From now on, this will be the first book I recommend to anyone curious about what Calvinism is and why I do not believe in it.
There are other books that deal with specific areas of Calvinism or go into more detail, but I believe this book is the place to start.
David begins by explaining the theological underpinnings of Augustine and therefore the Calvinistic framework. He then goes on to explain and refute the 5 points of Calvinism as explained in the TULIP framework.
He uses quotes by Calvinists to explain their own views, so it can’t be said the he misrepresents Calvinistic theology.
The full title of the book is “Unravelling Calvinism: A Gospel Turned Upside Down”. A paragraph near the middle of his book explains the reason behind the title,
“Unconditional Election is not built on Scripture, but on the faulty foundation of Total Inability. Its support comes from forcing Calvinist ideas into passages that do not teach them. It depends on cherry-picking verses and sometimes redefining or even altering biblical language. In Calvinism, a man is saved before he knows it, born again before he calls upon the Lord. Worse still, their system makes God the architect of the Fall, while simultaneously removing the ‘elect’ from its consequences – meaning the elect were never truly in danger of judgment or hell. This is an upside-down gospel – a backwards theology.”
He closes his book with this statement,
“Christ died for all. The gospel is to be preached to all. And all who believe will find God true to His Word and be gloriously saved.”
That I believe is the Biblical teaching.
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