Against Calvinism by Roger Olson

When I first became really interested in theology in my late teens, all the in-depth books I read were from a broadly Calvinist perspective: JI Packer, RT Kendall, John Piper, and of course, Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem. I was sometimes uncomfortable with some of the things they wrote, but assumed these were just difficult, indisputable truths I would need to understand and accept as I studied further. One thing that some of these writers did was to look quite disparagingly at writers they disagreed with, to the point of implying that other views were either heretical or at least the result of weak theology. So I was looking forward to reading a book which presents a logical and coherent alternative to the theology I grew up with.

This book is one half of a two-parter, the other cleverly called 'For Calvinism'. Roger Olson takes some time to outline what kind of Calvinism he is against, and he is most concerned about the way that the TULIP system is being taught as an essential part of true Christianity, by the 'Young, Restless and Reformed' movement who look to John Piper and others as their spiritual and theological mentors. Indeed, the book is subtitled 'Rescuing God's reputation from radical reformed theology'. Although this sounds quite confrontational, Olson writes in a humble and irenic way which really appeals to me, and is a welcome contrast to some on the other side of the debate!

For those who don't know, TULIP is an acronym outlining 5 points essential to Calvinism, which essentially carries the idea that: there is no way humans can pull themselves out of the mess they're in and all deserve hell (Total depravity); before the beginning of time God elected some and not others to be saved (Unconditional election); Christ's death was for the elect rather than the whole world (Limited atonement); when God calls a human they cannot resist his call (Irresistible grace); all who are truly saved will persevere to the end (Perseverence of the saints). This is of course, my brief and incomplete effort to summarise a complex set of beliefs in one sentence!

To give you a flavour of the book and the debate, here are some quotes: 'I am opposed to any idea that, as the old Calvinist saying goes, "those who find themselves suffering in hell can at least take comfort in the fact that they are there for the greater glory of God". One Calvinist writer said 'God wills righteously those things which men do wickedly'. 'The Calvinist account of God's sovereignty... inevitably makes God the author of sin, evil, and innocent suffering... and therefore impugns the integrity of God's character as good and loving'. 'The Calvinist must sacrifice a clear notion of God's goodness for the sake of maintaining his view of God's sovereign decrees'.

So, much of the book is about what you might call 'high Calvinism', which is an attempt to take ideas of God's absolute sovereignty to their logical conclusions. It is also what I have found most difficult to accept in John Piper's writings. Basically, the idea is that everything that happens has been foreordained by God to bring him the maximum amount of glory. So I am grateful to Roger Olson for providing a sensible and humble alternative argument, which maintains the highest view of the Bible and of the character of God himself.

I suggest you read the book yourself, whatever your thinking on this debate, as this kind of Calvinism it is a way of thinking I find myself encountering more and more, especially in young, often quite angry Christian men, who come up to me after seminars to 'correct' me and encourage me to read Jonathan Edwards! (I have read Jonathan Edwards by the way) I hope this book will bring some balance to a hot topic.

Highly recommended.