Daniel Seabaugh

I once heard John Piper say that when it comes to reading, sentences have changed his life more than books. So, with that thought in mind, here’s a post highlighting my 10 favorite quotes from the last two books I’ve read.

I don’t necessarily endorse everything about these books or their authors. The quotes are simply those I found particularly thoughtful, informative, or, at times, challenging to my own beliefs.

Let me know if this type of thing is beneficial. If so, I’ll continue making posts like these.

Enjoy!

Out of Solitude – Henri Nouwen

“When we start being too impressed by the results of our work, we slowly come to the erroneous conviction that life is one large scoreboard where someone is listing the points to measure our worth. And before we are fully aware of it, we have sold our soul to the many grade-givers.”

“Those who can sit in silence with their fellow man, not knowing what to say, but knowing that they should be there, can bring new life in a dying heart.”

“A man or a woman without hope in the future cannot live creatively in the present.”

“When we cling to the results of our actions as our only way of self-identification, then we become possessive and defensive and tend to look at our fellow human beings more as enemies to be kept at a distance than as friends with whom we share the gifts of life.”

“That is the great conversion in our life: to recognize and believe that the many unexpected events are not just disturbing interruptions of our projects, but the way in which God molds our hearts and prepares us for his return.”

Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities – Roger Olson

“Arminians believe that if a person is saved, it is because God initiated the relationship and enabled the person to respond freely with repentance and faith.”

“The free will of human beings in Arminius’s theology and in classical Arminianism is more properly denoted freed will.”

“Classical Arminianism argues that anyone who shows the first inkling or inclination of a good will toward God is already being influenced by grace.”

“The only ‘contribution’ humans make is non-resistance to grace. This is the same as accepting a gift. Arminius could not fathom why a gift that must be freely received is no longer a gift, as Calvinists contend.”

“Classical Arminianism goes far beyond belief in general providence to include affirmation of God’s intimate and direct involvement in every event of nature and history. The only thing the Arminian view of God’s sovereignty necessarily excludes is God’s authorship of sin and evil.”