Monday, April 16, 2007

Jerry Fails

News of Jerry Falwell referring to Limited Atonement as heresy from Friday the 13th has been making the rounds at different apologetic websites. James White posts a clip. Watch here:



Notice carefully what he says at the end of the video. He says, "We are not into the particular love or limited atonement. Matter of fact, we consider it heresy"

Now I would love to ask Jerry if he loves his wife with a particular love or does he love all women in the same way? Would Jerry love all women in a fashion that he would lay down his life for them, even at the cost of his own family?

I would also like to ask Jerry if he is a universalist. He would obviously say "no", since he believes only "whosoever wills" will come to Christ to be saved. Yet isn't that still limiting the Atonement? Instead of limiting the scope, he limits its efficacy. He says that Jesus actually died for every single person but then takes away its actual power to save in the next breath by limiting it to "whosoever wills".

I have heard many pastors use this incoherent thinking. Inconsistency is the sign of a failed argument. Jerry just failed.

BTW: Notice how he uses a typical straw-man argument. He makes the "Elect" something different from "those whosoever will". In other words, he trying to say that there are many people who want to believe but are turned away because they are not of the Elect.

This kind of argumentation may persuade the faithful follower in his congregation, but it will not satisfy the thinking person who looks to Scripture as his final authority. The Elect are those who believe ("wills"). Why would anyone who is not of the Elect believe?

No comments: