Entitlement Mentality

Why are most Arminians so offended when they hear that Calvinists believe that God chooses who will be saved? I remember, in my pre-Calvinist days, being pretty shocked the first time I heard that God chooses who he wants to save, and the rest are just out of luck. If man isn't free to decide if he wants to go to Heaven or Hell, then that makes God responsible for deciding who gets to go to Heaven, and that just isn't fair!

Norman Geisler, in his book Chosen, but Free¹, gives a parable that goes something like this:

–A farmer posts a "No Swimming" sign next to the pond on his property. As he's tending to his fields one day, he notices that three young boys have disobeyed the sign's directions. Subsequently, they all begin to drown. The farmer decides to rescue one of the boys, but he decides to make no effort to rescue the other two poor, innocent boys.–

Now, of course you are supposed to conclude that the farmer (i.e. God) is culpable for the deaths of the two boys. Continue reading this post »