four Hundred Year Flower: Arminius, Dort, and the Battle for Grace" published on Desiring God. In this episode we will be discussing how the politics of the Netherlands surrounding the Synod of Dort dictated to how it was decided. We will also discuss how it was by no means a fair debate. We will also be discussing how the Synod of Dort defined what it meant to be "Reformed" in a way it was not clearly defined before. We will also discuss how the Arminian understanding of grace is different from the Calvinist understanding of grace. Finally, we will talk about what happened to the Remonstrant leaders after their "defeat" at the Synod of Dort.

Links:

The Four Hundred Year Flower: Arminius, Dort, and the Battle for Grace" by Kevin DeYoung

Arminius: A Study in the Dutch Reformation by Carl Bangs

Episode 64: The Synod of Dort Revisited (Part 1) Jun 18, 2019

Show notes

In this series of episodes we will be discussing the Synod of Dort again along with the events that led up to it. To do this we will be reading through portions of an article by Kevin D. Young titled, "The Four Hundred Year Flower: Arminius, Dort, and the Battle for Grace" published on Desiring God. We will be discussing what DeYoung got right in the article and what he got wrong. Like many others he presents some popular Arminian myths as facts. Is it true that Arminius was a devoted Calvinist after graduating from Geneva? Is it true that Arminius became a humanist (?) after preparing for a debate with a Dutch Humanist? What did it really mean to be Reformed at the time of Arminius? Listen to join us in this conversation.

Links:

The Four Hundred Year Flower: Arminius, Dort, and the Battle for Grace" by Kevin DeYoung

Avengers: Endgame and Middle Knowledge (Article 1, Article 2)

Arminius: A Study in the Dutch Reformation by Carl Bangs

Episode 63: Optimism of Grace (Part 2) May 28, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we will continue to discuss the theme of "Optimism of Grace" in the theology of John Wesley. Our specific focus is how having an optimism of grace has a significant impact on many areas of the Christian life. This is true of evangelism, social justice, and sanctification. In this episode we receive help from Fred Sanders and an article by Vinicius Couto.

Links:

"The Optimistic View of Grace for Wesley" by Vinicius Couto

"Wesley on the Christian Life" by Fred Sanders

Episode 62: Optimism of Grace (Part 1) May 21, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we will begin to discuss the theme of "Optimism of Grace" in the theology of John Wesley. It is clear that this theme runs through all aspects of the theology of Wesley. This goes for Atonement, Soteriology, and Eschatology. We will receive help from Henry H. Knight III and his books "Anticipating Heaven Below." We also discuss how an overemphasis on optimism or pessimism could impact an individual's walk with Christ or a church culture. Hint: there are dangers in both extremes.

Links:

"John Wesley: Optimist of Grace" by Henry H. Knight III

"What Is a Wesleyan?" lecture by Dr. Vic Reasoner

"Anticipating Heaven Below" by Henry H. Knight III

Episode 61: The International Fellowship of Bible Churches Apr 16, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we have the opportunity to sit down with Dr. William Sillings who is the General Superintendent of the International Fellowship of Bible Churches (IFBC). Both Vin and Ben are ordained Elders (pastors) in the IFBC and the church plant they serve is an IFBC church. In this interview Dr. Sillings shares briefly about the history of the IFBC along with what makes it unique among denominations in the broader Wesleyan-Arminian movement. One way is that the IFBC holds to a "classical" Wesleyan theology unlike other groups. Dr. Sillings also discusses how the IFBC emphasizes the inerrancy, authority, sufficiency, and inspiration of Scripture. He also discusses how the IFBC strongly encourages contextualization to local ministry contexts while simultaneously holding strongly to Wesleyan orthodoxy. If you are a pastor who is looking for church affiliation or ordination in a group with a solid Wesleyan-Arminian theology we strongly recommend you look into the IFBC.

IFBC Website

Episode 60: The Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Part 2) Mar 26, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we will continue to discuss the crisis of biblical authority in the broader methodist movement. This time we will actually talk about the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. We will begin by defining the Quadrilateral and then discuss what is good about it and what is dangerous about it. One very interesting thing to note is how Albert Outler regretted coining the term in the first place. We will discuss how the Quadrilateral can both lead people into error and heresy if it is understood incorrectly and how it could protect us from error and heresy if it is understood correctly. We will then discuss what early Methodist views were regarding the authority, inerrancy, and inspiration of Scripture. We will conclude this episode discussing what the International Fellowship of Bible Churches (IFBC) statement of faith is regarding the authority and inerrancy of Scripture. For more information about the IFBC see the link below.

Links:

The Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Theopedia)

The International Fellowship of Bible Churches (IFBC)

Note that Ben and Vin are ordained Elders in the IFBC and serve as pastors in an IFBC Church Plant in Connecticut.

Episode 59: The Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Part 1) Mar 19, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we will begin to discuss the crisis of biblical authority in the broader methodist movement. We will begin by talking about the United Methodist Church Special Session of the General Conference 2019 and the decision regarding LGBT marriage and ordination. We will then move on to discuss what led to all of this. We would suggest it all comes down to a crisis regarding the question of biblical authority. We will then discuss what issues there are in the broader methodist movement regarding biblical authority. Is Scripture only a means of grace or is it the authoritative word of God as well? Do we have to choose between the two? At the end of the episode we will finally get to the Wesleyan Quadrilateral which we will discuss more extensively in the next episode in this series.

Links:

New Global, Orthodox Identity for United Methodist Surprises Many (TGC)

United Methodist Reject Call to Embrace Homosexual Clergy and Same-Sex Weddings (TGC)

A Few Reflection on the 2019 General Conference (Watson)

Episode 58: The Synod of Dort (Part 2) Feb 26, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we will continue discussing the Synod of Dort which took place from 1618-1619 and led to the "condemnation" of Arminianism by the Reformed representatives. Specifically we will be responding to another article that was published in the January 2019 edition of Tabletalk magazine. This episode we will be focusing on "The Reason for Dort" by W. Robert Godfrey. First we will discuss whether or not orthodox Arminianism is an expression of the "Apostolic Faith" or "one of the greatest challenges to the Apostolic faith" (?) as the article claims. We will then discuss the radicalization of "Arminianism" after the death of Arminius and some of the historical events surrounding the Synod of Dort. We also discuss whether or not Irresistible Grace is necessary to believe in Total Depravity. Finally, we discuss whether or not the Arminians "were uncooperative" or not. Do you sit at the middle table? A link to the article is below.

The Reason for Dort (Tabletalk)

Episode 57: The Synod of Dort (Part 1) Feb 19, 2019

Show notes

In this episode we will begin discussing the Synod of Dort which took place from 1618-1619 and led to the "condemnation" of Arminianism by the Reformed representatives. Specifically we will be responding to an article that was published in the January 2019 edition of Tabletalk magazine. In this episode we will be discussing the article, "Five New Points of Old Heresy" (ouch). In this article the writers at Tabletalk make some unfounded and incorrect claims about Arminian theology and we spend some time explaining what they got wrong about Arminianism. Before we get there we discuss some interesting tweets from David Watson and Fred Sanders about Wesleyan theology.

Links:

The Methodist Movement (Tabletalk)

Five New Points of Old Heresy (Tabletalk)

Episode 56: Wesleyan Theology in America and Beyond (Part 2) Jan 22, 2019

Show notes

This episode is the second part of our interview with David Martinez about his work to promote Wesleyan Reformation around the world. David is a missionary and evangelist who has traveled to many countries for the sake of the gospel. In this part of the interview David will discuss his interactions with popular Calvinists at Calvinist conferences in America. David then shares stories of Wesleyan-Arminian Reformation in Cuba and beyond. He then discusses what the best books are to introduce readers to Wesleyan-Arminian Theology. We hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

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