Since 1999, Olson has been Holder of the Foy Valentine Professor of Christian Theology of Ethics at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University, Waco, Texas.
Theological Contribution
Advocacy of Arminianism
Olson identifies himself as a Classical Arminian. He has written several books including Arminian Theology: Myths and Realities and Against Calvinism in which he defined and defended his vision of Arminianism. Olson fundamentally defines Arminianism by God's "limited" mode of providence and by God's "predestination by foreknowledge" mode of election, expressed another way :
"“Arminianism,” is simply a term we use in theology for the view, held by some people before Arminius and many after him, that sinners who hear the gospel have the free will to accept or reject God’s offer of saving grace and that nobody is excluded by God from the possibility of salvation except those who freely exclude themselves.
According to him, adherence to Classical Arminianism is defined by being classically Protestant, affirming total depravity, conditional election, unlimited atonement, prevenient grace, and that God is in no way, and by no means the author of sin and evil but that these are only permitted by him. Olson's definition is close to the opinion of Arminius, as expressed in The Five Articles of the Remonstrants, without taking a position on the conditional preservation of the saints. For Olson, "Classical Arminianism" as defined is centered on God's Grace, and is intrinsically an evangelical theology. Olson also refers to "Classic Arminianism" as "evangelical synergism": "Synergism" referring to cooperation between God and creature and "evangelical" to distinguish it from Catholic or Easter Orthodox synergism. This is "because Arminius’ beliefs did not begin with him. For example, AnabaptisttheologianBalthasar Hubmaier promoted much the same view nearly a century before Arminius". Olson says that the first principle of Arminianism is "Jesus Christ as the full and perfect revelation of the character of God". This principle has a particular significance within the Calvinism-Armininian debate, where the character of God as revealed by Jesus-Christ, is for Olson, better represented by the Arminian view:
"Basic to Arminianism is God’s love. The fundamental conflict between Calvinism and Arminianism is not sovereignty but God’s character. If Calvinism is true, God is the author of sin, evil, innocent suffering and hell. Let me repeat. The most basic issue is not providence or predestination or the sovereignty of God. The most basic issue is God’s character."
Olson says that, as a consequence of this point, Arminians only believe inlibertarian free will to avoid making God the author of sin and evil, and because it is an experienced reality necessary for responsibility :
"Classical Arminianism does NOT say God never interferes with free will. It says God NEVER foreordains or renders certain evil. An Arminian COULD believe in divine dictation of Scripture and not do violence to his or her Arminian beliefs. Arminianism is not in love with libertarian free will –as if that were central in and of itself."
Theology history and analysis
Olson wrote a popular and widely acclaimed survey of Christian theology titled The Story of Christian Theology. He is noted for a broad view of what constitutes Protestant "orthodoxy." For example, on annihilationism he commented that some evangelical theologians have "resurrected the old polemical labels of heresy and aberrational teaching" in order to marginalize other evangelicals holding the view The mosaic of Christian belief,. Olson is one of the writers who sees two "loose coalitions" developing in evangelical theology. Olson coined the label "Pannenberg's Principle" for Wolfhart Pannenberg's argument that God's deity is his rule - "The divinity of God and the reign of God in the world are inseparable." He was the editor and author of the Handbook of Denominations in the United States, 14th edition.
