Book Review // Tiptoeing Through Tulip

If you haven’t been living under a rock, then you are aware that the acronym TULIP can start a theological argument in no time. Nick Campbell decided to jump into the fight and do some research to help us all. Tiptoeing Through Tulip, A Crash Course Comparison of Classical Arminianism and Calvinism is the book needed to put out some of the flames.

Tiptoeing Through Tulip is broken down into the following sections: Introduction, Historical Points of Interest, Total Depravity, The Human Will, The Doctrine of Grace, Conversion and Regeneration, Predestination and Election, The Atonement: It’s Extent and Otherwise, Perseverance of the Saints, and Conclusion. The appendixes might be some of the best in a book as you’ll actually reference them and won’t have to search the internet. They included: What does “reformed” mean?, Council of Orange, Arminian Articles of 1610, The Canons of Dort, and Additional Resources.

Some of my favorite quotes/highlights:

• “It is a mistake to think that Calvinism equals predestination and Arminianism equals free will.”
• “Sin is the disease and Christ is the cure.” *if you don’t know Nick’s podcast & Instagram is called Christ is the Cure
• “The relevance here should be obvious. We cannot merely assume that the early church held to one position or another. We must go back to the text and find the position that best accounts for the scriptural data. We also cannot attribute a position to an individual who appears later in church history as if they invented it.”
• “It is by grace that salvation begins, works out, and ends.”

This will be a work that I reference, read again, and recommend for years to come. In my own ignorance, I’ve previously categorized Arminiansm incorrectly with strawmen and misunderstandings. The biggest takeaway from this book is how many American Christians think they fall into the Arminian/Calvinist paradigm but they are, in reality, semi-Pelagians.

“The semi-Pelagians sought a middle ground between Pelagius and Augustine. They acknowledged the reality of original sin and the necessity of baptism and grace for salvation, but they differed from Augustine’s position regarding the distribution of grace and the beginning of salvation (i.e. conversion). Instead, the semi-Pelagians taught that Christ died for all humanity, all people were called to salvation, and God created humanity with free will and an innate inclination to do good. This included the ability to discern between good and evil, to have piety toward God, and the ability to seek God.”

Page 13, Tiptoeing through tulip by nicholas campbell

I could add more quotes and thoughts from reading this book but I want you to read it yourself. Every Christian library should have a copy of this book. We should be capable of representing the “other side” correctly and respectfully. This book helps the reader be educated and understand what both a classical Arminian and a Calvinist believe. Nick has done the work to help prepare us to be better educated and have a full comprehensive view of what these titles/labels mean.

Nick also did a great series on his podcast, Christ is the Cure, about the topic. His website ChrististheCure.org is filled with helpful graphics, articles, and podcast episodes.