Predestined for Hell?

by John R. Rice

Does God predestine some men to Hell? Are there some who can never be saved, born to be damned by God's own choice? This is the teaching of Calvinism, a philosophy taught by John Calvin. The controversy of predestination is still alive today. Does the Bible really teach this? Dr. John R. Rice gives this a thorough examination. Point by point he shows the fallacy of this teaching and exposes this radical heresy. As with all heresies, the theory of Calvinism is man-made and collapses under an honest study of the Scriptures.

103 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2000

About the author

John R. Rice was a Baptist evangelist and pastor and the founding editor of The Sword of the Lord, an influential fundamentalist newspaper.

Reviews

[Brandon Vaughan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don’t know why I subjected myself to this. I saw it at the thrift store and went for it. I welcome open and honest debate about theological subjects, it’s a great way to grow and learn. I also like to read from both sides of an issue in order to hear something straight from the horses mouth. However, Dr. Rice presented so many straw men, I literally don’t even know where to begin.
1. He places all Calvinists within a hyper-Calvinist, Double-Predestination, equal ultimacy camp. He constantly uses the terms Calvinist and hyper Calvinist interchangeably.
2. He tries to make the argument that most Christians aren’t Calvinists. Who cares. That has nothing to do with the theological merits of a system.
3. He states that most Calvinist terms aren’t in the Bible. This is the same argument that the cults use when trying to debunk the Trinity.
4. He says that Calvinists aren’t soul winners. I guess he never heard of Judson, Carey, Bunyan, Edwards, Whitefield, Rice, Brainerd, Spurgeon, etc. etc. He even quoted Hokesema out of context to try and prove this point.
5. He tried to make Whitefield and Spurgeon out like they Weren’t really Calvinist. Spurgeon, uno the guy that said that “Calvinism is the Gospel.” Also he actually mentioned William Carey fighting with Hyper-Calvinists and yet failed to mention that Carey himself was a staunch Calvinist.
6. He stated that because of Predestination, Calvinists believe that people can be saved apart from hearing the Gospel. That’s ludicrous. There’s a reason why he didn’t offer any quotes to prove this.
7. He did not make any serious attempt to deal with any of the texts that Calvinists use to support their claims. He really only dealt with Romans 9 and that was only a couple of paragraphs. It’s amazing how even good men suddenly become Jehovah’s Witnesses with their proof texting and refusal to walk through certain texts of scripture line upon line. When you refuse to deal with your opponents greatest arguments, it makes your position look really weak.
8. He tried to act like Baptists have never historically been Calvinists , and that’s just patently false.
I could go on and on and on. I’ve never seen such a dishonest theology book. I am convinced that men like John R Rice have as much to do with the resurgence of Calvinism in the Baptist Church as men like Spurgeon. They present the opposing position as such a ridiculous boogeyman that if any of their young preacher boys ever actually read after Spurgeon, Edwards, Sproul or JMac, they will immediately realize that they have been lied to. If the SLP wants to stop producing Calvinists among their ranks they need to stop publishing books like this one.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there were some broad, sweeping points about Calvinists that I didn't necessarily agree with, I thought this was a good overview of why the Bible doesn't support hyper-Calvinism. The book was also rather repetitive at times, so I thought it could have been much shorter, but it was still a good and informative read.

[Gwendolyn Harmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent summary, matter-of-fact in tone, but without the antagonism sometimes found in books written to refute specific positions or doctrines. This book is readable, but still deep in its description of the doctrine of Calvinism and how it compares with the Bible.

[Tabitha C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not realize how damaging “reformed” (modern term for Calvinism) theology could be. Excellent book that uses Scripture to refute the Calvinistic stance.

[Jacob Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading books by many in the reformed camp, when it comes to expounding on predestination and election, there’s a few Scriptures and a lot of man’s opinion. Rice wrote a succinct book that is replete with Scripture, biblical interpretation and very little opinion. He does make a couple of sweeping assertions, seemingly equating Calvinists with Hyper-Calvinists. That felt a little cheap in some spots. Otherwise, this was an incredible biblical defense of God’s character and nature in the face of manmade doctrines that twist original, faithful interpretation/hermeneutics.

[F · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this book decades ago and remembered being blessed by it. Just read it again and am even more impressed. Some reviewers have thought Rice answers questions that Calvinists don't even believe- I assume rather, that not all Calvinists believe the exact same thing and Dr. Rice is answering some Calvinistic viewpoints that the reviewer was ignorant concerning. The Scriptures used are compelling, the logic irrefutable and the gentlemanliness commendable. A great book on a difficult subject by an excellent writer.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wastes some pages arguing against things that Calvinists don't really believe, but in the parts where the author discusses real doctrine, he does so in a clear and biblical way. I found the explanations of confusing scriptures to be very enlightening.

[Read1000books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all of Dr. Rice's books, this one, refuting the ideas of hyper-Calvinism, is a sound mix of Scripture and logical thinking.

[Ashton Harat · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great defense of para-Biblicism in predestination. Highly thought-provoking and well-presented.