Arminius

In the sixteenth century, when theology could start wars and conscience could get a man killed, Jacobus Arminius dared to question the idea that God’s will left no room for human choice. Born in the war-torn Dutch town of Oudewater on October 10, 1560, Arminius rose from tragedy to become one of Europe’s most provocative theologians. His belief that divine grace invites rather than coerces set him at odds with the rigid Calvinism of his time. He taught that love must be freely returned, that faith cannot be forced, and that God’s justice must be as merciful as it is sovereign. For that, he was condemned in life and immortalized in controversy. Today, his name echoes wherever people wrestle with the tension between destiny and decision. This is the story of a scholar who fought for freedom of the soul when certainty ruled the mind.