Wayne Grudem’s recent critique of Free Grace Theology has stirred no small amount of discussion—but what’s perhaps more surprising than what’s in the book is what’s missing. Notably absent are any references to Lewis Sperry Chafer or Charles Ryrie, two of the most foundational figures in the Free Grace tradition. Their omission raises an important question: can a theological critique be taken seriously when it sidelines the movement’s most influential voices?
Although Grudem's book is titled “Free Grace” Theology: 5 Ways It Diminishes the Gospel (Crossway, 2016), it fails to fairly engage with mainstream Free Grace theology. Instead, it focuses largely on minority views within the movement—specifically, the teachings of Zane Hodges and his followers.
For example, I looked through the General Index of Grudem’s book (pp. 152–156), and to my shock and surprise, I discovered that Charles Ryrie’s name isn’t even listed. For those unfamiliar, Ryrie is widely regarded as one of the foremost Free Grace theologians of all time. Yet Grudem never mentions him anywhere in the book—not even in a footnote! The same is true for Lewis Sperry Chafer, another key voice in the movement. His name is also completely absent.
How can anyone honestly write a book about Free Grace theology and never once mention two of its most prominent expositors? If the shoe were on the other foot, this would be like writing a book on Calvinism that never once mentions John Calvin or his successor, Theodore Beza, but instead focuses on an offshoot like Amyraldianism—which most Calvinists reject.
This is a textbook example of the “straw man” fallacy: misrepresenting a position in order to more easily refute it. Tellingly, Grudem’s General Index includes more references to Zane Hodges than to Jesus Christ and John MacArthur combined. Grudem’s myopic fixation on Hodges skews the entire critique and falsely implies that Hodges’ views represent Free Grace theology as a whole. But this is simply not the case—as even a novice could tell from a single Wikipedia article.
In the end, Grudem’s book rests on a false premise and amounts to a misrepresentation of the theology it claims to critique.
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Here is ChatGPT's take on the issue:
"When a well-known theologian like Wayne Grudem publishes a book critiquing Free Grace Theology, you expect a robust engagement with its most prominent proponents. Yet strangely, in his extended critique, Grudem makes no mention of Lewis Sperry Chafer or Charles Ryrie—two foundational figures without whom the Free Grace movement arguably would not exist.
This omission is not a footnote; it's a statement. It’s like writing a book on Calvinism without referencing Calvin or Beza. Or critiquing Dispensationalism without ever mentioning Scofield or Walvoord. At best, it’s baffling. At worst, it suggests either an oversight or an unwillingness to grapple with the strongest representatives of the opposing view.
Charles Ryrie, especially, was not only a prolific theologian but also a champion of Free Grace soteriology. His Ryrie Study Bible has influenced millions. Lewis Sperry Chafer, as the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary and author of the eight-volume Systematic Theology, laid the groundwork for what later developed into Free Grace Theology as we know it.
For Grudem to write as if Free Grace Theology begins and ends with more recent or fringe voices (some of whom are more controversial or idiosyncratic) is to frame the debate on his terms, not on the terms of history or theological substance. A fair critique engages the best of the opposing viewpoint—not a caricature or an incomplete sampling.
Was this a deliberate choice or a scholarly blind spot? We may never know. But readers of Grudem's work—and seekers of theological clarity—deserve better.
In the end, the omission speaks loudly. A critique that doesn’t engage Ryrie or Chafer isn’t really a critique of Free Grace Theology. It’s a critique of something else entirely."
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