[.ca] Still Sovereign: Contemporary Perspectives on Election, ... (ISBN 0801022320)

Very convincing:
This book is one of the very best defenses of Calvinism that I have encountered. The Biblical scholarship is top-notch. There is very little beating around the bush in this work: the authors attack the issues head on and deal fairly and honestly with opposing viewpoints. Among the many essays in this work, some stand out as truly phenomenal. S. M. Baugh argues persuasively that the term "foreknowledge" in the New Testament often carries the idea of a "covenantal relationship." This makes the view that election is conditioned on divine prescience very questionable. John Piper wrestles with the classical problem of God's election and his desire for all men to be saved. His conclusions are both Biblically faithful and philosophically satisfying. Wayne Grudem tackles the warning passages in the epistle to the Hebrews and concludes, after a detailed treatment, that Hebrews does not militate against a doctrine of perseverance of the saints. D. A. Carson offers a stimulating treatment of the doctrine of assurance, and shows that a proper understanding of compatibilism is essential to formulating a rigorous doctrine of assurance of salvation. Thomas R. Schreiner shows that Romans 9 teaches that God chooses some individuals for salvation and not others. Overall, the entire book was scholarly, fair, and, above all, Biblical. I highly recommend it.

Thoughtful, challenging explanation of Reformed theology:
This book is a condensation of "The Grace of God, The Bondage of the Will," which was a 2 volume work written to defend Calvinism, and as a response to 2 books by Clark Pinnock: "The Grace of God" and "The Grace of God, the Will of Man." A few chapters have been removed to make the original into one book, but most of the terrific articles remain. To many people today, Calvinism is an anachronism. After the 11th September outrage, How can people take a teaching seriously which proclaims that God is good, and yet completely in control of the world? Could a good God really be all-powerful, and yet allow (or even ordain) atrocities like that? The contributors show that a proper understanding of the Bible involves believing that God is indeed sovereign, yet also loving, just and good. John Piper's helpful chapter asks the question "Are there 2 wills in God?" And then seeks to show that God does indeed "fulfil all his will" and yet "is not willing that any should perish." S.M. Baugh discusses the meaning of "foreknowledge" in the Bible, and argues persuasively that God's foreknowledge must mean a lot more than knowing what is going to happen in the future. Jerry Bridges shows that a belief in the sovereignty of God has practical implications for everyday living, while Samuel Storms explains how it is worth praying to a God who has already decreed "the end from the beginning." In fact, he argues that there is not much point in praying to a God who is not in complete control of his world. This book has been one of the most helpful explanations of Calvinism which I have read. Highly recommended.

Stimulating Scholarship on Sovereignty:
This stimulating and scholarly book was condensed from the two-volume "The Grace of God, the Bondage of the Will" published by Baker in 1995. Fourteen of those original chapters are included here, dealing with three areas of concern: 1. Biblical Analyses, 2. Theological Issues, and 3. Pastoral Reflections. Contributors include such renowned scholars, theologians, and pastors as Thomas Schreiner, D.A. Carson, J. I. Packer, John Piper, and Wayne Grudem. The book commences with a very satisfying look at the sovereignty of God in the Old Testament, worked out carefully by Raymond Ortland Jr. Tom Schreiner's chapter on Romans 9 is likewise excellent and persuasive. Piper's chapter "Are There Two Wills in God?" is worthy of careful consideration for die-hard Calvinists. He offers a reconciliation between sovereign election and God's desire for all to be saved that is interesting . . . although I am not persuaded that his interpretation of I Tim. 2:4 is correct! Wayne Grudem's careful study of the Hebrews warning passages and the doctrine of perseverance is of special value. I highly commend it. His arguments are convincing and (I think) virtually impossible to refute. Packer's chapter on God's love is typically clear and concise and witty - but maybe a little too short for a book of this caliber. Carson's reflections on assurance offer food for thought by tying the issue together with other pertinent areas of theology. Baugh's look at foreknowledge and Schreiner's look at the Wesleyan doctrine of prevenient grace are also of value. Sam Storms, Jerry Bridges, and Ed Clowney offer helpful thoughts on the more pastoral issues. The book is of special value in that it interacts well with opposing views and especially takes on Clark Pinnock and company who wrote "The Grace of God, the Will of Man" which is an attempted defense of Arminian theology. I think any theologian (from either side!) would benefit from a careful perusal of these pages.

God is Sovereign and Man is Responsible: Unresolvable Truth:
Cogent and persuasive essays that largely succeed in harmonizing the twin, simultaneous truths of God's Sovereignty and Man's Responsible Agency by striking a careful, biblical balance without overemphasizing either. Premise is made that acceptable theology must provide the most plausible, Biblically inclusive rationale and motif embracing all Scriptural data, not selective proof-texts in support or artificial exegesis of contrary texts. Some excellent points in this book include: 1)Too much so-called exegesis/Bible interpretation omits or dismisses attempts to discern how Scripture fits together in toto(whole is greater than sum of its parts). The Bible speaks a unified message/theology which perfectly encompasses all the doctrines and sub-doctrines it contains, even if we can't sort them out completely; 2)God's OMNIpresence includes both temporal and spatial reality, not merely locational. He is not only "OMNI-there", but "OMNI-then"; "OMNI-here and OMNI-now"; 3)Many on both sides of the issue of Sovereignty vs. Agency fall for the fallacy of the excluded middle, not allowing both to be true in favor of either Sovereignty or Agency; 4) Inordinate and often unwitting Eisegesis substitutes for objective Exegesis in too much interpretation and textual citation in defense of each position. Theological disposition interferes with the natural, plain, main sense of texts and conclusions (bias in, bias out); 5)There is full authenticity and reality of mortal participation in God's purposes, just not in parity - God reserves the right to retain ultimacy; 6) Framework verses, which reflect interpretive position and predisposition, are necessary to set parameters for proper debate and decision. Num.23:19 is posited as didactically controlling over less definitive verses for internal harmonization of apparent conflicts, e.g. God's repenting over pronouncements/decisions; 7)Scripture is seen as an Oceanus Profundus - deep, vast ocean. Every text reveals something true of God, but some are on the shore, some in tide pools, some in surf zone, some off continental shelf, some in the blue depths, some in the Marianas Trench. No passage takes the reader to the very infinite depths of the Mind of God, but some clearly take us deeper than others. It is felt opponents in this debate and others (God is Three and One; Jesus is God and Man; Christian is Saint and Sinner; Jesus died for All and will surely save some;Scripture is Divine and Human; God does not repent and, at times God repents) often fail to sound the depths of verses marshalled in support/refutation of positions. This results in misguided attempts to reconcile or clarify the more profound in light of less profound, the more rich and definitive in light of those less so, or to perceive all Scripture as primarily of the same, uniform depth; 8) Concludes that 'divine repentance in the Bible is meant to describe not some sort of existential reaction in God to open, free events/wills but rather His perfectly just, moral reciprocity' in language mortals can grasp ("change of mind" is, after all, a metaphor in the human realm as well). Whatever your position, this will stimulate theological juices.

Best Available:
If you are looking for single, sustained, scholarly, and Biblical defense of predestination, then this book is a must-read. Several scholars join forces in this work to show that Arminianism is Biblically indefensible. Thomas Schreiner argues in his essay that Romans 9 teaches "individual election unto salvation," and his presentation is, in my mind at least, irrefutable. John Piper shows that the Calvinistic God is loving, and sincerely desires the salvation of all men, but still ordains only some to heaven. His essay on the "two wills of God" is one of the most enlightening articles I have read. Wayne Grudem spends a massive fifty pages exegeting passages in Hebrews that Arminians have claimed show that genuine Christians can lose salvation. His conclusion is that the Reformed doctrine of the "perseverance of the saints" stands firm, despite the warning passages of the book of Hebrews. S. M. Baugh's essay on the Biblical meaning of the term "foreknowledge" is more than a rehashing of the traditional Calvinistic prooftexts, and offers some fresh insights into the meaning of this word. Overall, this book was well-written, scholarly, and Biblical. I highly recommend it. While not an easy-read, it is one of the best defenses of Calvinism I have encountered, and it puts most Arminian parallels to shame. For links to essays and articles written by John Piper and other Calvinists on predestination, I recommend the site, ... This website is a massive resource of arguments for and against Calvinism, and is the best I have seen on this issue.