Customer Reviews

Tulip: The Five Points of Calvinism in the Light of Scripture

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As can easily be deduced from the other reviews of this book, Duane Edward Spencer has charged headlong into a theological minefield with his effort here to succinctly outline the 5 points of Calvinism. I found this book to be a solid introduction to explaining the 5 points, as well as providing the Scriptural support that is regularly called upon to defend the 5 points. I am frankly startled that the negative reviews of this book are so seething, given that the purpose of this book is to explain the 5 points in summary fashion and citing what Spencer believes is Biblical support. If that is the purpose of the book, and since the negative reviews of this book have little to do with critiquing whether Spencer adequately achieved this purpose, I'm not sure the negative reviews are a good reflection of whether the author achieves what he sets out to do here. This book is a succinct introduction to the theology of Calvinism, and I think the author does a good job of presenting Calvinism in an honest light. Whether someone personally agrees with Calvinism is a separate issue. My review is based on whether Spencer does a good job or not of honestly presenting Calvinism to the reader. I believe he does, and does it well.

This book is definitely a summary. The book is less than 100 pages, and devotes between 10-15 pages to each of the 5 points. These chapters, in a succinct and precise way, explain each point, the Biblical passages that Calvinists believe support each point, and there is also a discussion of the Arminian point that the Calvinist point is responding to. Clearly, the reader should recognize that this book is not even close to exhaustive of the myriad of issues that separate Arminianism and Calvinism, and does not delve into many of the nuances that have been the source of ongoing debate and friction for centuries between the two camps. But the book is not intended to do that. What this book is trying to do is to give a reader who wants to get their feet wet on Calvinist theology a way to do so.

I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 for a few reasons. First, the negative reviewers of this book do make one valid point in saying that Arminianism, as presented in this book, is not given its full due. The author rightly feels compelled to offer a summarized view of the 5 points of Arminianism since the 5 points of Calvinism were drafted as a direct response to the 5 points of Arminianism. Therefore, it is appropriate and necessary that in order for the reader to get a deeper understanding of the origins of the 5 points of Calvinism, one must have some knowledge of what these 5 points were/are responding to, which would be the 5 points of Arminianism. I found Spencer's summary of the 5 points of Arminianism to be too summary oriented, and not totally explaining the rationales and Scripture passages that Arminians tend to rely on to support their view. So in that respect, the comparison between the 5 points of both camps is not as good as it could have been.

Secondly, as mentioned previously, this book, if read by an inquisitive reader, will likely leave that reader hanging a bit. After reading about the 5 points of Calvinism, a reasonable reader may well be left with burning questions concerning the Calvinist view of human free will, the problem of evil, the role of missions in Calvinist thought, and whether Calvinism endorses a sort of fatalistic determinism. All of these issues are huge, and none are explored in any great detail in this book. And while I understand that it was not the author's intention to explore these issues since they are somewhat beyond the scope of a basic examination of the 5 points, the author should have done a better job of anticipating these kind of issues and referring the reader to other Calvinist resources that deal with these issues. Spencer includes a very basic bibliography at the end, but I think it could have been beefed up considerably in such a way to offer relevant resource suggestions to readers who raise the above issues.

So in summary, this book gets into a redhot theological area, so it isn't surprising that emotions run high in many of the reviews of this book. But as someone who is still wading through some of these concepts, I found this book to be helpful, succinct, and beneficial for anyone who wants to begin their theological journey without trying to digest a lengthy and nuanced treatise. To be fair, the open minded reader who sincerely wants to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion on these issues should also pick up an introductory Arminian book and see the other side before coming to any definitive conclusions about these vital issues.

A superb look at the issues surrounding the debate. Perfect for the reader who does not want a 500 page treatise on the issue. I highly recommend it to anyone seriously interested in this topic. Presents a clear, biblical argument for "Calvinism", while fairly pointing out the arguments from the opposition, and presenting a strong rebuttal to them. This book opened my eyes to the truth of the Bible. This book is NOT for the person who thinks with their emotions, and cannot approach scripture with clear, deductive, deliberation.

The Five Points of Calvinism in the Light of Scripture, by Duane Edward Spencer presents in wonderful detail the arostic principles behind the acronym TULIP. Dr. Spencer references the Scriptures (KJV) over and over again to uncover God's Salvation Plan for mankind through TULIP (Total Depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irrestistible Grace, Perseverance of the Saints.) I would HIGHLY recommend this short and concise book to anyone interested in the studying the Bible.

In this work, Spencer seeks to introduce his readers to Calvinism with a brief introduction into the popular "Five Points of Calvinism" (or TULIP). While the book gives a brief introduction into each point, Spencer is limited in his "proof" texting or biblical exegesis of Calvinistic verses. Further, Spencer often glosses over key Arminian arguments and verses and never really dives into the history of Arminian thought and theology.

However, the book is good for those interested in a short reading of Calvinism. My sister used this book in her Bible studies at their Presbyterian church and found it to be easy to read, understand, and enjoyed the lively debates that insued from the book.

For a better treatment of Calvinism's Five Points see THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM by David N. Steele. For an excellent work on Arminism see Robert Picirilli's GRACE, FAITH, FREE WILL.

Many Christians appropriately associate the acronym TULIP with Calvinism, but often get stuck trying to remember what each letter stands for, or more importantly, what each point means. Duane Edward Spencer's book, TULIP, is often described as a classic work for explaining the five points.

TULIP, after a brief foreword and preface, begins with a summary of the five points of Arminianism, to which the five points of Calvinism are a response. The following chapter compares the two systems of thought to bring clarity to the distinctions. Next is a foundational chapter on the will of God, followed by chapters on each of the five points (Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints) and a concluding chapter. At the back of the short book are selections from the Westminster Confession of Faith (1648), a summary of the historical background of the debate, and a point-by-point comparison of the two-systems.

The best part of the book is the point-by-point section at the end. It contains an objective and concise explanation of each point with supporting scripture as promoted by both sides. Aside from that, I didn't find the book very helpful. Take, for example, this error: "Total Depravity, according to the giants of the Protestant Reformation (such as Luther, Calvin, and Know) meant that man was as bad off as man could be." (32) This would be true if a qualifier were added that it is meant in regards to man's relationship with God. However, the way it's stated it sounds as if man can do nothing good in any sense (as if Oscar Schindler saving countless Jewish lives was bad), and this is not the general teaching of Reformed theology.

Worse than that is the uncharitable attitude with which Spencer wrote this book. "Thus we have two diametrically opposed positions. One is an opinion, based on the reasoning of the carnal mind (Which is ever at enmity with God), and the other is a fact based on Scripture." (64) As much as I agree with Spencer that false theology is opposed to God, and that Arminianism is false theology, such rhetoric is not likely to endear the Arminian reader to consider his case. This book perpetuates the notion that Calvinists are arrogant, mean-spirited Bible thumpers (unfortunately some are, but not all).

In my opinion, a far better book on the five points is The Sovereign Grace of God by James R. White (available through his ministry). For a great book that introduces and defends Reformed theology in a personal and friendly manner, read David Clotfelter's Sinners in the Hands of a Good God.

This is a great book because it is concise, easy to ready and understand. It covers the Synod of Dort which I have not seen get very much coverage in other books. I ordered 10 copies the first time and have given all but two copies away to friends that are searching for the truth.

As a student of theology, I must agree with many of the comments above. This book really doesn't represent either side entirely, sometimes distorts and decontextualizes scripture, and tends to pick on Arminian theology inappropriately. But what do you want for ten bucks and eighty pages? If you're looking for serious academic theology then read Berkhof or Erickson. This is a good summary book to get people started in thinking through the differences between Calvinist and Arminian theological standpoints. It is written in colloquial English for the average student, and does reasonable justice to the viewpoint. I say he accomplished what he set out to do.

This booklet is an excellent overview to make the reader aware of the basics of "The Five Points of Calvinism". It would be perfect to give as a gift to your Arminian friends to explain the Calvinistic stand. Interestingly, this little booklets strength is also its weakness. At only 96 pages, one wishes that it would go deeper into each of the five points, but it only skims the surface, as it was intended to do. So, the book fulfills the purpose for which it was written.
I would recommend this book for anyone who wants a "Cliff Notes" version of the Five Points of Calvinism. A good, quick read on the subject.

Bought this book as a kind of introduction to my deeper understanding of Christianity. It had great material and I highly recommend it.

I picked this book up because, though I knew generally what the five points of Calvinism were, I wanted to learn more about the arguments and scriptural support for the Calvinist viewpoint, and this book seemed like a good place to start, as it was short and seemed to fairly compare and contrast the Arminian and Calvinist viewpoints. After reading this book, I have to say that I sincerely hope that these are not the best arguments that Calvinism has to offer. If they are are, then Calvinists are in deep trouble.

While Spencer claims to be demonstrating the truth of Calvinism from scripture, he really attempts, unsuccessfully at that, to force Calvinism on to Scripture. His argument, in a nutshell is "We should be Calvinists because Jesus was a Calvinist," though he also fails miserably in attempting to force Jesus's words to conform to Calvinist doctrine. Take for example the classic statement of Christian faith given in John 3:16, "For go so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have eternal life." Spencer goes through some terribly tortured reasoning, hand waving, and redefining of terms to argue that "world" doesn't really mean the whole world, just the elect, and that "whosoever" doesn't really mean everyone, just the elect. In a few instances, Spencer only quotes parts of verses, making them appear to support his argument, leaving out the rest of the verse which would serve to undermine his argument. (See his handling of 2 Peter 3:9) He also quotes verses that have absolutely nothing to so with soteriology, forcing them to somehow support the Calvinist viewpoint. Indeed, since his appeals to scripture consist of quoting single verses or even parts of verses out of context, the book comes across as nothing so much as a long exercise in proof texting and apriorism.

Given that some very intelligent people in history have been Calvinists-- Luther immediately springs to mind--and given that some very well-read, well-educated, and intelligent people today are Calvinists, I have to believe that there are valid, sound, scripturally based, and well-reasoned arguments for Calvinism. If those arguments exist, however, they are not to be found in Spencer's book.