tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post2561759348922790974..comments2023-03-28T15:30:45.255-04:00Comments on Hammer and Nail: Let's Avoid the Straw ManErichttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-70285001084391677892008-06-21T14:27:00.000-04:002008-06-21T14:27:00.000-04:00Aaron,Thank you for saying nice things about this ...Aaron,<BR/><BR/>Thank you for saying nice things about this blog.<BR/><BR/>I came out of an Arminian background - the Wesleyan church. Our experiences are probably somewhat similar.<BR/><BR/>The frustration for me is that Christians often talk right past one another without really communicating. We are often too busy trying to win an argument to listen to the other person.<BR/><BR/>I hope I'm learning to be more humble as I get older.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-86569438923314290152008-06-21T01:39:00.000-04:002008-06-21T01:39:00.000-04:00Eric,I stumbled across your blog by chance but hav...Eric,<BR/><BR/>I stumbled across your blog by chance but have been enjoying it. You do a nice job.<BR/><BR/>I came out of a strongly Arminian, semi-Pelagian background (Seventh-day Adventist) about 3 years ago and it's been a very difficult transition at times. In discussing my beliefs with family and friends who remain in the church, I'm generally seen as being doubly crazy, first for leaving the "remnant church" but then for embracing Reformed theology. I try not to even use the word "Calvinism" because it's like holding up a cross to Dracula and puts an end to any discussion, usually. But, yes, there seems to be a gross misunderstanding of what Calvinism really is among many folks.<BR/><BR/>Keep up the good work!Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02839499662808032171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-91332222228901340252008-06-17T22:09:00.000-04:002008-06-17T22:09:00.000-04:00Dave,Thanks for your kind words. It sounds like w...Dave,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your kind words. It sounds like we are running into the same sorts of things as people in the blog world talk past each other instead of to one another.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-29006668472559501942008-06-16T22:25:00.000-04:002008-06-16T22:25:00.000-04:00I am sorry I missed this. It is a constant aggrav...I am sorry I missed this. It is a constant aggravation of mine in blogging debates. People caricature the other side and create "straw man" arguments, then knock them down. <BR/><BR/>You knocked this one out of the park.Dave Millerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01637750764381837761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-50213076820570037012008-06-12T11:52:00.000-04:002008-06-12T11:52:00.000-04:00Susan,Thanks for the kind words. On this issue in...Susan,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the kind words. <BR/><BR/>On this issue in particular, people tend to talk past one another instead of engaging in fair dialog. If we would actually talk, we would find that Calvinists and Arminians have much more in common than we might first think.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-9823220276624015312008-06-11T18:18:00.000-04:002008-06-11T18:18:00.000-04:00AMEN, Eric!!! If only everybody had your good sen...AMEN, Eric!!! If only everybody had your good sense.<BR/><BR/>As someone who's been trying to sort this out for years, it is SO FRUSTRATING to constantly read the straw man attacks. It's so futile and so un-helpful, and all around aggravating.<BR/><BR/>I usually read it coming from Calvinists and find myself often in the position of having to correct their ridiculous presuppositions against Arminians. Once in a while (like with the hyper-Calvinist thing you wrote about earlier), I have had to defend my Calvinist friends also.<BR/><BR/>Straw man errors only distract from dealing with the real issues and annoy us poor people who are trying to figure out where we stand.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for your post!<BR/><BR/>SusanSafe Thus Farhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15315692891125283112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-40178665503999333232008-06-10T11:30:00.000-04:002008-06-10T11:30:00.000-04:00Jason,Thank you. I'm glad to hear that my bloggin...Jason,<BR/><BR/>Thank you. I'm glad to hear that my blogging has come across that way.<BR/><BR/>Until four years ago I was solidly Arminian. Most of my family remains so. I praise God that they are almost all solid Christians. Yes, I disagree with them over the Doctrines of Grace, but I am obviously thrilled that they are children of God.<BR/><BR/>The Arminian-Calvinism debate must be secondary to the basics of the gospel.Erichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07306854704766653209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354626964012460623.post-74089987173280036732008-06-10T09:16:00.000-04:002008-06-10T09:16:00.000-04:00Eric, For what it is worth I have greatly appre...Eric,<BR/> For what it is worth I have greatly appreciated your blog as I am slowly moving from an Armenian position to a more reformed one. I don't know that I have ever felt misrepresented by your writing.<BR/><BR/>JasonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com