James R. White - The Potters Freedom: A Defense of the Reformation and the Rebuttal of Norman Geislers Chosen But Free

Praise for T HE P OTTERS F REEDOM ...

Some time ago, I had the opportunity to hear a tape of Dr. Geisler presenting his understanding of moderate Calvinism. The errors in the tape were simply breathtaking, and so I was very glad to hear that James White had undertaken a book-length response to Dr. Geislers Chosen But Free. This response is outstanding. The Potters Freedom is firmly, pointedly, and charitably written. For someone of Dr. Geislers stature to go into print with his misunderstandings was simply inexplicable. The easy thing would have been to simply let the whole thing go in an embarrassed silence, but in this book, James White has assumed the role of a biblical friend to Dr. Geisler. It deserves a wide reading.

Douglas Wilson, Pastor; Editor of Credenda Agenda Magazine

We are in debt to Norman Geisler for displaying once again just how unpalatable the truth of the Scripture can be, even for those who know its contents well. His screed against Calvinism has provided the occasion for James R. White to give us The Potters Freedom, a book that not only reveals the poverty of Geislers argument but also provides us with a refreshing presentation of the glorious truths of salvation by grace alone as set forth by authentic Calvinism. The so-called moderate Calvinism which Geisler embraces and presents in Chosen But Free is no more useful than a moderate fire department.

Joel Nederhood, Pastor; Host of The Back to God Hour

The Potters Freedom is a more than adequate response to the misleading and erroneous book, Chosen but Free by Norman Geisler. Indeed, it is a fresh and helpful statement of true Calvinism over against a system purporting to be Calvinistic which is really nothing more than a brand of Arminianism. This book should be widely disseminated and read as it will clarify much that is often misunderstood about Calvinism.

Jay Adams, Ph.D., Westminster Seminary, Escondido, California

James Whites The Potters Freedom is a modern Antidote to Arminianism. His devastating rebuttal to Geislers Chosen But Free is a clearly expressed alternative to a theology which halts between two opinions. White not only effectively presents the case for the absolute sovereignty of God but demonstrates Geislers tendency to faulty research, partial citations, and fallacious argumentation. If you desire to better understand the ways of God with man, this book is for you.

Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Th.D.; Bahnsen Theological Seminary

Many of us, who have otherwise profited from the writings of Dr. Norman Geisler, have been grieved by his hapless attempt to harmonize Calvinism and Arminianism. With the skill of a surgeon, Dr. James R. White dissects Geislers arguments and reveals them to be based on convoluted thinking, inconsistencies, and misinterpretations of Scripture. I pray that this book shall have a wide audience, not just as a definitive rebuttal to Geisler, but also as a helpful exposition of the Calvinisim/Arminianism debate.

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer, Senior Pastor, Moody Church, Chicago

Piece by piece, James White dissects the flawed arguments of Geislers misnamed moderate Calvinism, which is in fact a very common breed of Arminianism. I am under no illusion that Geisler will wave the white flag on this one, but every honest reader of this book will know that he should.

Jim Elliff, President, Christian Communicators Worldwide

James Whites response to Chosen but Free arises from a personal knowledge of Dr. Geisler and an appreciation for his positive impact on the broader evangelical community. This sincere appreciation, however, does not cause him to downplay the seriously flawed presentation Geisler gives of the issue of divine determination and human responsibility. Whites work is an incisive and, in my opinion decisive response to the specific fallacies of Geisler, and provides a positive exposition of the issue that is valuable even apart from its polemical context.

Dr. Tom J. Nettles, Author of By His Grace & For His Glory

The popular view of divine sovereignty which Geisler advocates is a serious departure from the self-revelation of God in the Scriptures. Indeed, Whites strongest suit is his demonstration that Geislers argument is entirely indefensible at the exegetical level. Some may read White and continue to hold Geislers opinions, but they will no longer be comfortable with those opinions.

Fred G. Zaspel, Pastor, Author of The Theology of Fulfillment

There can hardly be a topic more important or relevant than the one James White tackles in this superb book. Who is free? Man or God? Which is sovereign? These are the issues at stake in this timely rebuttal of error and demonstration of biblical truth. This book deserves a careful reading by all who truly seek clarity and genuine biblical light.

Rev. Richard D. Phillips, Assoc. Minister, Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA; V. P., Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

This vigorous defense of the Reformation exposes the widening gap, and the growing hostility, between evangelicalism and classic confessional Protestant Christianity. Synergism may wear a happy face, but it proclaims a hollow gospel. Written in the context of high-profile rapprochement between evangelicals and Catholics, and between Lutherans and Romanists, Dr. White turns up the lights to show us the real struggle, namely, the fundamentally religious contest between divine sovereignty and human ability. Our salvation comes either from God or from man. And in terms of both Bible teaching and human experience, this is where everything startsand ends.

Nelson D. Kloosterman, Th.D., Professor of Ethics and New Testament, Mid-America Reformed Seminary

James White combines sound biblical exegesis, theological erudition, and a deep passion for truth in his able rebuttal to Norman Geislers Chosen but Free. I am grateful that The Potters Freedom powerfully exposes Geislers inconsistencies and shows that his self-labeled moderate Calvinism is no Calvinism at all. The Potters Freedom has far-reaching consequences for any serious student of Reformed theology, for Geisler is not a lone ranger in promoting historic Reformed theology as extreme Calvinism and Semi-pelagianism as moderate Calvinism. I pray that God may use this book abundantly to remove many caricatures about the Reformed faith and to move many to embrace unabashedly solid, Reformed convictions.

Dr. Joel R. Beeke, Author, President of Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan

The Reformed community has given Norman Geisler a free pass for too long with respect to his pronouncements on Gods sovereignty and free will. James Whites book, The Potters Freedom, is the much-needed antidote to his flawed (and failed) attempt, in typical Thomistic fashion, to synthesize what cannot be synthesized. As soon as he insists that Gods grace works synergistically on free will, and that the one condition for receiving grace, namely, faith, is logically prior to regeneration (pp. 233-34), he falls away from the thought of the sixteenth-century Reformation and stands in concert with the synergism of Rome. It is high time that he who has warned the members of the Evangelical Theological Society to beware human philosophy should heed his own warning and listen less to Aquinas and more carefully to Holy Scripture.

Robert Reymond, Ph.D., Knox Theological Seminary, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Author of A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith

A comparison of Norman Geislers book,