How to use this casebook¶
What kind of book this is¶
This is not a systematic theology and not a commentary. It is a casebook: a collection of briefs, each one built around a single text or a single objection, each one designed to be read in fifteen minutes and used in a real conversation.
A casebook has three virtues a textbook does not:
- It is modular. You can read the one file you need.
- It is adversarial. Each file states the strongest version of the view it opposes before answering it.
- It is honest about scope. Each file ends by saying what it does not prove.
The four levels of argument¶
Every dispute in this area runs on four levels, and most bad arguments confuse them. Keep them separate.
| Level | Question | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Exegetical | What does this text say, in its context? | Does helkō in John 6:44 mean "compel"? |
| Systematic | What must be true for this reading to fit the rest of Scripture? | If drawing is irresistible, what happens to John 12:32? |
| Historical | What have faithful readers believed, and why? | Did the pre-Augustinian church teach double predestination? |
| Pastoral | What does this doctrine do to prayer, assurance, and love? | Can I tell a grieving parent that God decreed their child's unbelief? |
A file may argue on all four levels, but it should say which one it is on. "Calvinism is unbiblical" is an exegetical claim. "Calvinism is historically novel" is a historical claim. "Calvinism is pastorally damaging" is a pastoral claim. None of them entails the others, and a person can be right on one and wrong on another.
The notation used in this project¶
- Bold introduces a technical term on first use; the term is defined in 10-reference/01-glossary.md.
- Italics transliterate Greek and Hebrew (helkō, tassō, proegnō).
- A block quote is a direct quotation, always with a source.
- "The Reformed reading" means the reading defended by the broad Augustinian-Calvinist tradition; the specific school is named in each file.
- The Calvinist reading and The problems are the two halves of every proof-text file.
Four ways to read this project¶
1. As a reference (the usual way)¶
Go to 02-proof-texts/00-index-of-texts.md, find the verse you are being shown, read the file. If the conversation is about an objection rather than a verse, go to 07-answers/.
2. As a course¶
Read 00-start-here/05-a-one-page-summary.md, then the five files in 01-the-system/, then the four central proof texts (John 6:44, Romans 9, Ephesians 1, Acts 13:48), then 05-consistency/. That is about six hours of reading and covers 90% of the argument.
3. As preparation for a conversation¶
Read 09-practice/01-talking-to-a-calvinist-friend.md, then the one or two files on the texts the other person actually uses. Do not read the whole project before the conversation; you will forget it. Learn three questions and one text well.
4. As a check on yourself¶
If you are a Calvinist, read 01-the-system/01-tulip-as-a-chain.md, 03-atonement/01-definite-atonement-examined.md, and 05-consistency/01-the-two-wills.md. Those are the files written to be hardest to answer. If you are a non-Calvinist, read 07-answers/04-you-deny-total-depravity.md and 07-answers/10-youre-a-pelagian.md, which are written to keep you honest.
How to cite this material¶
Cite the file, not the project: The Berean Casebook, "John 6:44 — No One Can Come Unless the Father Draws," §2. The project is a compilation; the arguments belong to the people named in each file.
What to do when a file is not enough¶
Some texts are genuinely difficult and the casebook says so. When you hit one:
- Read the passage in at least three translations, and in a study Bible with textual notes.
- Read the Reformed file's best defender, not the weakest blog.
- Read the historical commentary (Chrysostom, Calvin, Wesley, etc.) — not to proof-text the fathers, but to see the range of readings.
- Ask what else would have to be true for the Calvinist reading to work, and whether the text says that.
That last question is the whole method. It is developed in 02-the-three-pronged-approach.md and 03-the-burden-of-proof.md.
A word about the goal¶
The goal is not to make anyone a "provisionist," an "Arminian," or a "Traditionalist." The goal is to read the Bible well and to love the people we disagree with. If this project makes you more careful, more charitable, and more confident in the plain sense of Scripture, it has done its job — even if you disagree with parts of it.