Calvinism and free will: Mike isn't a Calvinist. He believes in genuine human free will while also affirming God's sovereignty. The key issue: does God determine every single human decision (Calvinist compatibilism) or do humans have genuine libertarian choice? Mike believes libertarian free will better fits Scripture and makes better sense of God's commands, judgments, and the problem of evil.

Mike believes humans have real libertarian free will — genuine choice between alternatives. Calvinist compatibilism says God determines everything but humans are still "free" because they do what they want (even though God determined what they'd want). Mike finds this definition of freedom inadequate — if God determines your desires, you're not genuinely choosing. Sovereignty means God can stop or allow anything, not that he causes everything.