C Michael Patton
C. Michael Patton is the primary contributor to the Parchment and Pen/Credo Blog. He has been in ministry for nearly twenty years as a pastor, author, speaker, and blogger.
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Th.M. Dallas Theological Seminary (2001), president of Credo House Ministries and Credo Courses, author of Now that I'm a Christian (Crossway, 2014) Increase My Faith (Credo House, 2011), and The Theology Program (Reclaiming the Mind Ministries, 2001-2006), host of Theology Unplugged, and primary blogger here at Parchment and Pen. But, most importantly, husband to a beautiful wife and father to four awesome children. Michael is available for speaking engagements.
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18 replies to "How People See Arminians"
These are great–I love the lightheartedness. (:
I bet our guardian angels get some good chuckles out of all of us who think we know something on these blogs. (: (Wouldn’t you like to hear *their* commentary!…..Wonder if they’ve got nicknames for us…..)
I bet the angels gawk at our creativity. 🙂
These are amusing, but clearly designed by a Calvinist. The helicopter situation is a little tenuous, perhaps the metaphor is more semi-Pelagian.
Now if your helicopter had a rescuer holding the drowning man who submitted to the rescue…
It’s no secret where I fall Beth. 🙂
Thanks for the humor! I have to agree with Bethyada, the helicopter appears to represent a misunderstanding of how Arminians view themselves. Maybe if you explained what you were thinking there…
Another one… You are over my head regarding how Catholics see Arminians. Can someone explain that one to me? Sorry for being so dense.
@drwayman:
The Tiber is the river in Rome you would cross to get to the Vatican. But we Catholics don’t discriminate…Calvinists welcome too. Calvinist converts make marvelous Catholics! (; (like Dr David Anders!)
Irene – Thanks for filling me in. Now I get it.
Calvinists also make marvelous Arminians, too 😉
Dr. Wayman and Bethyada,
Have you all read Paige Patterson’s heliocopter analogy in Whosoever Will or Norman Geisler’s children in the pond analogy in Chosen But Free?
Mike’s use of the helicopter is warranted and reflects the predominant semi-pelagianism associated with most Arminian/Non-Calvinist evangelicals.
Joshua you said
“Mike’s use of the helicopter is warranted and reflects the predominant semi-pelagianism associated with most Arminian/Non-Calvinist evangelicals.”
Joshua,
Dr Wayman and Bethyada were stating that comments like yours above or this post, are not representive of true Arminianism.
Josh – Thanks for the help. I was saying that I didn’t understand his use of the helicopter. I don’t know what he was thinking. It may be representative of Arminianism or not, it depends.
I need to understand more to see if I agree or not that it is representative of how Arminians view themselves. I can’t tell from the pic if the person is by himself or if there is someone else there or if the helicopter or the pilot represents the Arminian, etc…
I have a tendency to regard Dr. Olson’s well analogy in terms of non-resistance as most representative of how I believe Arminians view themselves.
But anyway, it’s a humorous post and probably not meant to be overanalyzed, just enjoyed. Which I do, I think it is funny! Especially the maps of Armenia. Which BTW – there are Arminian Armenians 😉
Russ,
Correct, but how many “true Arminians” are there outside of Olson and SEA? Very few.
Dr. Wayman,
I hope I meet an Arminian Armenian one day! 🙂
Mike’s use of the helicopter is warranted and reflects the predominant semi-pelagianism associated with most Arminian/Non-Calvinist evangelicals.
Exactly the point. Calvinists frequently don’t distinguish (? understand) semi-Pelagianism from Arminianism. And this problem contributes enormously to difficulties in dialogue.
Joshua – You said, “I hope I meet an Arminian Armenian one day!”
If not here, you most definitely will in eternity…
I agree with Bethyada, injecting Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism into the discussion regarding Arminianism certainly muddies the water and does not advance loving Christian discourse.
To say that some forms of Arminianism have not been affected by Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism, would not be historically accurate to my mind. Noting the history of the so-called “Broad Church” in my own Anglican Communion!
Fr. Robert
you said
“To say that some forms of Arminianism have not been affected by Pelagianism and semi-Pelagianism, would not be historically accurate to my mind.”
Because a church strays from their own doctrinal statement into say semi-pelagianism by no means makes from where they strayed from wrong. Look at hyper-calvinism for example.
@Russ: I did not say that did I? I said, that the Broad Church history of Anglicanism, has lead that section or place of the Church, certainly away from the proper doctrine of God!
Btw, just what is the right definition of “hyper-calvinism”? It is a tough question, and does not appear to have a definite answer!
I don’t get the one with the helicopter.
/ Hi, CMP. Sharing this short-short I spied on the web. LOL /
Just wondering if Dr. Patterson and other dispy SBC leaders have ever Googled “Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty,” “Pretrib Rapture Pride,” and “Pretrib Rapture Stealth.” The last item has enough passages from Acts etc. to blow the pretrib rapture all the way back to 1830 and to the doorstep in Scotland of Margaret Macdonald!