I have been reading a lot of him lately because I read Potter's Freedom by James White, and honestly I have come to the opinion that he has gotten way to much respect in the evangelical community. He is considered by many people I know to be one of the greatest Christian thinkers in the last 50 years.
The books I have read by Geisler or that he contributed too over the last 3 weeks are Chosen But Free, Four Views on Eternal Security, Legislating Morality (with Frank Turek), and I have skimmed his systematic theology books.
His contribution to the Eternal Security book was rightly criticized by both Michael Horton (the 5 point Calvinist) and Stephen Ashby (The "Reformed" Arminian*) as what it is as semi-Pelagianism. He believes that man takes the first step toward God unassisted by grace but God's graces assists them the rest of the way, doesn't hold to the traditional view of original sin, and badly misrepresents Classical Calvinism and Classical Arminianism.
In Chosen But Free he misrepresents John Calvin and makes the claim that Calvin would have more closely identified with himself.
He argues that drinking any alcohol except for medicinal purposes is sinful, and that the wine in Jesus' day was purified water. This worries me because he believes that alcohol is sinful so he twists scripture and history to make it so. It is basically saying that scripture provides an insufficient morality so Geisler feels he must add more moral obligations to scripture. I don't even drink alcohol anymore, but I recognize that Christians are allowed too as long as they do it in a responsible way.
In his book on legislating morality he and Turek take the stance that The Purpose of Our Life is not to Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever, but to Know God and Make Him Known through how well we reform the moral lives of others. Here is a video where Turek discusses this purpose.
That last one is without a doubt the scariest thing that this man teaches, but yet we allow him to trod along with very little push back because he is such a "great Apologist."
Am I way off on Geisler? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
By the way Ashby calls himself a reformed Arminian because he believes in Calvin's understanding of Total Depravity and the Penal Substitutionary View of the Atonement.
The books I have read by Geisler or that he contributed too over the last 3 weeks are Chosen But Free, Four Views on Eternal Security, Legislating Morality (with Frank Turek), and I have skimmed his systematic theology books.
His contribution to the Eternal Security book was rightly criticized by both Michael Horton (the 5 point Calvinist) and Stephen Ashby (The "Reformed" Arminian*) as what it is as semi-Pelagianism. He believes that man takes the first step toward God unassisted by grace but God's graces assists them the rest of the way, doesn't hold to the traditional view of original sin, and badly misrepresents Classical Calvinism and Classical Arminianism.
In Chosen But Free he misrepresents John Calvin and makes the claim that Calvin would have more closely identified with himself.
He argues that drinking any alcohol except for medicinal purposes is sinful, and that the wine in Jesus' day was purified water. This worries me because he believes that alcohol is sinful so he twists scripture and history to make it so. It is basically saying that scripture provides an insufficient morality so Geisler feels he must add more moral obligations to scripture. I don't even drink alcohol anymore, but I recognize that Christians are allowed too as long as they do it in a responsible way.
In his book on legislating morality he and Turek take the stance that The Purpose of Our Life is not to Glorify God and Enjoy Him Forever, but to Know God and Make Him Known through how well we reform the moral lives of others. Here is a video where Turek discusses this purpose.
That last one is without a doubt the scariest thing that this man teaches, but yet we allow him to trod along with very little push back because he is such a "great Apologist."
Am I way off on Geisler? Does anyone have any thoughts on this?
By the way Ashby calls himself a reformed Arminian because he believes in Calvin's understanding of Total Depravity and the Penal Substitutionary View of the Atonement.