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by Michael Cox (Author)
I have grown weary of searching for a book that would help me understand Calvinism and its attendant elements, like predestination, particularly a text which strikes a balance between being academic enough to be respected in the scholarly community, and yet practical enough to appeal to the wider audience comprised of the laity. Therefore, as with most of my writings, this present text is not intended to be too pedantic, but rather, is meant to be a blend between competent scholarship and practical information. However, balancing between the academic and the practical is not an easy task. If something is too academic (overly deep), few read it except for the pedants; and if it is too non-academic (overly shallow), few regard it as done competently enough to be worth reading. This study is very eclectic, bringing together, with comparative brevity, literally thousands of pages of material, as can be seen by my bibliography. Since one of my aims is to wed good scholarship with practical expression regarding layout, length, and overall readability, and do so utilizing an eclectic broadness, I truly believe that I have achieved my goal of producing a text which can help others better understand Calvinism and its accompanying elements. Striking this balance, then, has been an objective as I seek to examine Calvinism critically and scripturally.
My first textual aim is to provide a brief but informative historical and terminological survey of Calvinism and its concomitant elements. Next, my intent is to discuss Calvinism's strengths. Then the third and most significant purpose of this present work is to expound upon key biblical texts in an effort to hear what the Bible itself really has to say regarding Calvinism and its tenets. It is from this exposition of the Bible and from other related studies that twenty-five fatal weaknesses of Calvinism can be identified.
Lastly, I hold out little hope of converting Calvinists to my way of understanding the Bible on these matters. I am not naive enough to suppose that this present effort of mine will answer all the questions associated with Calvinism or put nails in Calvinism's coffin. Nevertheless, I operate with the conviction that ideas, like Calvinism, are fair game. Therefore, I hope to make a positive impact on all who read this work and especially pray that my effort will deter well-intending pilgrims from journeying down the ominous Calvinistic pathway.
