JOEL 2 GENERATION

I wrote this blog post originally back in 2012. I've decided to update it and repost it for 2 primary reasons:  1. I subsequently became familiar with Ken Wilson's landmark work on the pagan/non-Christian influences on Augustine's theology (see his book, Foundations of Augustinian-Calvinism)  and know about what those influences were and how they perverted his theology and moved him away from the Apostolic faith.  2. The influence of Augustinianism/Calvinism on Christians continues to be widespread (and in some places growing). Even this week, spending time with 2 different Christian brothers whose theology is sadly influenced by Reformed ideas that cause them to misinterpret/misunderstand God's will in their lives and the lives of their families.  St. Augustine's influence on Western Christianity is second to none. However, his theology, primarily due to the Neoplatonic philosophy which influenced it (I would now add Stoicism and Gnostic Manichaeism), moved Christ...

I originally wrote the following blog post back in 2017. I have subsequently become aware of Dr. Ken Wilson's work on Augustine's theology. His Oxford doctrinal dissertation entitled "Augustine's Conversion from Traditional Free Choice to 'Non-Free Free Will': A Comprehensive Methodology" was published in 2018 and demonstrates irrefutably that St. Augustine was influenced philosophically/theologically by 3 non-Christian sources - Stoicism, Neoplatonism, and Gnostic Manichaeism. Ken Wilson released a book summarizing and simplifying his technical dissertation entitled  The Foundation of Augustinian-Calvinism  in 2019.  I knew back in 2017 that Augustine's theology was infected by non-Christian, non-Apostolic sources. I now understand, thanks to Ken Wilson, far more deeply what those sources were and how they affected his doctrine of God, his doctrine of man, and his Soteriology (doctrine of salvation). And I know more surely than ever that due to these ...