Predestination and Free Will - Part 1
Every denomination has an explanation for predestination. However, they all fall into one of three categories: Pelagianism, Semi-Pelagianism, and Augustinianism. Some today would object to those categories but they’re accurate in where they came from historically. Today we call Semi-Pelagianism = Arminianism and we call Augustinianism = Calvinism. In the next few posts I will undertake the doctrine of biblical predestination/election, give some portion of its history through the NT church age, what it consists of and means, and why it matters. This is by no means exhaustive. So, let’s begin with how the debate began. The church underwent a great many trials in the fourth century and the staunch defender of the faith who arose was Saint Augustine of Hippo in the fifth century. This was in Hippo Regius which was located in modern-day Annaba, Algeria. After some time, a British monk by the name of Pelagius was appalled by the moral laxity ...