Debating Calvinism: Five Points, Two Views

230 Pages·2004·0.81 MB·English

by  Dave Hunt

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DEBATING CALVINISM
published by Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
© 2004 by Dave Hunt and James White
International Standard Book Number: 1–59052–273–7
Cover design by Kevin Keller/Design Concepts
Interior design & typeset by Katherine Lloyd, The DESK
Cover images by Digital Vision
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations used by James White are from
New American Standard Bible® (NASB) © 1960, 1977, 1995
by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations used by Dave Hunt are from
The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)
Multnomah is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.,
and is registered in the U.S. Parent and Trademark Office.
The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission.
For information:
MULTNOMAH PUBLISHERS, INC.
POST OFFICE BOX 1720
SISTERS, OREGON 97759
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data Hunt, Dave.
Debating Calvinism : five points, two views / by Dave Hunt and James White. p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-59052-273-7 (pbk.)
1. Calvinism. 2. Reformed Church--Doctrines. I. White, James R. (James Robert), 1962- II. Title.
BX9422.3.H86 2004
230'.42--dc22
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CONTENTS
PREFACE
Introduction
CALVINISM AFFIRMED, by James White
CALVINISM DENIED, by Dave Hunt
Part I: Calvinism Affirmed
CHAPTER ONE: GOD'S ETERNAL DECREE
by James White
Response, by Dave Hunt
Defense, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
CHAPTER TWO: MAN'S INABILITY
by James White
Response, by Dave Hunt
Defense, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
CHAPTER THREE: UNCONDITIONAL ELECTION
by James White
Response, by Dave Hunt
Defense, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White

CHAPTER FOUR: JESUS TEACHES THE DOCTRINES OF GRACE
by James White
Response, by Dave Hunt
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Defense, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
CHAPTER FIVE: THE GOLDEN CHAIN OF REDEMPTION
by James White
Response, by Dave Hunt
Defense, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
CHAPTER SIX: PARTICULAR REDEMPTION: TRUE ATONEMENT, TRUE
SUBSTITUTION
by James White
Response, by Dave Hunt
Defense, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
CHAPTER SEVEN: IRRESISTIBLE GRACE: GOD SAVES WITHOUT FAIL
by James White
Response, by Dave Hunt
Defense, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White

Part II: Calvinism Denied
CHAPTER EIGHT: CALVIN AND AUGUSTINE: TWO JONAHS
WHO SINK THE SHIP
by Dave Hunt
Response, by James White
Defense, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
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CHAPTER NINE: THE CENTRAL ISSUE: GOD'S LOVE AND CHARACTER
by Dave Hunt
Response, by James White
Defense, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
CHAPTER TEN: REGENERATION BEFORE FAITH AND SALVATION?
by Dave Hunt
Response, by James White
Defense, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
CHAPTER ELEVEN: TURNING THE BIBLE INTO A CHARADE
by Dave Hunt
Response, by James White
Defense, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt

CHAPTER TWELVE: GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY AND MAN'S WILL
by Dave Hunt
Response, by James White
Defense, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: SALVATION OFFERED TO ALL
by Dave Hunt
Response, by James White
Defense, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
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Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: BIBLICAL ASSURANCE OF SALVATION
by Dave Hunt
Response, by James White
Defense, by Dave Hunt
Final Remarks, by James White
Final Remarks, by Dave Hunt

FINAL AFFIRMATION, by James White
FINAL DENIAL, by Dave Hunt

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PREFACE
What did you do to be saved? What has God done? Christians from every age of history have
taken aim at answering these questions from the Scriptures. And some of these voices have rung
out louder than others: Augustine, Pelagius, Arminius, Calvin, Erasmus, Luther, Whitefield,
Wesley. We've heard their names, but have we listened to their words? Have we measured their
arguments by the God-breathed words of the Bible?
Reader, you will find in our debate that the issues surrounding the vital teachings of the
Bible concerning our own salvation—what theologians call the doctrines of soteriology—are
still very dear to Christians of today. The passion of our debaters is undeniable. Their positions
are entrenched and heavily fortified. Indeed, we might easily have had their names conjoined on
the cover with versus rather than the tamer and.
The issue at hand is "Calvinism" insomuch as that system is codified in five main points: total
depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the
saints. And yet surely both James White and Dave Hunt would readily admit that the issue runs
deeper than these five points, to a way of thinking about God and how He works the impossible
wonders of grace.
The format of this debate is largely standard, though most debates are done in live, public
forums. Each author contributes seven chapters offered to substantiate his opening position
statement. Following each chapter, a response, defense, and final remarks are given in turn. The
constraints here are quantities of words, not minutes. As a reader, consider yourself at an
advantage to glean and consider and reconsider the arguments at your leisure. Why can't he get
it? you may find yourself asking. Or perhaps, How could I have missed that all along?
Our hope is that of Spurgeon, that publishing such a forum might "thrust forward before the
minds of Christians, precious truths, which but for it, might have been kept in the shade."1

1 Charles H. Spurgeon, "God's Will and Man's Will," sermon preached 30 March 1862.

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Introduction
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CALVINISM AFFIRMED
by James White
I
n the late summer of 2000, I interviewed Dave Hunt on KPXQ radio in Phoenix. Mr. Hunt had
just published an article in the Berean Call attacking the Reformed position. The article
misquoted Matthew 23:37 and presented the "standard" objections to Calvinism, objections based
primarily upon evangelical/Arminian traditions and common misconceptions concerning the
actual beliefs of Calvinists. I had written a full-length response to Norman Geisler on the same
topic in The Potter's Freedom, but Dr. Geisler had declined every opportunity for dialogue,
especially public dialogue and debate. I knew Dave Hunt would not decline such an invitation.
When we began the program, I noted that both Dave Hunt and I engage in public, formal
debates with Roman Catholic apologists. I also noted that I had recently debated Robert
Sungenis, a Catholic apologist, on the topic of justification by faith. Here is how the first
question and response between Dave Hunt and me went:

White: One of the key issues that came out there...this is one of the main reasons I
contacted you, one of the main reasons I wrote you the letter... is the issue of monergism
versus synergism; that is, the idea that there is one force that brings about salvation, over
against a synergistic viewpoint that views it as a cooperation, a cooperative effort
between two forces, man and God. And the reason I brought that up...is that Mr.
Sungenis, in representing the Roman Catholic perspective, very strongly attacked the
Reformed emphasis upon the sovereignty of the grace of God.... In light of your article,
and the fact that...you reject the concept of irresistible grace...you and I are responding to
one of the key issues of the Reformation in a different way. In essence, my first question
to you would be: Do you feel that the Reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin were in
error in emphasizing the deadness of man in sin and the absolute necessity—not just
necessity, but sufficiency—of the grace of God to bring a person to salvation?

Hunt: Well, first of all, James, I'm very ignorant of the Reformers. I have not had time to
read them. There are truckloads, I guess, of their writings. I like to just kinda' pretend
that we're back there in the days of the apostles before all of these things were written.
And I like to go to the Bible. So whether the Reformers said this or that, I don't know.1

1 You can listen to the discussion at www.straitgate.com/jwdhl.ram

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Mr. Hunt went on to say that we should go to the Bible, and I surely agreed with that. But I
was surprised that he was unaware of the issue Luther had described as the very hinge upon
which the entire Reformation turned; namely, the freedom of God and the sufficiency of the
grace of God in salvation. This was even more surprising due to the fact that Mr. Hunt's attacks
upon the Reformed faith parallel those of Roman Catholics. When it comes to the issues of the
freedom of God, the efficacy of grace, and the will of man, Mr. Hunt's evangelical tradition
stands side by side with Rome in denying the heart of the Reformation.
It was most surprising, then, to hear only a few months later that Mr. Hunt was writing a
book about this very subject, especially in light of his own confession of ignorance of the topic. I
informed him that, in light of the errors of understanding he had enunciated during the radio
program, I felt it was out of line for him to be publishing on the topic.
The publication of What Love Is This? prompted me to write an open letter, which was
posted on our website and very quickly distributed to a very wide audience.2 The book was
disappointing on every level. The tenor was harsh. The attacks upon historic figures were unfair
and unkind, revealing a bias that no honest historian should abide. The misuse of sources was
ram-pant and included numerous errors in understanding even of my own work, which played a
prominent role in Mr. Hunt's broadside at "Calvinism." The same misconceptions spoken in self-
professed ignorance in August of 2000 were now being promoted under the banner of research
and argumentation in print. But most importantly, I noted the continued enshrinement of tradi-
tion over sound exegesis of the Scriptures.
Some may question the wisdom of engaging in a point-counterpoint debate with Mr. Hunt on
this topic. Allow me to say that I do so first and foremost out of love for God's truth and God's
people. As an elder in a Reformed Baptist Church,3 I believe it is my duty to "refute those who
contradict" (Titus 1:9) and give an answer for my faith. As an apologist, I must be consistent in
my stance as well. If I point to Rome's teaching that the grace of God is necessary but not
sufficient to save, and identify this as a gross error that denies God His true glory in salvation,
must I not likewise point out this error when it is propounded under the name of evangelicalism?
How can I consistently call Rome to the final authority of Scripture and insist that it test its
traditions by God's Word when evangelicals go about blind to their own traditions, refusing to
test them by Scripture, in essence abandoning sofa scriptura? It would surely be more popular to
refrain from pointing out these errors, but for the one who seeks God's approval there is no other
choice.
Dave Hunt does not understand the Reformed faith, and his book is filled with numerous
straw-men caricatures that have nothing to do with the reality of it. It is not as if Mr. Hunt had
not been warned that he was going to put in print many errors that would be quickly documented
and refuted. I, along with others, can prove that we gave him that brotherly warning. But he has
refused to take heed, so now the issue is the impact of the publication and dissemination of error
on the wider audience of the church.
TRADITION VERSUS SOLA SCRIPTURA
In our radio conversation, Mr. Hunt at one point made a very important statement. When I
pointed out that he was simply responding to the Scripture passages I was raising on the basis of

2 aomin.org/DHOpenLetter.html
3 www.prbc.org

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