Easy Chairs, Hard Words: Conversations on the Liberty of God
by Douglas Wilson
Canon Press, 1991
144 pages; Softcover; $13.50 Can

Reviewed by Tim Gessner

Easy Chairs Hard Words is a fictional story built around a series of conversations between a young man and an older pastor. The pastor, Martin Spenser, is from a small church across town that has been dismissed as “Calvinistic” by those in the young man’s church. The young man has come to him for counsel because of inconsistencies he has detected between the Bible and sermons he has heard. He does not know what a Calvinist is, but he heard they believe a Christian cannot lose his salvation.

During the young man’s first meeting with Martin, they discuss whether salvation can be lost or not. While Martin is able to answer the question skillfully, this leads to other questions. The questions cover the topics of:

•    The preservation of the saints
•    Is God the Author of sin
•    Human freedom
•    The Father’s election
•    Definite atonement
•    Regeneration
•    Total depravity of man
•    The exhaustive sovereignty of God.

Martin answers these questions and others using scriptural support and solid logic. He explains clearly the biblical position on these controversial issues in an interesting and concise manner.

I found this book to be appealing, because it paralleled part of my journey into discovering the doctrines of grace in the Bible. Many of the questions asked in the book were questions I had when I attended Arminian churches. I did not find the answers to my questions in those churches. The answers were found in books written by godly men and by having conversations with one man in particular who was thoroughly convinced of the exhaustive sovereignty of God.

I hope others will read this helpful book. It has only 144 pages, is divided into short chapters, and is easily read in one sitting. It asks and answers biblically the controversial questions that separate “Arminians” and “Calvinists”, and it does so in an entertaining and memorable manner.