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Historic Christianity vs Calvinism  /  Lecture 10: Implications of Calvinism Today  /  Discussion Questions
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Question 10
Finny connects the problem of evil to “delegation of power,” spiritual warfare, and the claim that Calvinism makes God the direct cause of tragedies (e.g., Piper on 9/11); how does a warfare-and-delegation framework change how you interpret suffering, pray against evil, take responsibility for sin, and resist passivity in discipleship?
Another way to ask: Finny links evil and suffering to God sharing power with others and to spiritual warfare, and says Calvinism makes God the direct cause of tragedies. How would a warfare-and-delegation view change how you understand suffering, pray against evil, take responsibility for sin, and avoid being passive in following Jesus?

Direct Answer Finny’s warfare-and-delegation framework interprets suffering as happening in a world where God has meaningfully shared power with humans and where “other wills” (including the devil’s) oppose God, rather than God directly causing tragedies. That leads to more active prayer and resistance, stronger personal responsibility for sin, and a discipleship posture that rejects passivity.

Support from Transcript:

  • Finny summarizes the standard problem of evil triad and says “God is all-powerful” needs “an asterisk” because God “chooses to delegate and to share his power with humans.”
  • He says the world’s horrors exist “because of that delegation of power.”
  • He critiques Calvinism for removing real choice: Calvinists want us in God’s image “without having that capacity for free choice.”
  • He gives examples of tragedy-as-God’s-cause: “John Piper saying, ‘Yeah, September 11th that was caused by God,’ or… a dirty bomb… is from God.”
  • Finny: “You have to understand this world in the context of warfare… there are meaningfully other wills out there. The devil has a will that is different from God. He’s not obeying God.”
  • He warns that without this, we misread life: “Until we come to terms with war… we will misinterpret 90% of what is happening.”
  • He concludes Calvinism undermines a “true warfare mentality” and seduces people into being “passive.”
Discussion Follow-ups How would your prayers change if you truly believed some evil is resisted rather than ‘ordained’? In what areas of life has passivity been disguised as ‘trusting God,’ and how would a warfare mindset correct that?

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