Return to Arminianism Part I

ARMINIANISM PART II

As we have seen from the previous page, Arminianism threatened the Protestant Reformations' core Doctrines. The entire Protestant Church was convened at the Synod of Dort to put an end in their lifetime to the speculation that the Reformers were somehow mistaken in their teachings. The Synod was Called to Resolve this question.
You see, by the 17th-Century, there were many more groups that took on the name "protestant" who dared not before. This was because the Doctrines of the great Reformers: Luther, Calvin and Zwingli, had weathered the storm and been victorious in all debate and tried and found true on the battlefields of Europe as well. So others, wanting to be "associated with a winner", started attaching themselves to the coattails of what the great Reformers started.
Not that this was bad, but some later came in with teachings that did not agree with what was originally taught, that in fact were obvious heresies, but still sought to "bear the name", "protestant".[1] The lies of false teaching began to be noticed by the True Protestants therefore, and they felt Duty-Bound to point it out to all lest anyone be deceived.
Whenever we say the great Reformers of course, we mean Luther, Calvin and Zwingli. There were no other main theologians that began the Protestant Reformation. They all believed and taught the same things regarding Predestination, Election and therefore Eternal Security. There was no disagreement between any of them on these core beliefs.

THE WHOLE PROTESTANT CHURCH RULES ARMINIANISM A HERESY

The Synod of Dort decided unanimously that the teachings of Arminius were Heresy because all the Semi-Pelagian arguments about "Foreknowledge" had already been presented and Ruled Heresy in the early Church at the time of Augustine. Simple as that.

THIS WAS REJECTED TOTALLY BY ROME

The Synod of Dort, of course, was immediately rejected by the Roman Catholic Church.
But what else was happening in the Roman Catholic Church at the time?

THE COUNTER-REFORMATION

The Roman Catholic Church, to defeat "Calvinism" had convened the Council of Trent.[2] The Doctrines of the Reformers (once again, Luther, Calvin and Zwingli, there were no other major theologians involved in the beginning), had decisively defeated Romes' theology.
Rome was going to try and rid the earth of this "Calvinism". At the Council of Trent, Rome categorically condemned the teachings of Martin Luther and John Calvin as Heresy and "doctrines of devils".
Rome was also very aware of Arminianism; how the people were being swayed by it.
Something had to be done and soon about the Protestant Reformation, so they chose to come out in favor of Arminianism.

HERE IS WHAT HAPPENED

1. Luis de Molina, a Jesuit Priest at the University of Salmonica, Spain, came out in favor of Arminianism. He said that Arminius was right, and that Election was based only on Gods' Foreknowledge, and not His Sovereign Choosing. This was generally decided the way to go to defeat the teachings of Luther and Calvin.
Thus, many Arminians who had been disfellowshipped by the Protestants began to join the Roman Catholic Church which welcomed them with open arms.
Because of the Protestant Reformation however, many priests had taken to studying, and had read Augustines' works about all this.
2. Domingo Banez, the famous Dominican Priest, was a leading Roman Catholic theologian of his time. Banez held First Chair at Salmanica University and was referred to as proeclarissimum jubar "the brightest light" of all Spain for his theological expertise and brilliance.
The Dominican Banez examined and objected to Luis de Molinas' adoption of Arminianism as true as it was obviously and totally against the teachings of Augustine: obvious Semi-Pelagianism, a Heresy.
He spoke out publically against Luis de Molinas' teaching saying Arminianism was clearly Heresy, and that Arminianism should be condemned.

THIS STIRRED-UP THE JESUITS AGAINST THE DOMINICANS

The Jesuits immediately sprang to de Molinas' defense and began accusing the Dominicans publically of being "Calvinists"! The Dominicans accused the Jesuits, necessarily, of being Pelagians! The Dominicans said the Jesuits were Pelagians because Augustine had already refuted the same arguments of Pelagius that were now dressed-up in different clothes and being taught as "Arminianism"!
The Dominicans appealed to the Spanish Inquisition. Not to be outdone, so did the Jesuits!
The progress of Arminianism though, now with full Jesuit approval, was working so well in bringing new converts to Rome, that the Spanish Inquisition did not know how to decide!
The Inquisition now was in a real fix. On the one hand, if the Inquisition decided against Arminianism, all the new converts to Rome would have to be told that Arminianism was Heresy: Semi-Pelagianism, just as the Synod of Dort had decided! They would also be condemning the Jesuits' position who, in Arminianism, had found a new way to attack "Calvinism"!
On the other hand, if the Inquisition decided for Arminianism, then they would be endorsing the doctrines of a known Heretic, Pelagius! Plus they would have outraged the Dominicans, not to mention outraging Domingo Banez, a Chief Theologian of the Roman Catholic Church and Spains' most famous Bible teacher!!
Oy Vey such a problem!
They simply did not know what to do. So they turned the whole matter over to Rome to decide.

THE POPE RULES ON IT

The pope and all his chief intellects studied the arguments of both sides and did a very clever move. He didn't get to be pope by being stupid. First, he ruled that both sides' accusations were false and to stop attacking each other. He decided on behalf of both! With so many Arminians convertuing to Catholicism, Rome obviously didn't want to "rock the boat".
The progress Arminianism was making in new converts to Catholicism seemed too good to be true, and he didn't want to offend the Jesuits either. And he certainly didn't want to offend the Dominicans. Agreeing with the Dominicans and endorsings Augustine against the Jesuits would automatically be agreeing with the Protestant Reformers! So he just left it at that. No Decision against either the Dominicans or the Jesuits.
In other words, "Settle down, we allow you to teach both. Augustine is still a Saint, Pelagius is still a Heretic. Continue to attack "Calvinism". As for the obvious problems? Keep quiet and don't worry about it!"
Or, we can say it this way, "We are getting all these Arminian converts, don't be such a stickler about Saint Augustine and the whole early Church. Therefore we will no longer recognize what "our" Saint Augustine wrote about Pelagianism, and what the whole early Church had previously agreed was a Heresy, because that would mean all these anti-Calvinist Arminian converts are just Pelagians! If we did, we would be forced to admit that Pope Leo X was wrong, the Synod of Dort was right and neither Luther nor Calvin were ever heretics, and we can't have that!"

IT IS UNTRUE THAT THE TWO POSITIONS CAN CO-EXIST

Even though it is absolutely untrue that the two positions (Arminianism and "Calvinism") can co-exist, Rome has made it work very well ever since. How? Perhaps because none of them take time to study? They are just fed that both "co-exist" in some fashion, as if the problem had been "solved long ago" between "these two extremes". Of course it cannot be solved and never will be solved.
It is somehow "assumed solved" however, and Arminians still convert to Catholicism regularly because Rome still includes Arminianism, by default, among its "Doctrines Officially Approved by the Pope". See footnote 2 below for the wording.

Go Here for The Big Three of Arminianism

MORE FOLLOWING SOON!

Translations:

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FOOTNOTES

[1]The name "Protestant" as stated, took on an entirely different meaning by the 17th-Century and has since. The very term "Protestant" was coined in the 16th Century at the Diet of Spires.
Various heretical groups and ideas which were rightly spoken against by Rome, wanted to come over to the Protestant side seeking acceptance and refuge. The original Reformers made it clear that just because you said you were "anti-Catholic", did not automatically make you a "Protestant" or a non-heretic. The same is true today. Several "denominations" still call themselves "Protestanst" but never were at all. Nor with their doctrines (Arminianism, etc.) never will be.
[2]Here is where the Council of Trent clearly departed from the teachings of Augustine about Grace:
"It (the controversy) proceeded from the combined influence of the pre-Augustinian synergism and monastic legalism. Its leading idea is (this is where they change the subject and begin teaching what opposes Augustine), that divine grace and the human will jointly accomplish the work of conversion and sanctification (this is where they deny Faith Alone), and that ordinarily man must take the first step. It rejects the Pelagian doctrine of the moral soundness of man, but rejects the Augustinian doctrine of the entire corruption and bondage of the natural man (this statement totally disagrees with the Council of Orange from 529 AD), and substitutes the idea of a diseased or crippled state of the voluntary power (this is obvious Semi-Pelagianism). It disowns the Pelagian conception of grace as a mere external auxiliary; but also, quite as decidedly, the Augustinian doctrines of the sovereignty, irresistibleness, and limitations of grace; and affirms the necessity and the internal operation of grace with and through human agency )this is rank Humanism), a general atonement through Christ, and a predestination to salvation conditioned by foreknowledge of faith." (again a Semo-Pelagian maxim)
Council of Trent. Canons IV, IX, XVII. 6th Session on Justification.
Carefully note these sentences of the Canons:
...(Rome) rejects the Augustinian doctrine of the entire corruption and bondage of the natural man, and substitutes the idea of a diseased or crippled state of the voluntary power.
...quite as decidedly, (Rome disavows) the Augustinian doctrines of the sovereignty (of G-d), irresistibleness (Irresistable Grace), and limitations of grace (Limited Atonement)...
...and (Rome affirms) a predestination to salvation conditioned by (Gods') foreknowledge of (mans' future) faith.
It took the Council of Trent almost 100 years to deny Augustine and the early Church; it met from 1545 to 1643, but that was the only way they could get around Luther and Calvins' teaching.
Result: Most evangelical Christians and others are totally unaware that their "Arminian anti-Calvinist" "teachers" are teaching Roman Catholic doctrine straight from the popes' own mouth: The Council of Trent.
Here are some examples:
"ELECTION
"We believe that God chose the believer before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4-6), and based on His foreknowledge, has predestined the believer to be conformed to the image of His Son." Chuck Smith. Calvary Chapel. From their website. Emphasis ours. This is just a reworking oif the Semi-Pelagian position. Predestination is never based on Foreknowledge of who would later believe, but based on G-ds' Sovereign Choice in Election.
"Free Will is our most precious gift." The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. (Mormon)

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND CREDITS

Augustinius, Aurelius. Contra Pelagius.
The Catholic Encyclopedia.
Edwards, Jonathan. Veritas Redux.
Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity. Saint Louis, Missouri. Prince Press. 1999.
Luther, Martin. Bondage of the Will.
Toplady, Augustus. Arminianism : The Road To Rome!
ibid. The "god" of Arminianism.
ibid. What will be your song?
The Westminister Confession of Faith. 1646.

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