Arminian, Roger Olson Interview (vid from AG HQ)

[RickC]

Linked from Roger Olson's Blog

A one hour interview with Classical Arminian, Roger Olson.

My Review

Roger explains Classical Arminianism and Calvinism in a general overview. Points out the real similarities and real differences very clearly (about as best I've heard). Otherwise, Olson discusses current trends such as the "Neo-Calvinist Movement" so prominent among the young (and how it was 'headed up' and is being 'led' by John Piper and his associates, like Mark Driscoll, etc.). Other topics touched on are: his upcoming book, Against Calvinism, the 'freewill consensus' of Early Church Fathers (before Augustine), the Augustianian roots of Calvinism, Pelagianism, Semi-Pelagianism, Universalism, and Open Theism. Roger also talks about the importance of clear thinking, and quotes Karl Barth (with something like, not exact words), "If you don't know your opponent's position, you don't know yours."

This would serve as an excellent introduction to Arminianism, which Olson comments that: Many, if not most, Non-Arminians and/or Calvinists get all their info on Arminianism "from Calvinist books" (as opposed to actually reading Arminius or Arminian literature). He interestingly agrees with Steve (Gregg) that most Christians are 'Arminians-by-default', whether they know it or not, or until they 'convert' to Calvinism.

My only 'negative critique' of this discussion would be on some things Olson says about Greg Boyd and/or Open Theism. (What he says about Boyd in particular isn't how I've 'heard' Boyd myself. His critiques of Boyd/ Open Theism are almost the same as the critiques in a discussion on the forum we had, here while back. Be that as it may: Olson and the "Non-Open Theists" on this forum are Arminians of a more Classical variety---thus, the critiques "are to be expected").

A Must Watch, whether one is new to all this stuff or not.
Roger Olson could be said to be the 'leading' [Classical] Arminian of our time.
Well, he undoubtedly is (imo)!!!!

Enjoy.
Thanks

[RickC]

Adding in (to amplify what I was saying about Olson's comments on Greg Boyd/ Open Theism) --

At 32:30 in Roger Olson's Interview (linked to above) he defined an Open Theist as:

“An open theist is someone who believes that God has limited Himself in relation to creation, so that He's in time with us. So the future is open for God, as well as for us” (and Olson went on to say God does not know everything, in the open theist view). “As my friend Greg Boyd says: 'He might know 99% of the future'. But He only knows that part of it that is already settled by something. Either by His decision, that He's going to do such and such, or by something in the environment, or whatever. 'So we don't really know', open theists say, 'how much of the future is known to God, and how much of it isn't'. But there's one category of things they say God doesn't know, and that is our future genuinely free decision, that are not yet settled, that we will settle by decisions we haven't made yet.”
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Boyd and Open Theism (and/or Boyd's version of it) was discussed here under the topic:
Verse That Refutes Calvinism and Open Theism

From the above (my July 27, 2010 post) ---
Excerpted from Boyd's second vid (power point) with slight amendments for clarity -

An Alternative Perspective
God's Sovereignty Incorporates Flexibility
The Open View of the Future (note Boyd doesn't say "of God")
1. God knows all things
2. All things includes future possibilities (Note: Possibilities are Ontologically Real)
--> Some of reality (past, present, and future) is definite and perfectly known by God as such
--> Some of reality (some of the future) is indefinite (possibly this and possibly that) and perfectly known by God as such
3. God Settles Whatever He Chooses Ahead of Time and Opens Up Possibilities Ahead of Time to Whatever Extent He Chooses
4. God is Infinitely Intelligent and Can Therefore Anticipate Each Possibility as Perfectly As If It Was a Certainty
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So from Boyd's video (Aug 2008), there are significant differences from what Boyd stated in it, and what Olson said about Greg Boyd/ Open Theism in his recent interview at AG.

(Just wanted to add-this-on here, is all), Thanks

[RickC]

Another add-on from Olson's blog (that should help) --
Why open theism doesn't even matter (that much)

Greg Boyd says:
August 27, 2010 at 7:38 am

Thanks for the (typically) balanced assessment Roger.

In response to Terry’s post: I wholly agree with W.L. Craig that God knows all true propositions. Where I and some other Open Theists disagree with Craig concerns the assumption that propositions asserting what “will” and “will not” exhaust the field of future tensed propositions. We rather hold that propositions asserting what “might and might not” come to pass also have a truth value that an omniscient God must know. If it’s true at a given point in time that “x will” or “x will not” come to pass, it is false that “x might and might not” come to pass. Conversely, if its true at a given point of time that “x might and might not ” come to pass, it is false both that “x will” or “x will not” come to pass.

GB
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RC