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Easy Chairs, Hard Words: Conversations on the Liberty of God
Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, and whom He wills He hardens. You will say to me then, "Why still find fault? For who resisted His will?" But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Romans 9:18-20a Hard words, indeed. But they remain, for all our explanations, God's words. Easy Chairs, Hard Words offers an honest look at many such difficult passages in Scripture. Presented as a series of fictional conversations between a curious young Christian and a seasoned pastor, these dialogues speak with clarity to those new to the Reformed faith. They begin with the question, "Can salvation be lost?" and from there wrestle with other hard-to-swallow doctrines, including the freedom of the will, election, and original sin. Hard words, and yet the understanding given these passages is thoughtful and gentle. For our God—the God of hard words—is a merciful and loving Father, slow to wrath and quick to pardon, a triune God who graciously rescues men from death and brings them into everlasting life.
154 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
47 people are currently reading
325 people want to read
About the author
Douglas Wilson
296 books4,579 followersI write in order to make the little voices in my head go away. Thus far it hasn't worked.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
September 18, 2025
Absolutely fantastic. Very creative style. Wilson sets the book up as a conversation between a pastor and a young believer who’s wrestling through the doctrines of grace. The young man and the pastor ask and respond phenomenally. The questions are not soft-balls, Wilson does a good job at not watering down the difficulty of certain questions and by planting follow up questions that people would actually ask. Highly recommend!
Read again, April 2023, excellent!
Dec 24, just great.
Aug 25, fantastic.
Read again, April 2023, excellent!
Dec 24, just great.
Aug 25, fantastic.
Want to read
April 18, 2024Mentioned here.
August 20, 2008
Wilson tells the story of a non-Calvinist coming to Calvinism through dialog with a Calvinist pastor in this short, easy to read book. Good reads says that two stars means "it was okay," and that's why I gave it two stars: it was okay. Nothing stellar. Certainly nothing I'd give an Arminian, especially a knowledgeable, well-read one.
This book is like the theological counterpart to Wilson's Persuasions book; and though not deep, I enjoyed that one.
Despite the surface-level arguments for Calvinism, I thought Wilson was off in a few areas. I thought his discussions of free will and sovereignty were simply weak. He even seemed to imply that in non-ethical areas man has something like libertarian freedom. A lot of reformed think this and just chalk it up to "mystery." Unfortunately, libertarian freedom is incoherent in itself, and under the entire corpus of Scripture's teaching on God's providence. Secondly, I thought Wilson's take on "world" odd and out of accord with the best Johannine scholarship on "world." Wilson wanted to use it as a kind of proof text for postmillennialism.
There were also much better arguments he could have used for his purposes, says me! I think the Old Testament Day of Atonement (and all that goes into that study) is crucial to the argument for definite atonement. I have not encountered a successful Arminian response to arguments from the Day of Atonement and the High Priest's role. The idea of a sacrifice for non-Israelites (i.e., non-covenant members) was foreign to the mind of the New Testament authors. The idea of a sacrifice made without intercession on behalf of who it was made for is also foreign. Jesus' intercession guarantees no one will fail to persevere. If Jesus died for you, then he is your high priest. If he is your high priest, then he makes intercession for you. Therefore if Jesus died for you, he makes intercession for you. Jesus does not intercede for all people. Therefore, Jesus did not die for all people. QED.
Then, why didn't Jesus pray for "everyone" before he went to die for "everyone?" Especially if his purpose in going to the cross was to "save everyone" you would think he would have "prayed for everyone." But he says, "I pray NOT for the world." Why? What view makes the most sense? Because he is praying AS A HIGH PREIST FOR HIS PEOPLE. That's the view that fits the entire context of the Bible - Genesis to Revelation.
Wilson's book is also a "preach to the choir" kind of thing. He interacts with no Arminian scholarship and offers none of the rebuttals they would make to his (or the pastor's) comments. I would say that if you have been a Calvinist for more than 6 months (a year to be generous), this book is not for you. If you are an Arminian looking for our best stuff, this book isn't for you. If you're a brand new Calvinist, then this book may be helpful, but there's far better books than this out there for the beginning Calvinist.
This book is like the theological counterpart to Wilson's Persuasions book; and though not deep, I enjoyed that one.
Despite the surface-level arguments for Calvinism, I thought Wilson was off in a few areas. I thought his discussions of free will and sovereignty were simply weak. He even seemed to imply that in non-ethical areas man has something like libertarian freedom. A lot of reformed think this and just chalk it up to "mystery." Unfortunately, libertarian freedom is incoherent in itself, and under the entire corpus of Scripture's teaching on God's providence. Secondly, I thought Wilson's take on "world" odd and out of accord with the best Johannine scholarship on "world." Wilson wanted to use it as a kind of proof text for postmillennialism.
There were also much better arguments he could have used for his purposes, says me! I think the Old Testament Day of Atonement (and all that goes into that study) is crucial to the argument for definite atonement. I have not encountered a successful Arminian response to arguments from the Day of Atonement and the High Priest's role. The idea of a sacrifice for non-Israelites (i.e., non-covenant members) was foreign to the mind of the New Testament authors. The idea of a sacrifice made without intercession on behalf of who it was made for is also foreign. Jesus' intercession guarantees no one will fail to persevere. If Jesus died for you, then he is your high priest. If he is your high priest, then he makes intercession for you. Therefore if Jesus died for you, he makes intercession for you. Jesus does not intercede for all people. Therefore, Jesus did not die for all people. QED.
Then, why didn't Jesus pray for "everyone" before he went to die for "everyone?" Especially if his purpose in going to the cross was to "save everyone" you would think he would have "prayed for everyone." But he says, "I pray NOT for the world." Why? What view makes the most sense? Because he is praying AS A HIGH PREIST FOR HIS PEOPLE. That's the view that fits the entire context of the Bible - Genesis to Revelation.
Wilson's book is also a "preach to the choir" kind of thing. He interacts with no Arminian scholarship and offers none of the rebuttals they would make to his (or the pastor's) comments. I would say that if you have been a Calvinist for more than 6 months (a year to be generous), this book is not for you. If you are an Arminian looking for our best stuff, this book isn't for you. If you're a brand new Calvinist, then this book may be helpful, but there's far better books than this out there for the beginning Calvinist.
December 16, 2013
Easy Chairs, Hard Words is a book that describes conversations between a Calvinist minister and a lay person who is an Arminian. It is basically a presentation of a Calvinist apologetic on all of the essential doctrines of that denomination. It is a remarkably good book basing every argument upon strong Scriptural support. It is not written as a polemic against Arminianism, rather it is written as a proof-text for Calvinism. As such, the weakness of this book is that it does not address those texts (which are almost as prevalent) which strongly support the Arminian position.
The first topic is on the perseverance of the saints. The author supports the view that since salvation is a work of God, it cannot be lost. He uses John 4, Romans 8, and 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 to present strong Biblical support for his argument for the perseverance of the saints.
Wilson asks “Is God the Author of Sin?” Another tough question, but Wilson sticks to his strategy of quoting Scripture and letting the reader make most of his own decisions. His argument here is that since God is just in Deuteronomy 32:4, He cannot also be the author of evil. Wilson takes the view, rightly I think, that mankind’s crucifixion of Christ is the worst sin that has ever been committed. He then uses Acts 4:27-28 to show that God was the author of that act. He argues that we must hold these two ideas in tension. His conclusion is that God uses and controls evil without being the cause of it.
His final topics that I will review are on election, freedom, and the atonement. Wilson takes a typically Calvinistic limited view of the atonement. He argues that the universal passages do speak of the world, but not every individual within the world. Wilson argues that one cannot argue for Arminianism using these passages because the salvation that they offer is not potential, so if anyone takes the passages as talking about the whole world and every individual in it, then they must, of necessity, choose universalism. Wilson defines two different kinds of freedom, moral and creature-ly freedom. He defends man’s creature-ly freedom while denying his moral freedom. Thus he is able to uphold Paul’s declarations that man is dead in sin, a slave to sin, etc. He builds a case for man’s lack of moral freedom, and Christ’s death being limited in efficacy, he is now set to show that election is unconditional. He begins by attacking the Arminian view of Romans 8:30 by arguing that if “foreknow” is not taken as “approved beforehand” then the logic of the argument leads to universalism. He then uses the Scriptures to build up his case that God’s election of man is not condition, or pre-conditioned, on any knowledge of man’s works or potential works.
All in all, this is not a bad work. It is good reading for anyone on either side of the argument. I tend to take a "both/and" view on Arminianism and Calvinism and see it as something that is beyond the comprehension of humanity, much like the Trinity and the hypostatic union. :D
However, I do have a few problems with this book. The first problem is in his exegesis of Ephesians 2:8. He takes the “gift of God” to point back to “faith” even though the genders disagree. This is questionable, since it breaks a fundamental rule of Greek grammar. Another, more serious, problem with the book is that he took some of the passages out of context. One example is the passage John 15:16, which I take to be directed specifically to the disciples, but Wilson takes as universal to the Christian.
However, the book was worth the price if all that I got from it was the idea that taking the universal passages at face value leads to universalism. This sparked a chain of thought which caused me to question the application of Romans 3:10-18. If this was written by David, a man who sought God, should it not be taken as hyperbole? How would this affect my theology?
The first topic is on the perseverance of the saints. The author supports the view that since salvation is a work of God, it cannot be lost. He uses John 4, Romans 8, and 1 Corinthians 1:8-9 to present strong Biblical support for his argument for the perseverance of the saints.
Wilson asks “Is God the Author of Sin?” Another tough question, but Wilson sticks to his strategy of quoting Scripture and letting the reader make most of his own decisions. His argument here is that since God is just in Deuteronomy 32:4, He cannot also be the author of evil. Wilson takes the view, rightly I think, that mankind’s crucifixion of Christ is the worst sin that has ever been committed. He then uses Acts 4:27-28 to show that God was the author of that act. He argues that we must hold these two ideas in tension. His conclusion is that God uses and controls evil without being the cause of it.
His final topics that I will review are on election, freedom, and the atonement. Wilson takes a typically Calvinistic limited view of the atonement. He argues that the universal passages do speak of the world, but not every individual within the world. Wilson argues that one cannot argue for Arminianism using these passages because the salvation that they offer is not potential, so if anyone takes the passages as talking about the whole world and every individual in it, then they must, of necessity, choose universalism. Wilson defines two different kinds of freedom, moral and creature-ly freedom. He defends man’s creature-ly freedom while denying his moral freedom. Thus he is able to uphold Paul’s declarations that man is dead in sin, a slave to sin, etc. He builds a case for man’s lack of moral freedom, and Christ’s death being limited in efficacy, he is now set to show that election is unconditional. He begins by attacking the Arminian view of Romans 8:30 by arguing that if “foreknow” is not taken as “approved beforehand” then the logic of the argument leads to universalism. He then uses the Scriptures to build up his case that God’s election of man is not condition, or pre-conditioned, on any knowledge of man’s works or potential works.
All in all, this is not a bad work. It is good reading for anyone on either side of the argument. I tend to take a "both/and" view on Arminianism and Calvinism and see it as something that is beyond the comprehension of humanity, much like the Trinity and the hypostatic union. :D
However, I do have a few problems with this book. The first problem is in his exegesis of Ephesians 2:8. He takes the “gift of God” to point back to “faith” even though the genders disagree. This is questionable, since it breaks a fundamental rule of Greek grammar. Another, more serious, problem with the book is that he took some of the passages out of context. One example is the passage John 15:16, which I take to be directed specifically to the disciples, but Wilson takes as universal to the Christian.
However, the book was worth the price if all that I got from it was the idea that taking the universal passages at face value leads to universalism. This sparked a chain of thought which caused me to question the application of Romans 3:10-18. If this was written by David, a man who sought God, should it not be taken as hyperbole? How would this affect my theology?
May 13, 2009
Remarkable dialogs in the tradition of Socrates, except pertaining to Christianity in the contemporary world. Superb!
January 3, 2015
Fun book introducing the doctrines of grace. I wish more books were written in this style.
October 11, 2024
Wilson at his best here.
It’s an engaging exploration of difficult theological questions, presented in a conversational and approachable style. Wilson tackles tough topics like predestination, free will, and God’s sovereignty with clarity and wit, making complex doctrines accessible without watering them down. The dialogue format keeps the book engaging, and Wilson’s sharp insights challenge readers to think deeply about their faith. It’s a great read for anyone wanting to wrestle with hard truths while remaining grounded in a biblical perspective.
Highly recommended for those seeking to grow in their theological understanding!
It’s an engaging exploration of difficult theological questions, presented in a conversational and approachable style. Wilson tackles tough topics like predestination, free will, and God’s sovereignty with clarity and wit, making complex doctrines accessible without watering them down. The dialogue format keeps the book engaging, and Wilson’s sharp insights challenge readers to think deeply about their faith. It’s a great read for anyone wanting to wrestle with hard truths while remaining grounded in a biblical perspective.
Highly recommended for those seeking to grow in their theological understanding!
September 16, 2024
Really compelling. This would make a great read for any neophyte to Reformed Theology. Wilson writes with great clarity and persuasive skill.
March 16, 2017
Great biblical principles, beautifully stated. The dialogue format also allows him to address things that you usually can't in a systematic theology.
January 14, 2026
2026 Reread: I love the Gospel. And that means I love Calvinism. All glory be to God.
Original 2021 Read: This was really, really good. I would encourage you to check this out, whether you're a firm holder to the doctrines of grace or you reject them. You'll learn something—about God, and about yourself.
Original 2021 Read: This was really, really good. I would encourage you to check this out, whether you're a firm holder to the doctrines of grace or you reject them. You'll learn something—about God, and about yourself.
December 23, 2021
The dialogue was pretty clunky, but the content was good basic Calvinism (a term the author is less shy of now than he was then). That said, the format was still more fun and accessible than straight-up prose would have been. The surest indication of the vintage of the book is that the whole conversation starts with a phone call, and who makes phone calls anymore? 😆 I was reminded, though, of the time, 30some years ago, when I was visiting a new church and did call to ask the pastor a question...and he rebuked me for bothering him! "You work at a Christian bookstore, so you should have looked for that answer for at least two weeks before calling me!" Yeesh. Didn't stick around there long! But it gave me an aversion to asking questions (not to mention using telephones). Which of course has nothing to do with this book, but it's my party and I'll tangentialize if I want to! 😉
December 10, 2024
In only recently discovered this small work originally published in 1991. In Easy Chairs, Hard Words: Conversations on the Liberty of God, Doug Wilson offers a winsome yet punchy response to those wrestling with Reformed theology. Written in as a series of conversations between a pastor and a curious layman, this book leans into both Scripture and reason to dispel the straw men that are usually built around Reformed theology. I wish I had discovered this book in the 90's; it would have flattened out my own theological journey considerably. As such, I will use this book often to help those who are still wrestling with the implications of a God who is absolutely sovereign. This short book is well worth the read!
December 25, 2021
This book is another great example of the clarity, sound argumentation and profound simplicity that I have come to expect from Wilson. The way that he tackles such difficult subjects and makes them understandable and applicable is a gift from God to the church.
March 3, 2023
This book is a fictitious conversation about Calvinism between a pastor and curious parishioner of another church. The content discussed is excellent and it’s delivered in such a creative & understandable way. I did think the “conversations” in the last two chapters or so ended a tad too abruptly. But other than that this is an intriguing, dare I say fun, read about the doctrines of election, predestination etc.
Ps I advise reading be hard copy. The audio voices are drab. 😬
Ps I advise reading be hard copy. The audio voices are drab. 😬
February 16, 2025
Really good. The book is an entirely different approach to teaching the doctrines of grace. Each chapter contains a conversation of a young man asking a pastor questions as he wrestles with reformed theology.
Insightful.
Insightful.
December 15, 2019
Brilliant idea for a book. While the content is solid, the execution was a bit corny. I’m sure it wouldn’t have been should I have read this book in the 90’s.
August 20, 2020
There were not one, or two, or three questions that matched my own in this text. Nearly all of it read as a list of my own questions concerning some important biblical topics.
As a book, this one does what many in the genre fail to do. It doesn't stray from the bible. It quotes it heavily. It reasons through it. It promotes the reality that the ultimate source of truth is God.
The basic lesson that stands out is that I need to do more bible reading.
As a book, this one does what many in the genre fail to do. It doesn't stray from the bible. It quotes it heavily. It reasons through it. It promotes the reality that the ultimate source of truth is God.
The basic lesson that stands out is that I need to do more bible reading.
August 12, 2017
Transformative. Using scripture, this book cleared up so much confusion that I had on these subjects. I honestly feel like a brand new Christian after reading this!
November 2, 2012
This may have been the best book on the topic of biblical salvation that i have ever read outside of scripture. I seriously could not put it down. Wilson does a phenomenal job of explaining biblical salvation in a way that is extremely easy to understand (if you have a comprehensive understanding of the bible). I am actually looking forward to reading this book again to catch things i missed the first read. I could very easily relate to the character asking questions to the pastor. Wilson explains the alternate sides of the debate while providing reasons the bible teaches what it teaches. I really cannot say enough good things about this book. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for a deeper understanding of soteriology and Christian theology in general. The content of this book is what the church should be discussing, not the garbage that tells you to have your best life now.
Read
May 28, 2011Concerning the truth as it relates to a number of important theological issues:
1. Losing your salvation/or not
2. Election
3. Is God really in control?
4. Terms that are loosely used (and buzz words)...what they imply or mean/or not.
5. The history of how many theological views/terms came to be; such as, evangelical and revivals.
Doug Wilson is "interviewing" a fellow pastor of another persuasion to determine why he believes what he believes. Doug was taught contrary to what this pastor believes, but his interview leads him to some indepth study relating to what he truly believes.
Thought provoking and deep enough to be a challenging read...at least. for this kirker.
1. Losing your salvation/or not
2. Election
3. Is God really in control?
4. Terms that are loosely used (and buzz words)...what they imply or mean/or not.
5. The history of how many theological views/terms came to be; such as, evangelical and revivals.
Doug Wilson is "interviewing" a fellow pastor of another persuasion to determine why he believes what he believes. Doug was taught contrary to what this pastor believes, but his interview leads him to some indepth study relating to what he truly believes.
Thought provoking and deep enough to be a challenging read...at least. for this kirker.
June 10, 2016
This is an introductory book on the doctrines of grace. It's written as a conversation between a questioning Arminian and a Calvinist pastor. It's not intended to be an exhaustive critique of Arminian doctrine or exhaustive defense of Calvinist doctrine. So I'm sure some will object to the fact that it does not address every question and text. However, it does provide a wonderful model of God-centered, Scripture-saturated discussion. So many of my discussions on this topic devolve into carnal (man-centered) reasoning and angry accusations. I would highly recommend this engaging book as a launching pad for further study on this topic.
March 13, 2010
This is a great book, that I recommend to all. A man approaches a pastor known as a "Calvinist" and converses with him over the course of several weeks on topics of salvation, election, total depravity, the atonement and so on. The dialogues are excellent, logical, and scriptural debates between the Arminian and Calvinist positions.
Excellent!
Excellent!
June 20, 2013
Bunyan-style conversations on 'the five points' that are both theologically uncompromising and seriously readable. It's also another of Wilson's books which is irenic in spirit and perfectly suited to winning those of a contrary opinion.
Loved it.
Loved it.
November 18, 2023
Re-reading because I may recommend to a friend, but it's been years since I read it last. Finished! Still a 4⭐️read, but it does take a lot of thought to work through. I appreciate the list of Scripture references included at the ends of the chapters to support each point.
July 26, 2013
okay for beginners. Dodges the best arguments on both sides. If you want to improve your ability to write conversations in fiction, this book is actually decent at it!
May 1, 2020
I liked the conversational style this was written in, using the conversations between a fictional mentor and his disciple to get the author’s point across. I thought it sounded a bit cheesy at first to use that format, but it worked really well and made the material easy to understand.
I also super appreciated the sort chapters. Most chapters were only a few pages, so although it’s heavy material it wasn’t daunting to pick up the book and read a chapter or two and then have plenty to think about.
A good read for considering the doctrines of election, divine sovereignty, and free will.
I also super appreciated the sort chapters. Most chapters were only a few pages, so although it’s heavy material it wasn’t daunting to pick up the book and read a chapter or two and then have plenty to think about.
A good read for considering the doctrines of election, divine sovereignty, and free will.
September 14, 2018
That was fun! Very well argued. I really enjoyed this method of walking through the doctrines of grace. Douglas creates a very gentle and warm dialogue between a pastor and a troubled Christian. This books takes you on a journey of dialogue wrestling with scripture on particular areas that tend to get darkened in much confusion. Very helpful. Highly recommend as a first read to anyone wrestling with the ideas of predestination and God's sovereignty.
July 7, 2023
While I would ultimately come to reject it's presuppositions for the worldview of the Early Church of the first 1,000 years, this is a Compatibilist form of Divine Determinism I found palatable and helpful at the time. I ultimately rejected it, not because I didn't like it, but because I came to believe it is not what the Bible taught and it's implications and inconsistencies affected to many other things (including Christology).
April 29, 2018
This is good for what it was intended to accomplish. A narrative about the sovereignty of God through the conversations of a Pastor and an Inquisitor. This would be great for a new Calvinist, or someone who is trying to get the basics of Arminianism vs. Calvinism. Not so much for the Ardent Arminian or the tenured Calvinist who is trying to learn more about the sovereignty of God.
August 12, 2022
I have often said the Potters Freedom by James White has been my favorite book to read on the doctrines of grace but this book has given James a run for its money. From the beginning to end this book deal with very hard truths in the Bible concerning God’s sovereignty, election, predestination, and anything that revolved around the Calvinist main talking points and the author does very well in making it simple and bringing an enjoyable experience in reading this book.
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