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Debating Calvinism: Five Points, Two Views [Paperback]

Dave Hunt (Author), James White (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews) |
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Book Description

Publication Date: February 4, 2004
A centuries-old belief system is put to the test as two prominent authors examine and debate the subject of Calvinism from opposing viewpoints. James White, author of The Potter's Freedom, takes the Calvinist position. Dave Hunt, author of What Love Is This, opposes him. The exchange is lively and at times intense as these two articulate men wrestle over what the Scriptures tell us about God's sovereignty and man's free will. This thought-provoking, challenging book provides potent responses to the most frequently asked questions about Calvinism.

Is God free to love anyone He wants?
Do you have any choice in your own salvation?

It’s time to find out.

Calvinism has been a topic of intense discussion for centuries. In this lively debate, two passionate thinkers take opposing sides, providing valuable responses to the most frequently asked questions about Calvinism. Only you can decide where you stand on questions that determine how you think about your salvation.

Story Behind the Book

The subject of Calvinism has been hotly debated for many years, and now two prominent authors and researchers will debate this controversial topic in a book debate. This project came about when Mr. Hunt wrote What Love is This- Calvinism’s Misrepresentation of God. Mr. Hunt was challenged by many on the Calvinist bench and he eventually agreed to do a debate in a book format. The books purpose is to get you to think and come to your own conclusions.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dave Hunt

Dave Hunt is an internationally-known author and lecturer. His bestselling books have been translated into more than forty languages and have sold more than 4 million copies. Mr. Hunt co-hosts his own weekly radio program Search the Scriptures Daily which is broadcast to over 100 stations in the US and worldwide. He and his wife, Ruth, have four children and live in central Oregon .

James White

James White is the director of Alpha and Omega Ministries, which is dedicated to defending the historic Protestant position on the sufficiency of Scripture and Salvation. The author of Letters to a Mormon Elder and The King James Only Controversy, and the coauthor of The Same Sex Controversy, White and his wife, Kelli, have two children and live in Phoenix , AZ.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 432 pages
  • Publisher: Multnomah Books (February 4, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1590522737
  • ISBN-13: 978-1590522738
  • Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.1 x 8.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #396,120 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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James R. White

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
146 of 180 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Here is what you'll get, if you purchase this book:

James White writes a concise, clear summarization of Calvinism, with very little of his usual condescension or sarcasm. He provides small, digestible slices of Greek hermeneutics, grammar analysis, and history. This is a better book than "The Potter's Freedom" to give to a newcomer on the Calvinism/Arminianism debate, because it is not as technical or philosophically heavy.

Dave Hunt's chapters will give you a definite feeling for the typical argument of non-Methodist Arminians.

However, here is why it's also a poor book: Dave Hunt is so illogical, so non-linear, and so invincibly stubborn, that he is just a poor opponant for White. Even after writing his pro-Arminian book "What Love Is This?", Hunt still shows that he has no concept of what Calvinism actually teaches.

In his first positive chapter, meant to affirm what he believes, he chooses to spend the entire chapter smearing John Calvin, still playing the guilt-by-association game by making Calvin out to have been a closet Roman Catholic. It never occurs to Dave Hunt that this book was supposed to be about the generally-Reformed doctrine of salvation, not the Presbyterian view of church and the sacraments. But Hunt's goal is to make you just hate Calvin as a person so much that you will automatically reject Calvin's ideas. The principle that an idea can be true standing on its own, and isn't proven by whether one of its advocates was a nice guy, never seems to occur to Hunt.

Hunt wastes all kinds of time kvetching about Calvin's views of the sacraments. But since James White is a Baptist and not a Presbyterian, AND because this book is supposed to be about the Christian doctrine of salvation (not the Christian doctrine of the sacraments, or church-state relations), Hunt's incessant complaints against Calvin are totally irrelevant.

White repeatedly and correctly points this out in his after-chapter responses, but Hunt never acknowledges it. Hunt never analyzes texts, barely responds to White's actual points, and fills up his responses with wild claims that White "in his chapter didn't produced even one verse that shows..." whatever it is they're debating at that point in the book, while you (the reader) know that the only thing White did was cite and analyze verses.

The issue is, what those verses mean? Hunt never shows that he knows how to do Bible interpretation. So as the book moves forward Hunt comes across as so knee-jerk and stubborn as to have lost his senses.

So from that standpoint, you'll wish the publishers had found some competent student of Scripture to debate James White. Even if it had been someone that no one ever heard of, any professional Arminian theologian from a conservative seminary or Bible college would have been better. One of my former systematic-theology professors from Columbia could have done a bang-up job.

So here's what you get: (a) A nice, concise summary of Calvinism from White, useful for people who want to know what calvinism teaches (b) a nice, concise summary of Calvinism's critiques of Arminianism, for those who want to think critically, and (c) a pretty good feel for the typical, popular-level, Baptist-type anti-Calvinism you might run into anywhere, from Dave Hunt.

But what you won't get is an intellectually respectable defense of Arminianism. Hunt's material is so loaded with guilt-by-association, slander, emotionalism, preachiness, unresponsiveness to White's actual claims, and an "all-over-the-place" ramblingness, that you will wish that Multnomah Publishing had gotten someone else to represent the Arminian viewpoint.

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29 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Synergistic April 2, 2004
By samwi
Format:Paperback
White offers a narrow but deep argument for his position and careful rebuttle of select points. Hunt offers a more shallow argument but in doing so touches on many points. It's my opinion that Hunt entered into this debate with a preconception of Calvinism which is inaccurate and as a result spends much of his time striking at charictatures. White draws attention to this but time and again the Arminian perspective attacks points that never emerge from the Calvinist camp.

Regardless, Hunt and White have produced a work that is entertaining and yet informative. Hunt's view on freewill is interesting though he does not, in my opinion make a very strong case for it. White presents the classical Calvinist doctrins with equal zeal.

Unintended is that this book gives you a debate to study. Argumentation developes, is struck down, rebuilt and the reader appealed to directly to consider the argumentation methods of the opponent. This synergy of the two authors gives this book unique appeal in my eyes.

Of course, everyone want's to know "who won," to which I believe it is White. I think that Hunt's breadth of argumentation robbed him of any depth and so if there was a solid argument to be established, it was never realized. While Hunt's rehtoric might be more appealing it does not contain White who repeatedly topples core arguments of his opponent and is allowed to retain most/all of his own core arguments.

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Other solid reviews have been made of the ill-fated choice of Dave Hunt to represent the Arminian views on the so-called 'Five Points of Calvinism'. As another reviewer stated, I find James White a good selection here and, unlike his normal writings, he is well-controlled and even-handed in his presentation and dialogue with Hunt (for the most part). I think James White gives a clear exposition on consistent, Reformed Calvinism. For this alone the book is worth the buy.

White is consistent in his Reformed exposition of scripture, as well as his responses to Dave Hunt. Though I do not essentially agree with White, I find him clear in what he is saying as he is not putting up a smoke and mirrors routine. This is true, consistent Reformed teaching, not the so-called 'Moderate Calvinism' which then attempts to be played off as a true expression of Calvinism. Post-Reformation Calvinism was explained in clarity by the Westminster Divines and solidified in the Westminster Confession of Faith. This Confession would not agree with the 'Moderate Calvinism' of recent history for it essentially is not Calvinism. I applaud White for his clarity on this area.

Dave Hunt, on the other hand, raises the common theological disagreements with Calvinistic theology and exegesis, and more importantly, the philosophical problems with Calvinism. However, I certainly wish Hunt would have spent more time on each area just mentioned, especially the philosophical dynamic. Hunt is not thorough enough in any of these areas. He engages more in the historical issues of the lives and legacies of Augustine and Calvin than essentially responding to White. Hunt spends too much time with emotional arguments that lack stronger substance. Though not a Calvinist, I feel these criticisms of Hunt are justified. Hunt lacks both depth and focus in his dialogue with James White. White calls him on this numerous times, yet Hunt consistently side-steps the issues and continues his polemics and ad hominem attacks on historical figures in Augustinian/Calvinistic traditions and misses key opportunities to convince his reader that an 'Arminian' stance on these issues can be well-supported biblically.

However, this is not to say I think scripture lacks support for these arguments, on the contrary, I feel it does support some of the historical disagreements. Areas such as the decree(s), election (though nuanced in my understanding), irresistible grace, and limited atonement. Unfortunately, Hunt wastes valuable space using guilt-by-association methods and other poor polemics when all he needed to do was be fair-minded, biblical, and exegete the passages convincingly. He loses a lot of ground because of his failure to do this well. I also essentially wanted to agree with White (who I don't care much for in the area of debate because of his attitudes and style of engagement) in the end because he was less combative and tried to show more exegesis and biblical thinking (albeit Reformed) to convince his audience of the 'Doctrines of Grace'. I feel he fell quite short to convince me, but he presented his convictions with a solid presentation.

Overall, I could only recommend this book as an introductory-level work for those seeking to understand a thoroughly well-versed Calvinist teach on the 'Doctrines of Grace'. I wish the publishers would have obtained a well-versed, highly respected Arminian theologian to dialogue with James White. Having an Arminian scholar like Jack Cottrell or Thomas Oden would have been extremely beneficial in this book and probably would have made this book outstanding. In the end, Hunt, though possessing passion for the Lord, is a solid apologist, but more for the Christian Worldview among the chaos of Pluralism, Relativism, and the non-Christian Cults. He is not a theologian, and someone from this mold is much-needed to dialogue with a theologian and scholar from the Reformed position on soteriology. I feel the publishers missed a special opportunity to expose many to solid and consistent Arminian views on the Doctrines of Grace. This was truly unfortunate.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A FORCEFULLY-ARGUED, DETAILED DEBATE ON CALVINISM FROM TWO FAMOUS...
Dave Hunt operates (with T.A. McMahon) an "anti-cult"/apologetics ministry, "The Berean Call." James R. Read more
Published 1 day ago by Steven H. Propp
Oh boy
I had initially wondered about the comments regarding this book. The reviews of the book seemed heavily biased in favor of the Calvinist argument, so I figured it was just the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by June B Hart
Fair Debate
Unlike articles in magazines, both sides here are given a fair chance, and equal space, to make their points. After reading Chosen But Free by Dr. Geisler, I thought Mr. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Victoria Shephard
The Great DIvide
"Debating Calvinism" is a very interesting approach to the subject of that persuasion. This is in spite of the fact that Calvinism is not really an easy thing to identify,... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Martin Horan
Debating Calvinism, Exposing Calvinistic reasoning
This is an excellent study which not only biblically exposes the heretical tenets of Calvinism but also reveals the faulty ways in which Calvinist defenders try to defend their... Read more
Published 24 months ago by Rose Klous
GREAT
This book is a great source in looking at Calvinism as a whole.
Gives great points on both sides of the argument. Read more
Published on May 25, 2010 by H. Michel
Not a fair debate
The premise of this book is interesting: Two prominent Christian authors, who have very different theological views, publishing a book together in an attempt to clearly articulate... Read more
Published on May 5, 2010 by John Gardner
Horrible book
James White did a great job. Unfortunately Dave Hunt was AWOL.
Mr. Hunt must be a terrific dancer because he was wandering all over the place.

Dr. Read more
Published on March 10, 2010 by David K. Smithey
Debating James White
Simply put, this is a long, irritating, and bordering on childish debate.

I do apologize in advance for seeming rather gloomy, but what I write,
I will stand by. Read more
Published on April 3, 2009 by Young Man
You have to be kidding me!
Ok, I'm a Calvinism but as a former Arminian I was enraged with this book. Naturally, you would think that a debate on Calvinism would be between a Calvinist and an Arminian,... Read more
Published on February 14, 2009 by Calvin W. Fergins
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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
In the late summer of 2000, I interviewed Dave Hunt on KPXQ radio in Phoenix. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sovereign regeneration, regeneration precedes faith, man cannot respond, libertarian free will, consistent exegesis, creaturely will, constant misrepresentation, particular redemption, exercise saving faith, sovereign decree, unconditional election, one that believeth, unregenerate man, ongoing faith, unregenerate men, things after the counsel, irresistible grace, electing grace, limited atonement, sovereign work, rebel sinners, eternal decree, periphrastic construction, eternal security, autonomous will
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Dave Hunt, Grand Rapids, Jesus Christ, John Calvin, Old Testament, The Potter's Freedom, Christ Jesus, Final Remarks, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Henry Beveridge, Roman Catholic, Calvary Press, Defense of the Reformation, John Piper, New Testament, Five Points of Calvinism, Spirit of God, John Owen, Loraine Boettner, Son of God, Banner of Truth Trust, Martin Luther, Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, The New Park Street Pulpit, Norman Geisler
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