The Five Points of Calvinism and the Catholic Church

This is a nice little article by James Akin, a former member of the Presbyterian Church in America, entitled “A Tiptoe through Tulip”. It examines each of the five points of Calvinism formulated at the Protestant Synod of Dordt (A.D. 1619) from a Catholic, specifically Thomistic, point of view.

For those unfamiliar with the “five points of Calvinism” they are known by an acronym T.U.L.I.P. and are as follows:

Total Depravity (the human mind and will is depraved so that it is incapable of responding to grace other than by spiritual regeneration.)
Unconditional Election (Certain persons were chosen by God for salvation without regard or foresight of their character, life, deeds, or dispositions.)
Limited Atonement (Christ died only for the elect.)
Irresistible Grace (Grace cannot be resisted. It is necessarily effectual.)
Perseverance of the Saints (Those who have been elected by God and predestined will in fact persevere unto death and be saved.)

Akin explains to what extent these doctrines can be appropriated by the Catholic Church, and where they clearly break with Apostolic teaching.

Read James Akin’s “A Tiptoe through Tulip”.