What is Calvinism's view of God? Where did it originate? Is it a biblical system of thought? In this engaging course, Finny Kuruvilla slices through the theological jargon and offers an accessible, historical response to TULIP.
Plays through this course continuously and skips quiz and discussion stops. On desktop, this opens the normal playlist player with your current place.
In this free course, Finny Kuruvilla evaluates Calvinism in light of historic Christianity, with special attention to TULIP, God’s character, biblical interpretation, and key passages often used in Calvinist arguments. The course begins by introducing the history and influence of Calvinism, then moves into detailed biblical study on election, Romans 9–11, God’s sovereignty, human responsibility, grace, predestination, and limited atonement.
Several lessons focus on reading disputed texts in context, including passages in Romans, John, Ephesians, and other New Testament books. Later sessions consider proof-texting, early Christian history, Anabaptist concerns, and the modern implications of Calvinist theology. The course also includes a bonus Q&A where Kuruvilla responds to questions from the Historic Faith community.
Together, the lessons aim to help students examine Calvinism carefully, avoid shallow proof-texting, and think more clearly about grace, salvation, responsibility, and the character of God.
This opening lesson provides course instructions and materials. No transcript sample was supplied, so its contents should be treated as administrative rather than a theological lecture.
Kuruvilla introduces the course as a defense of “the faith once for all delivered to the saints” and frames Calvinism as a major challenge to historic Christianity. He surveys Calvinism’s influence, its history, major teachers and denominations, and the concern that its view of God distorts divine love, justice, goodness, glory, and sovereignty.
This lesson introduces election as “choice” and asks whether God’s choices are conditional or unconditional. Kuruvilla distinguishes different kinds of divine choice, especially election to service and election related to salvation, and prepares students to read Genesis 12, Pharaoh’s hardening, and Romans 9–11 carefully.
Kuruvilla begins an extended study of Romans 9 by reviewing TULIP and asking what problem Paul is addressing in Romans 9–11. He argues that the passage is about God’s promises to Israel, corporate election, and election to service rather than unconditional individual salvation and damnation.
This lesson continues Romans 9–11 with attention to Pharaoh, hardening, the potter and clay, Jeremiah 18, the Jewish interlocutor, and the olive tree. Kuruvilla presents Paul’s argument as a merciful plan in which God uses Israel’s hardness for the salvation of Gentiles and the eventual calling back of Israel.
Kuruvilla defines key concepts for later biblical interpretation, especially sovereignty, responsibility, libertarian freedom, and compatibilism. He critiques the Calvinist account of freedom and argues from biblical commands to repent and obey that moral responsibility implies real ability to respond.
This lesson examines grace and predestination as key terms for interpreting Scripture. Kuruvilla warns against reacting to Calvinism by abandoning biblical grace, discusses prevenient or enabling grace, and prepares students to revisit Ephesians 1, John 6, and John 10.
Kuruvilla applies earlier concepts to passages often used in Calvinist arguments, especially John 6 and John 10. He emphasizes reading these texts in context, including the conflict between Jesus and Jewish leaders and the question of who truly follows the God of the Old Testament.
This lesson addresses limited atonement and discusses John Piper’s argument for the doctrine. Kuruvilla surveys biblical passages he believes point to Christ’s death for the world and notes that even among Calvinists, limited atonement has often been disputed.
Kuruvilla turns to history and the dangers of proof-texting, including Calvinist claims about the early church and predestination. He also considers common proof texts for total depravity and perseverance, arguing that passages about forgiveness, the vine and branches, Israel in the wilderness, Colossians, and Hebrews show the need for conditional warnings to be taken seriously.
The final lecture draws together the course’s main concerns and discusses Calvin’s polemic against the Anabaptists, the Schleitheim Confession, baptism, modern Calvinist reasoning, and the pastoral implications of theology. Kuruvilla closes by urging careful handling of Scripture, zeal for the gospel, and seriousness about human choices.
This bonus Q&A features questions from the Historic Faith community about Kuruvilla’s course, his background with Calvinism, atonement models, limited atonement, and how to engage people who hold Calvinist views. The discussion also reflects on reading Scripture simply and carefully.
This lesson is listed as a course survey. No transcript sample was supplied, so no theological content can be summarized from it.
This lesson provides additional readings for the course. The transcript samples mention recommended readings throughout the lectures, but no separate transcript was supplied for this resource page.
Preview this Course
Open Registration
