Comments on The Schooley Files: The Jobless Rate for People Like You

Welcome, Erica! (Yes, I clicked through the "...

2009-11-24T00:24:18.673-05:00

Welcome, Erica! (Yes, I clicked through the "Unfinished Lady" link.) We're all unfinished, aren't we?

I'm very grateful that you're enjoying what you're reading here. Please feel free to comment or ask questions on any entry here--it doesn't have to be recent.

You'll find a lot of what I've written regarding Calvinism compiled together as a few larger posts in the "Studies" section (see the tabs near the top of the page). I hope you find them helpful.

I do think that Calvinism lends itself to a lack of security, because rather than making one wonder if they could eventually fall away, it makes them wonder if they were ever really saved to begin with. But I would also say that even under the Calvinistic system, there is no contradiction in God choosing your "sinful self." Something we should all agree on is that absolutely none of us come anywhere near deserving the grace of God. Our relative "goodness" and "badness" is pretty insignificant when compared with the holiness of God. God chose to glorify Himself by mercifully choosing to save any of us. That's true whether He selected individuals to save (Calvinism) or whether He selected faith in Jesus as the means to salvation and then offered that means to all of sinful humanity (Arminianism).

None of us deserve to be saved. Which is really freeing, if you think about it, because we can give up the hopeless quest of trying to deserve it. And we can offer it freely to anyone else, regardless of their past, because if our past doesn't matter (good or bad) then theirs doesn't either.

God bless. Please write again!

I found your blog through evangelicalarminians.org...

2009-11-23T16:28:32.312-05:00

I found your blog through evangelicalarminians.org and I love what I've read so far.

I'm struggling like you would not believe with all aspects of Calvinism, and what people declare to be a wonderful sense of security has left me doubting my salvation, because there's no way God would choose my sinful self.

I plan to work through your blog one entry at a time.

From Dave Porter Hi Keith, Thanks for the inter...

2009-11-16T22:56:37.798-05:00

From Dave Porter

Hi Keith,

Thanks for the intertesting post. I'm in the 3.9% group, so I guess I should be thankful. A good friend of mine, just a few years older, no college, but a HS grad and very skilled machinist is in the 7.9% group, and hasn't had a steady job in over two years. It's tough out there.

Take care,Dave