Calvinism and Arminianism:
Myths & Realities
Calvinist, R.C. Sproul recalls his conversion to Calvinism: “I no longer feared the demons of fatalism or the ugly thought that I was being reduced to a puppet. Now I rejoiced in a gracious Savior who alone was immortal, invisible, the only wise God. (Chosen By God, p.13, emphasis mine)
In other words, he was initially scandalized by Calvinism, until he overcame those fears, and basically just embraced it.
Honestly, though, if Calvinism was true, then the illusion of man having a Free Will would be the oldest trick in the book, where the whole world finds out in the after-life what the big HaHa was all about. As such, Calvinism would render Christianity as utterly scandalous. From a Calvinistic standpoint, the scandal is that the system would be rigged from the get-go, so that everyone is born under Total Inability, so that only those who are of Calvinism’s elect can get saved, and so that God (according to Calvinism) would look like a hero for saving them (who were actually “elect” by pure luck, in having “lucked-out” so to speak), and while only pretending (with a General Call) to save the rest (who, of course, He never died for, and which would make such a General Call awfully puzzling). In other words, if He didn’t die for them, what exactly is God (according to Calvinism) “offering” in the alleged, General Call? How could He be offering to save those that are unsavable, by virtue of not having a Savior’s atonement available?).
Arminian Charge: Calvinism would render Christianity as Scandalous.
Myth or Reality: If Calvinism was true, then the illusion of having a Free Will would be somewhat scandalous, especially if a person was made to do bad things by someone else’s predestination, and then forced to take the blame for it.
