doctrine Archives - The Artios Center for Vibrant Leadership

Church of God (Seventh Day) & The Calvinist’s TULIP – Part 3

Brian Franks2022-08-03T16:05:45-06:00

By Israel Steinmetz Here we come to the end of our three-part discussion of the Calvinist TULIP. Since Artios Christian College and Lead Up are ministries of the Church of God (Seventh Day), it is worthwhile to examine our denomination’s Statement of Faith. Looking back on the first three letters of TULIP, we see that total depravity was easy to affirm. The Bible is explicit in describing humankind’s inability to merit salvation through works. Conversely, unconditional election was easy to denounce, as receiving the benefit of election in Scripture is always conditioned on faith. And, contrary to Calvinist claims, saving faith is not something predestined by God [...]

Church of God (Seventh Day) & The Calvinist’s TULIP – Part 3Brian Franks2022-08-03T16:05:45-06:00

Church of God (Seventh Day) & The Calvinist’s TULIP – Part 2

Brian Franks2022-08-03T16:04:23-06:00

By Israel Steinmetz Since Artios Christian College and Lead Up are ministries of the Church of God (Seventh Day), it is worthwhile to examine our denomination’s Statement of Faith. WHAT ELSE CAN WE LEARN ABOUT GOD, HUMANITY, AND GRACE FROM TULIP? As we progress on a journey exploring our Statement of Faith, we continue to look at the five letters of the Calvinist TULIP. Previously, we discovered that our Statement of Faith and Scripture support Total depravity. But we observed that Unconditional election is not a teaching clearly found in either. What about the L in TULIP? LIMITED ATONEMENT Also known as particular redemption, limited atonement is the teaching that Jesus’ death was only intended to [...]

Church of God (Seventh Day) & The Calvinist’s TULIP – Part 2Brian Franks2022-08-03T16:04:23-06:00

Church of God (Seventh Day) & The Calvinist’s TULIP – Part 1

Brian Franks2022-08-03T16:02:54-06:00

By Israel Steinmetz Since Artios Christian College and Lead Up are ministries of the Church of God (Seventh Day), it is worthwhile to examine our denomination’s Statement of Faith. In doing so, we consider profound questions related to the relationship between God and humanity. Central to such discussions is the Calvinist vs. Arminian debate, which raises questions regarding God’s will, human freedom, and grace. To engage this debate, we consider the five points of Calvinism, summarized in the acronym TULIP. TULIP: Total Depravity – the human inability to desire or do good to merit salvation without God’s intervening grace. Unconditional Election – the election of some humans [...]

Church of God (Seventh Day) & The Calvinist’s TULIP – Part 1Brian Franks2022-08-03T16:02:54-06:00

Our Distinctive Lens

Brian Franks2022-07-11T10:23:07-06:00

By Brian Franks It has happened many times in my life and ministry within the Church of God (Seventh Day). On a random Sabbath morning someone I don’t know walks in the church building. I greet them and introduce myself and they respond in kind. Then they get down to business: what does Seventh Day in the name of this church mean? I tell them about our belief in the Sabbath and why it still matters today (that it especially matters today in this culture). They ask about a few other things, and I share the stances the church has on [...]

Our Distinctive LensBrian Franks2022-07-11T10:23:07-06:00

Baptism Debates: Worthwhile Questions to Consider — Part 1

Brian Franks2022-07-11T09:43:44-06:00

By Israel Steinmetz Water baptism has been consistently practiced by the Church throughout the entire history of the Christian faith. It is practiced by the vast majority of those who call themselves Christians—whether Protestant, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox. However, the method, subject, formulas, agent, effect and meaning of baptism have been issues of debate throughout Christian history, particularly since the time of the Protestant Reformation. 1 Who may be baptized? Believers only, or infants as well? Who may baptize? Clergy or laity? What does baptism effect, that is, is it salvific or symbolic? Should the one being baptized have water sprinkled [...]

Baptism Debates: Worthwhile Questions to Consider — Part 1Brian Franks2022-07-11T09:43:44-06:00