Posted on 11/14/2006 6:06:24 AM PST by xzins
Dort Pitted Calvinists against Arminians.
by the Staff or associates of Christian History Institute.
James (Jacob) Arminius was uneasy with some of the teachings that had come to be identified with Calvinism. Did God really choose some men to be damned before he created them? Was Christ's death only intended for those who would finally be saved? Does God exercise his sovereignty so fully that man has no choice in his own salvation? Does regeneration come first and then repentance? As the professor of theology at Leyden, James had promised to teach only those things which conformed to the confessions of faith of the state church of the Netherlands. These were Calvinist. In his public teaching, Arminius kept his word, but he laid out Scripture readings in such a way as to cast doubt on Calvin's theology (which was heavily indebted to Augustine of Hippo).
Gomarus, leading opponent of Arminianism. In private, James offered a different interpretation of Scripture to interested students. While not varying from a single doctrine of the early church creeds and accepting much that Calvin taught, he modified his theology to say that man (through ordinary grace) can respond to the gospel and has real choice in his ultimate destiny. Strict Calvinists, such as Dr. Franciscus Gomarus, objected strongly. However, a number of pastors of state churches adopted Arminian views. Arminius himself downplayed differences for the sake of peace and because of his promises, although he tried to get the Heidelberg Catechism and another Dutch confession amended.
After his death, his followers issued a document called a Remonstrance. In it they set out five points in which they differed from Calvin. Inevitably the issue got mixed up with politics too complex to go into in this short article. The Remonstrants (as Arminians were called) were on the side of those who wanted decentralized government or "states rights." The Calvinists were on the same side as Maurice, who was attempting to reduce "states rights" and create a stronger central government.
The central government called a synod (council of churchmen) to weigh the issues. On this day, November 13, 1618, the Synod of Dort convened. It was controlled by Calvinists who invited other Calvinists from neighboring countries. The assembly existed for one purpose only: to condemn the Remonstrants. The Remonstrants considered this unfair.
And the proceedings were biased. The Calvinists met alone until the sixth of December. Meanwhile, Remonstrants around the country were thrown out of their pulpits. Those Remonstrants who were summoned to the assembly found their movements restricted. They were not allowed to have their strongest speakers represent them. Many other injustices occurred.
Needless to say, with matters so stacked against the Remonstrants, their cause was condemned. One of their supporters, the statesman, John Oldenbarneveld, was invited to a meeting with Maurice and arrested. Falsely charged with treason, he was beheaded. Another supporter, Hugo Grotius (who became the father of international law), was sentenced to life in prison but managed to escape.
Arminian ideas are found among Wesleyans, Methodists, Nazarenes, Free Will Baptists and in similar traditions, while variations of Calvinism can be detected in the theologies of Reformed, Presbyterian, Calvinist Methodist and some Baptist groups.
Resources
"Arminianism," and "Dort, Synod of," in The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church," edited by F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone. (Oxford, 1997).
Bangs, Carl. Arminius. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1971).
Hunt, Dave. What Love Is This? Calvinism's misrepresentation of God. (Sister, Oregon: Loyal, 2002).
Vandergugten, S. "The Arminian Controversy and the Synod of Doredt."
(http://spindleworks.com/library/vandergugten/arminian_c.htm).
Watson, Richard. "Synod of Dort." www.geocities.com/calvinismheresy/synoddort.html).
Think about it a second, Jude. Who here stands to gain from a trivialization and dismissal of the Synod of Dordt as now "determinative about anything?"
That should be "not" instead of "now"
Frankly, as a Calvinist, I don't need Dordt. Dordt didn't make me a Calvinist - the text (aided by a cascade of discussions with Calvinistically-minded persons) did. Dordt was a historical asterisk as far as I was concerned.
Surely you were aware that Grotius taught that Jesus' shed blood didn't provide a sin covering for us. Is that why you named the underoos after him?
A third view of the atonement was devised by Hugo Grotius (1583-1645) during the Arminian controversy in Holland. Known as the governmental theory of the atonement, this view is something of a middle road between Abelard and Anselm. According to Grotius, Christ's death was a public display of God's justice, but not an actual payment on behalf of sinners. In other words, the cross shows what punishment for sin would look like if God recompensed sin. But no actual vicarious payment of the sinner's debt was made by Christ.Grotius, like Abelard and the Socinians, believed God could forgive sin without any payment. But Grotius said the dignity and authority of God's law still needed to be upheld. Sin is a challenge to God's right to rule. If God simply overlooked sin, He would in effect abrogate His moral government of the universe. So Christ's death was necessary to vindicate God's authority as ruler, because it proved His willingness and his right to punish, even though He ultimately relinquishes the claims of His justice against repentant sinners. Christ's death therefore was not a substitute for anyone else's punishment, but merely a public example of God's moral authority and His hatred of sin.
In other words, unlike Abelard, Grotius saw that the death of Christ displayed the wrath, as well as the love, of God. Like Abelard, however, Grotius believed the atonement was exemplary rather than substitutionary. Christ did not actually suffer in anyone's place. The atonement accomplished nothing objective on the sinner's behalf; it was merely a symbolic gesture. Christ's death was an example only. And redemption therefore hinges completely on something the sinner must do. So the governmental theory also results inevitably in works-salvation.
UNDERWEAR ![]() According to Grotius, Christ's death was a public |
No, the underoos were a joke about flammability.
Just so you know, I'm still in post-election recovery. And anything more than being a bit snarky on this thread makes my brain hurt.
I'm in my "eliminating stress for the holidays," mode.
It's either that or have myself admitted.
Drive-by Snarky is good. :>)
And popcorn.
Can't forget the popcorn.
The Hugo Grotius® label Arminian Asbestos Undergarments are made from the finest northern European asbestos and are intended to protect the wearer from the torches of their Calvinistic antagonists and to provide maximum comfort when escaping persecution by the Calvinst swarms while locked inside old book boxes.
Good think you posted those....it's starting to get cold here in rural s. Ohio, AND it's deer bow season with gun season soon on us.
If you have to run to the outhouse in cold weather, you best be in long underroos.
And if you have to run to the outhouse in deer season, you best be in red.
Leave it to a Neener group to provide their own garments (Rev 7:9,14) and ones colored red at that (Isa 1:18).
LOL!
Speaking of snarks.
Isn't the pinging of all those banned GRPLs on other threads a bit like lighting candles and praying for the dead?
I'm just askin'...
Yes, baptism for the dead, wouldn't you think?
Kindof a twofer...if you get my drift...
You mean one of those weather alert kind of deals?
yeah, pretty much...
Were we just speaking in an unknown language?
:>)
We'll just have to wait for the interpretation...
The interpretation would likely result in punitive action.
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