Ross Woods, 2022
These four views form a rough continuum, with the the Pellagian extreme given wholly to man's freewill and the other extreme to man's complete absence of freewill.
| Pellagiansim | Armenianism | Reformed position | Hyper-Calvinism |
|---|---|---|---|
| The problem with Pellagianism is that salvation is earned by good works. | Man has freewill and can fall away from faith. However, this position still holds firmly in salvation by grace.
The main proponent was Armenius, but John Wesley’s theology was also Armenian. |
These hold various different forms of the five points of Calvinisim. Lutheranism is traditionally very similar. Some movements within this circle have been strongly evangelistic. |
The term Hyper-Calvinismis prejorative, and Calvinists usually dislike it intensely. They claim to be biblical rather than extremist. This view appears to hold that man has no responsibility before God in that man can do nothing to obtain salvation, although some hold that man's responsibiity is to be judged for sin. This concept of predestination is predeterminist in philosophy, that is, everything is predetermined and nothing can be done about it. (Predeterminism occurs in other religions and also has non-religious forms.) Historically, some proponents of this view hold that evangelism is misguided because salvation is predestined. A less extreme version is that Christians can proclaim the Gospel, but hearers can only respond according to their predestination. |
| It was declared a heresy, and this is not disputed. | This view is not heretical, although people with a strict Reformed viewpoint often detest it and call it semi-Pellagian. | This view has never been considered heretical. | This view has never been considered heretical, although many Armenians view it as erroneous. |