Proportion Theology

[micah719]

Would some familiar with Reformed Theology please cast a discerning eye over this document:

http://www.buzzardhut.net/index/htm/prop.htm

The purveyors of it claim to have found a middle road between Calvinism and Arminianism.

All I can see in it is the leaven of free will...hence it is Wesleyan Arminianism by another name, or simple semi-Pelagianism dressed up in new, imaginary, clothing.

If you like being called a blasphemous heretic, contact the owner of it for a generous helping and mention tulips.

Concise and legible posts demonstrating the fallacy win a cobblestone....see me post-parousia for payment.

[shunyadragon]

Would some familiar with Reformed Theology please cast a discerning eye over this document:

http://www.buzzardhut.net/index/htm/prop.htm

The purveyors of it claim to have found a middle road between Calvinism and Arminianism.

All I can see in it is the leaven of free will...hence it is Wesleyan Arminianism by another name, or simple semi-Pelagianism dressed up in new, imaginary, clothing.

If you like being called a blasphemous heretic, contact the owner of it for a generous helping and mention tulips.

Concise and legible posts demonstrating the fallacy win a cobblestone....see me post-parousia for payment.

Could not open the file, but nonetheless I consider the Calvinist as an unrealistic extreme view concerning the nature of 'will' in human nature.

[micah719]

The link works, I checked it again.

[KingsGambit]

I will say, on the outset, that I don't think that "Arminianism" falls under Unorthodox Theology, and I think this is in the wrong forum. I honestly didn't see anything off the top of my head that struck me as particularly objectionable on this page (though I don't endorse everything on the rest of his website).

[micah719]

It's not the Arminianism that falls into the unorthodox for my purpose in this thread, it is the hypothesis put forward called "Proportion Theology" that I wanted informed opinion on.

If I wanted a discussion on Arminianism rest assured I'd go to the appropriate section....though I consider it rightly unorthodox on its own, if the word "orthodox" means the doctrine held by the reformers, and opposed so strongly and later surreptitiously by the papists. There's nothing new to add to that debate anyway, merely to collate the arguments and evidence and make a stand. Salvation is wholly of The Lord, which even the Arminians confirm in prayers and hymns but deny in prose and conversation.

To state the question again: those familiar with Reformed theology (aka Calvinism, aka doctrines of grace such as preached by Spurgeon, Whitefield, Edwards, Toplady, Owen, Turretin etc.) please examine the document linked above and confirm or deny my impression that it is but Arminianism/Semi-Pelgianism disguised with a label-change.

My intent is to uncover yet another work of darkness so that the danger may be evident to believers that may be swayed by the smooth words and cunning arguments. I do not maintain that the owner is not a Christian, or that Arminians are all apostates, but that the system of Arminianism is a heresy with no good consequences. Examine the difference between Nettleton and Finney if you're inclined to quibble about it; inspect the fruit. Just because Arminianism is the default position in these days does not mean it is right....neither does the fact that Calvnism was the default position from the Reformation since until quite recently mean it is right. Truth is not determined by popularity or majorities, it is determined by the Scriptures, and those have been twisted for every heresy, so proper and consistent exegesis is required. I stand as a tulip-smokin' sola-sniffin' grace-dependent garden-variety Calvinist and unless someone can convince by Scripture that it is wrong, that's my position. And it's for another topic, so please, focus on the PT thingy for this thread.

[KingsGambit]

I will admit, on the outset, that it doesn't particularly look "good" to give it a new name ("proportion theology") - it makes it seem more unique than it is. These conclusions really aren't that unique, though.. they do seem somewhat similar to other conclusions reached by those who don't come down on either side (JP Holding comes to mind: http://www.tektonics.org/tulip/tulipsum.html ) Basically, it seems like little more than that this Buzzard Hut site is affirming two of the petals of TULIP (T and P).

[micah719]

Yes, that was my impression as well. But a proper understanding of Total Depravity requires the rest to follow, and rather than making God out to be a monster it exposes us for the monsters we are and how gracious and merciful The Lord really is. When I get around to it I may take a screenshot of the original and highlight the points where it derails, and screenshot it again and post it as an image.

[KingsGambit]

I would be interested in hearing your perspective on this.

[micah719]

My perspective? Monergistic....if The Lord hadn't had gracious mercy on me, I'd be getting what I deserve. Even when exposed to the Gospel several/many times, I ran. Praise Him for not taking my decision as definitive of my eternal state. Salvation is of The Lord, not micah, nor micah's "free will", not any evangelist, nor any religion-pedlar. This prop-theol lark is just arminianism with a new label, imo. The deciding factor is a human act, therefore not Scriptural....meaning the whole of Scripture, sans twisting or redefinition of sticky terms, or philosophical reasoning. Soli Deo Gloria. A thread comparing Nettleton and Finney might be my next contribution, but first the screenie of the highlighted mines in PT.

[micah719]

An update after many moons.......

Ok, I had a real close look at PT...the only difference between it and classical remonstrant arminianism is OSAS....the salvation trap, whereby the sinner, having saved himself by a wise choice not to burn for eternity, is no longer permitted to exercise his vaunted freewill. Or, as the PIRA used to say, "once in, never out". Note....this is not perseverance of the saints as understood by calvinists.

I wrote a pdf file comparing PT to the remonstrance, and the tulip points. Now, the next thing is to post it online. Hmmmm, where to host the file?