Calvinism vs. Arminianism is one of the central debates in Protestant Christian theology. Calvinism is named after John Calvin (1509-1564), a French theologian living in Switzerland who became one of the leading voices of the Protestant Reformation [1]. Initially influenced by Martin Luther, Calvin's own views evolved further away from the Roman Catholic theology of the era. His tome "The Institutes of the Christian Religion" became highly influential on Protestant Christian thought. Arminianism, in contrast, is named after Jacob Arminius (1559-1609), a Dutch theologian who studied under Calvin's direct successor in Geneva and came to oppose some of his conclusions [2].
Today Calvin's and Arminius' teachings could be thought of as two ends of a spectrum on which many Protestant Christian denominations can be found. Calvin's views are most prominent in Presbyterian and Reformed churches, while Arminius' views are more closely represented in Free Will and Methodist congregations. (The Methodist Church was founded by John Wesley, who was heavily influenced by Arminius.) From their earliest beginnings, Baptists were divided into "General" (Arminian) Baptists and "Particular" (Calvinist) Baptists. Today, most Baptist bodies as well as many nondenominational churches could be thought of as falling somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, adhering to a blend of the views from these two prominent theologians.
So what are the differences between these two perspectives? On this site, I will attempt to give an overview of these two competing ideas that is accessible at the level of an ordinary Christian unversed in the details. Both arguments, as well as Bible verses that appear to lend credence to each, will be presented, and the user will be asked to select the view that corresponds more closely to his or her own viewpoint. The format of the site will be similar to a "Choose Your Own Adventure" book that will take the reader to different material based on his or her choices at certain points in the story. The goal of the project will be to provide an interactive and fun way for students to learn about the subject of theology.
Both Calvinism and Arminianism can be summarized with five points. To start on this topic, let us explore the first point: their positions on Total Depravity vs. Free Will.
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[1] "John Calvin," Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/theologians/john-calvin.html
[2] "Jacob Arminius," Christianity Today. http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/theologians/jacob-arminius.html