Arm., Calv., Other speakers on "CWS"

[_Rick_C]

"CWS" is Converse With Scholars, an interactive chatroom format (usually held in Paltalk Messenger) and is one of several ministries of Reclaiming The Mind Ministries.

My computer is, now, too old for Paltalk but I got to participate in several CWS sessions in the last couple years (You can ask questions at the end of each session which usually lasts about 1.5 hours...I got to talk with a few CWS guests such as James Sire, author of, The Universe Next Door: A Catalogue of Worldviews. This book is now considered a "classic" on Christian Worldview (please read it if you haven't)!

I just listened to Roger Olson's CWS Arminian presentation last night and am going to listen to Sam Storms who presented a case for Calvinism (after I load it, lol).

I've read Olson's The Story of Christian Theology: Twenty Centuries of Tradition & Reform (1999) and while it is very excellent (I got tired of borrowing it from the library and bought a copy!); I've heard his The Mosaic of Christian Belief: Twenty Centuries of Unity & Diversity (2002) is even better and is the standard in many seminaries.

Olson is identifies himself as a classical Arminian. Yet he is a Baptist and believes in "eternal security" and says he believes in the "T" of Tulip (with Arminian dfferences, no doubt).

I haven't read Olson's Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities (2006) but Olson discusses the book in the CWS presentation. This book has been well received by some Calvinists...just give it a listen, lol.

Outside of Olson & Storms (on Arminianism and Calvinism) there are other speakers here you will recognize: J.P. Moreland, Greg Koukl, William Lane Craig, Scot McKnight, etc. Dan Wallace has been "rated" as in the top 20 of Textual Critics (in the world...his lecture on the Text of Scripture is way excellent)!

Lastly, C. Michael Patton, Reclaiming The Mind Ministries' director (and Singles' Ministries Pastor at Chuck Swindoll's Church) is not only a Calvinist but one of the friendliest people I've met (online or not. Yes, some Calvinists are just regular ol' nice guys, lol) In "The Theology Program" (aka, TTP, another ministry of Reclaiming The Mind Ministries)....theology is always approached "irenically" (in a peaceful and edifying way...even in the midst of serious disagreement).

Posted for mutual edification & instruction...this is informative stuff folks!!!

Btw, "RMM" will be posting all of the papers from the last ETS (Evangelical Theological Society)...it is underway already.

Thanks,
Rick

[Guest]

You're right, Michael is definitely one of the nicest guys you could talk to. He stays very level emotionally, and doesn't allow the room to get out of hand. I've watched several of the video courses on the TTP website. I don't agree with a lot of the DTS curriculum, but it was still cool to get a taste of what a formal education might look like in the field.

[_Rick_C]

Hello "Hebe"

Yes, it's a cool ministry. In TTP I was once "given the mic" to present a case for Amillennialism...good ol "CMP" (Michael) let me have at it! He's a Progressive Dispensationalist....

Btw, my nick there used to be: ixthys4u ... you may have seen me there. Ed Kratz and I, and Michael, to a lesser extent, stay in touch.

Oh yeah...I pretty well much "stumped" Mark Hitchcock in the CWS "Rapture" session. He's standard dispensationalist and couldn't answer, "Where does the Bible say that, after we have our glorified bodies, we will be with unbelievers as we watch them die for 1,000 years?" (or something like that)....He didn't have an answer....

Also, I remember the first time they had J.P. Moreland and um, like, well......found out he wasn't a Calvinist, lol. (It took them off guard & afterwards one lady said she could hardly believe it! hahahaha)

Anyway, God bless you Hebe (if I can call you that, I hope)..........Rick

[Guest]

Interesting reading some of the names mentioned in this thread.

Recently, Dr White has passionately spoken out with reference to some of the thinking coming forth from modern scholarship regarding the subject of Evangelical Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.

In fact, rather than writing a number of articles, the good Dr decided to put his thoughts out on a full Dividing Line program, in order to address statements made by Dan Wallace, C. Michael Patton, Perry Robinson.

Listen below
http://www.aomin.org/podcasts/20070710fta.mp3

Mark
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Today on the Dividing Line
Full Link Here

I took the time to respond to a number of comments made on Parchment and Pen theology blog relating to Roman Catholicism, the gospel, etc. I was going to write some lengthy articles, but I chose to use the spoken word so that I could communicate my passion and concern about these issues. Some of these blog articles were written by my good friend Dan Wallace, and I hope I will be granted as much freedom to express my heartfelt views as those expressing the other side. Here's the program (free/high quality).

During the course of the program a number of folks e-mailed me links to a papal document that is, clearly, relevant to the discussion we had going on the program, but I did not see the document until right after the DL finished. Since it is a pretty short document, I'll provide it in its entirety here. Please note especially the repetition of the assertion that the churches of the Reformation are not, in fact, true churches.

James White
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[_Rick_C]

Thanks for the link, Mark...I listened to it.

It was interesting to hear two Calvinists talk within that context. I learned a few new things about Calvinism, though this wasn't really what White & Patton were talking about (their interpretations of certain texts; I'd not heard Michael comment on before). I've known Michael since about October 2004 and was in several of the TTP classes (though I wasn't enrolled...they let anyone join in). I can't get "in" TTP now (my computer is too old, just way outdated, Win98, 1st edtion, lol)!

Did you get a chance to listen to Olson or Storms?

Btw, I had just read Michael's blog a couple days ago but didn't see "this" (link you gave)...I was in the "Calvinist" section.

Thanks,
Rick