Calvinism and Arminianism: 
Myths & Realities
























I personally think that Jesus does somewhat mourn over those in Hell, and states that it didn’t have to be that way, because He had died on the cross for their sins so that they didn’t have to go there. One NDE [Near Death Experience] cites Jesus as describing Hell as a “Land unknown that’s best forgotten but not left unseen.” (30:38) Ultimately, Heaven wouldn’t be Heaven if God dwelled on the perishing.

Here are the Calvinist quotes:

Calvinist, Erwin Lutzer: “Arminians teach that God is frustrated by the free will of his creatures. He decrees to save as many as possible, but the numbers are comparatively few. He plans and wills the salvation of all, but his goals remain unfulfilled.” (The Doctrines That Divide, pp.212-213, emphasis mine)

Calvinist, James White: “Indeed, we must conclude [according to Arminianism] that God will be eternally unhappy, since He will love those in hell with the very same kind of undifferentiated love He has for the myriad surrounding His throne.” (Debating Calvinism, p.18, emphasis mine)

Calvinist, Alan Kurschner: “God desires that his sheep are saved. God desires that his people are saved. He does not desire that every single individual who has ever lived, live in glory with him forever. If that were the case, we have an incompetent, unhappy, and impotent God.” (The Calvinist Gadfly, emphasis mine)

Calvinist, Phil Johnson: “God is not going to be frustrated throughout all eternity because He was desperately trying to save some people who just could not be persuaded. If that’s your view of God, then He’s not really sovereign. Pharaoh fulfilled exactly the purpose God raised him to fulfill. God is not wringing His hands in despair over Pharaoh’s rebellion and disbelief.” (For Whom Did Christ Die? The Nature of the Atonement, emphasis mine) 

So, then, how would Phil Johnson simultaneously affirm that God ever had a salvific desire for their life? It doesn’t seem that he could. If you follow the logic, then the only people that God allows to go to Hell are the ones that He specifically created to go there, in which he uses Pharaoh as an example. 

Here is a Blog response to the above-cited Calvinist mockery of Christ’s relational condescension. What follows next is also another excellent refuation.























Calvinist Charge:  Arminianism teaches that God is frustrated by non-believers, and will be eternally unhappy over the souls who perish.

Myth or Reality:  Arminianism doesn’t go out of its way to teach this, but it is a fair assertion, and it’s something that Arminians must explain. As you will see, Calvinists absolutely do lay this charge. For one, Arminianism affirms that God loves all humanity, salvificly, as exemplified at Calvary (John 3:16), and also has a special love for those in Christ. (John 16:27) Second, the question arises as to how God’s perspective would change, for those who die in a state of unbelief. Of course, you might also pose the same question in regard to the fall of a third of the angels. Would Calvinists like to affirm that God never really cared about that 1/3 in the first place, and perhaps, secretly hated them?