The Other Side of Calvinism

Even if Calvinists do not believe that Vance squarely places the TULIP in the anti-biblical man made horrible decree that it is, he can read many authors who taken as a whole, provide a plenary and plethora of polemics refuting that hellish doctrine.(Olson, Fisk, Zeller, Olson, Hunt, Geisler, Lightner, Penfold, Rice, Cloud, Hyles, Hutson, Baker etc.) But the point is no matter what is written and no matter how many salient arguments are made, he, like most Calvinists will stop their ears and turn (Acts 7) and force the truth out of their minds by calling it straw men arguments, eisegesis, non-exegetical and "heresy" (if all else fails). No one can or will change their mind when they are down the rabbit hole of Calvinism; and neither Alice's looking glass nor sound biblical refutation of their system will change their mind until they are first willing to put aside their pride and say "what saith the scriptures" and "what if I am wrong".

This book is a must for any student of Scripture whose theological leanings do not include the tenets of Calvinism. In an exhaustive fashion, Vance's 788 page Magnum Opus, "The Other Side of Calvinism" not only demonstrates Calvinism's flaws from a scriptural standpoint but also uses Calvinistic primary sources and refutes those philosophically-based arguments.

Laurence M. Vance has gone to considerable lengths to present a historically accurate, well documented account of the sustainers and retractors of Calvinism, the events that led up to its being accepted as the 'standard' it has become over the centuries, and his own understanding as to how this all plays out in the light of Scripture. Unlike most other works of its kind, in 'The Other Side of Calvinism' Dr. Vance quotes a vast number of supporters of Calvinism - including John Calvin himself - and utilizes their own words to bolster and enforce his counter-points. To this end Dr. Vance also succeeds in conveying to the reader that there exists much confusion among the Calvinist rank and file. As noted within the book, this fact is not without its import.A down-to-earth writing style, exhaustive endnotes, Scriptural references, and large appendices do much to secure the reader and encourages one to recognize that this is a work that expects personal conclusions to be based upon a process of reasoning and Biblical validation, not general presumption. Dr. Vance takes nothing for granted in presenting the comparison of his views to those of Calvinism and its supporters.Whether one upholds the system or not, 'The Other Side of Calvinism' will undoubtedly leave the majority of its readers challenged and well informed.

This is the most thorough and exacting work on Calvinism I have ever read. It is complete with the Historical origin of Calvinism, modern views and teachings of Calvinism, and examines the scriptures used to prove and disprove this belief. It is a must for any Library.