Calvinism and Arminianism:
Myths & Realities
Satan wants to be in control of everything and everyone, and desires to have a sovereignty exceeding God’s sovereignty. God, on the other hand, allows man to choose between good and evil, as He did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan being the control freak that he is, would deny man the right to have a free will. Satan would want to always force man to do his will, by forcing man to do only and always what is evil, whereas God does not force man to do either good or evil. Calvinism would have us think that God is like Satan, by teaching that God does not want man to have a free will, just as Satan does not want man to have a free will. Satan would never say, “Come now let us reason together,” as God otherwise does. (Isaiah 1:18)
Isaiah 1:18: “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.’”
Arminian, Roger Olson: “I have been heavily criticized by some of my Calvinist friends for saying that my biggest problem with Calvinism (by which I mean consistent divine determinism) is that it makes it difficult for me to tell the difference between God and the devil. (I am not saying Calvinists worship the devil!) For me nothing about the Christian worldview is more important than regarding God and the devil as absolute competitors in this universe and its tragic history. God is good and desires the good of every creature. As church father Irenaeus said ‘The glory of God is man fully alive.’ The devil is bad and desires harm for every creature. To view the devil as God’s instrument makes a mockery of the entire biblical narrative.” (My Biggest Problem with Calvin/Calvinism)
Arminian Charge: Calvinism is Satan’s theology.
Myth or Reality: Many Arminians argue that with Calvinism, they cannot tell the difference between God and the devil, and which draws much criticism from Calvinists.
