For some, this question is like asking “Reformed or Pelagian?” They view things in particular categories that were historically formed hundreds of years ago or more than fifteen hundred years ago in the battle between Augustine and Pelagius. Today, for many, calling someone “Arminian” is a curse.
Who was Arminius?
Jacob Arminius was a Dutch Theologian who lived after Calvin. He was a doctor of Protestant theology and came to reject the more extreme predestinarian views of Calvin and the early Luther. After he died his followers put together the Five Points of the Remonstrants.
Arminians Before Arminius?
From Bangs:
In 1555, before Arminius was born, Valanus rejected the predestination theory that was already blowing off the Alps. Specifically, he denied any distinction between God’s secret will and God’s revealed will. When God says he wants all men to be saved, he means it, both secretly and openly.
The Five Points of Calvinism, with the clever acronym TULIP, were drawn up as a response to the points of the Remonstrants. The Synod of Dort settled these issues at the moment.
Moving Beyond Name Calling
Recent scholarship by Richard Muller and Carl Bangs has placed Arminus soundly within the range of theological opinion of his day. In particular, it has Muller demonstrates that Arminius was pretty typical of the Protestant Scholasticism of his day. He relied heavily on Aquinas and the Summa Theologica for basic understanding. Far from being a heretic that was out of step with the Reformation, Arminius is being reclaimed as a father of the Reformation by church historians today.
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