A very bright (and encouraging!) medical doctor pointed me to the fact that Steve Hays has already said everything I have said in reference to J.P. Holding’s manifold errors, exaggerations, and assorted mis-cues in his article on election. Hays’ response appeared in two parts, found here and here. I would still like to take the opportunity to document the exegetical nightmares that flow from this kind of “let’s grab some concept out here and turn it into the lens through which we can make this passage inoffensive to our traditions” activity documented so clearly in Holding. Especially useful should be the materials I am working on regarding how you determine the meaning of a word, and how then to recognize wild re-definitions based upon bad argumentation (i.e., why “mercy” really does mean “mercy”). So I will press on, though Hays has already touched upon most everything that needs to be said. Thanks again for heads up on the Hays materials.
Alpha and Omega Ministries is a Christian apologetics organization based in Phoenix, Arizona. James White, director, is a professor, having taught Greek, Systematic Theology, and various topics in the field of apologetics for numerous schools.