"St. Michael Vanquishing Satan" (Louvre, Paris) c 1518 by Rapael.
I have hopped the fence into the Calvinist way of thinking in the past few months. In so doing, my whole worldview must undergo a complete remodel.
When I was in college, I wrote a paper for my Philosophy class, arguing from the classic Arminian position, that certainly the reason for evil was our free will. How else could God have constructed the world?
Now that I have been diligently reading my Bible, it is clear that this is not a Biblical position. From Genesis to Revelation, we see the doctrine of election permeating God's word.
Election and Free Will are at odds with one another. Therefore, I must begin to grapple with this question once again.
Unfortunately, for me, this question is not so easily bundled up from a Calvinist point of view. Here I must give deliberation to the idea that God ordains evil.
The other challenge, I suspect, to this view, is that at the end of the day I will need to through my hands up in the air and say, "I don't know"! It is mystery. God's thoughts are not my thoughts.
This statement, then allows me first hand knowledge of the world looking at me as though a fool.
Here is an interview that I found, with Dr. John Frame discussing this very topic. This will be my launching point into this grueling question.
