J. Dwight Pentecost on Salvation

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I’m writing a journal article on what Dallas Theological Seminary professors taught about salvation to the general public, from 1965-1995. I’m looking at books by DTS professors, aimed at a general reading audience. I want to know whether they leaned Free Grace or Lordship. (Be sure to subscribe to the journal to get these longer articles.)  The first book I’m examining is J.
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What Are Some Free Grace Distinctives?

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Someone on Facebook asked what were some Free Grace distinctives. Here are ten things that I think make Free Grace distinct from other traditions. There are different schools of thought within the Free Grace movement. These ten things reflect our corner of the movement: 1) Saving faith is persuasion that the saving message is true,
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Can Legalistic Thinking Explain All Suffering? (Job 3-14)

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Kūmāré is a 2011 documentary about a New Jersey man who pretends to be a guru from India—complete with accent—to see if he can get a following. The documentary is painful to watch because he does gather a following, and the people are totally convinced that Kūmāré is a spiritual man, with spiritual powers, who can help them. And since the audience knows this is all
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We’re All Barabbas

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One of my favorite novels is Barabbas by Par Lagerkvist, winner of the Nobel prize for literature. The novel imagines what happened to Barabbas after he was released:  “He was about thirty, powerfully built, with a sallow complexion, a reddish beard and black hair. His eyebrows also were black, his eyes too deep-set, as though they wanted to hide. Under
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A Is for “Able to Believe”

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Bob and I wrote an article called “TULIP or ASSURE?” in which we briefly outlined what we thought was the Biblical alternative to the Five Points of Calvinism (and Arminianism). Our thinking has grown since then.  Previously, we defined “A” as “All have sinned.” That was too general a statement. I now prefer “Able to believe.” It gets at the heart of the issue.  The key issue in total
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Believing Strong Deception and Taking Pleasure in Unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:12)

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Some questions are harder than others:  I’m struggling to reconcile the free grace position with 2 Thess 2:12. Would you please help me understand what Paul is saying? The verse reads: “that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”  It seems to me that according to this verse,
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Three Ways to Comfort Your Suffering Friend (Job 2:11-13)

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I was reading an article by a woman who lost her brother, sister, and her sister’s children in a car crash. Horrific. She was stunned. She walked around as if in a fog, unable to think clearly. Of course, friends offered to help. Several said, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” She found that well-meaning, but unhelpful. The bereaved don’t want to impose
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