Raising Lazarus

Now, you might be thinking that I have prejudiced my case by claiming that all the Church Father, except Augustine, have taught ambiguously or inconsistently on the subject of free will. Some people will think my interpretation of their writings aims to deprive them of their ability to make a choice because they hold views…

We can define free will this way: free will is not the ability to freely choose good or evil, but rather the fact that people can choose voluntarily and not under compulsion. Such a definition seems almost self-evident. Why should such a small matter be given such a profound title? This is an admirable freedom…

All Christian theologians will admit that free will does not enable people to do good works unless they are assisted by God's grace, specifically, the grace which the elect receive through regeneration. Do not even consider the views of those who say that grace is offered equally and lavishly to all (Lomb. lib. 2 Dist.…

In general, most Christian theologians who believe in free will do not believe that people can save themselves. They believe that truly righteous living must come from God's grace and spiritual regeneration. For example, the author of the work, On the Calling of the Gentiles, describes the will as threefold: sensitive, animal, and spiritual. The…

Through church history, all Christian theologians have acknowledged that human reason was seriously injured by sin. Moreover, they also taught that the human will was entangled by evil desires. Unfortunately, too many of them took the same approach as the non-Christian philosophers. Some of the ancient Christian writers appear to me to have exalted human…

Sometimes these philosophers won't deny how hard it is for someone to control themselves through reason, especially as they reflect on their own experience. People call prey to giving into their basest desires for many different reasons. Sometimes, they're seduced by pleasure. Other times, they think what they are doing is good, when it's really…