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INTRODUCTIONWe are beginning to hear names and titles used in religious circles which have rarely been heard in years. "Calvinism", "Arminianism", "Reformed Theology", "Hyper-Calvinism" etc., these terms are cropping up in most unexpected places. There are many reasons to be thankful that interest is being shown by Christian people in these terms, but it is very important that the man in the pew know what they stand for, and how and why they have arisen. Discerning Christians realise that preachers are sometimes very different in the message they preach and in the methods they use. They hear one man referred to as a "Calvinist", and another man referred to as an "Arminian", and many people in our day are beginning to ask, "Pastor, what is the difference?" The purpose of this booklet is to answer that question in some degree. Obviously this is not an exhaustive investigation; it is anything but that. While it will be very apparent which position I accept as one reads through the booklet, yet it is not an attempt to present biblical evidence of that position; I endeavour to do that in preaching and teaching, and perhaps in other articles ( see Doctrines of Grace article). It is simply an attempt to explain, in a way that the average Christian can understand, the origin and significance of some of these terms.
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