297: “Total Depravity”: The Heart of the Debate

In this episode Kenny again tackles the "Calvinism and Arminianism" debate (which happens to be one of the most heated debates amongst Protestants). Herein episode 297, Kenny unpacks the doctrine of "total depravity" and explains how this doctrine is at the heart of the debate. What is Total depravity? Total depravity is the doctrine that asserts that 100% of a human being's soul, mind, and will are radically impacted and corrupted by sin. There is not one element or part of the human essence or existence that is not impacted by sin, therefore rendering every human being incapable of ever seeking God of their own volition of free will. Total depravity is the "T" in the well-known acronym "TULIP" (which is often used to describe the five points of Calvinism). Proponents of "total depravity" assert that human beings are sinful from the time of conception because we all have inherited sinful nature from Adam and Eve, and our sinful nature is so damaging that it causes us to be incapable of ever wanting to choose or seek God. In order for a person to ever want to seek God, God must first do something supernatural in that person's soul. However, Calvinism and Arminianism have differing ideas of how God does that supernatural thing. In short, both Calvinists and Arminians agree on the "T" of the five points of TULIP, but disagree on the next four points. Arminians argue for a concept called "prevenient grace." They assert that God bestows a supernatural grace which leads a person to have the ability to believe in God, if they choose. which then leads to regeneration. However, Calvinists argue that the supernatural thing that God does is in fact regeneration, which then causes the person to be regenerated. Therefore, Arminians argue that faith proceeds regeneration, while Calvinists argue that regeneration proceeds faith. Arminians argue that a person could receive prevenient grace and still choose to reject God, while Calvinists argue that 100% of the persons who receive God's proactive regenerative grace will choose to believe on him. Understanding these differences is essential to understanding this infamous debate. Episode 297 also builds on the content of episode 295 wherein Kenny covers the "five points of Calvinism" and he assumes listeners have some understanding of those five points. This episode also leverages content covered in 296: "Calvinism vs. Arminianism" in which Kenny explains that we're often not framing the debate in the most helpful manner.