predestinarian

Predestinarian is a term used in Christian theology to designate a person who subscribes to the doctrine of predestination—the view that God has foreordained the ultimate fate of individuals, particularly in regard to salvation. The concept is closely associated with Augustinian theology and with Reformed or Calvinist traditions, though different schools disagree about the scope and mechanism of divine decree.

Predestinarians hold that God's sovereignty determines ultimate destinies, often asserting that election to salvation is part of God's eternal plan rather than earned by merit. Debates within predestination concern the relationship among divine foreknowledge, the decretive will, and human freedom, and whether election is unconditional or conditioned on grace, faith, or foreseen faith. Some strands teach double predestination—the idea that God ordains some to salvation and others to damnation; others emphasize election to salvation while leaving the fate of the non-elect to divine governance rather than explicit predestination of damnation.

Historically, the label predestinarian has been used mainly in polemical or scholarly contexts to describe theologians or movements that stress predestination. In modern usage the term is uncommon as a self-description; adherents are more likely to identify with Calvinism, Reformed theology, Augustinianism, or Arminianism depending on their emphasis.

Related topics include predestination, election, sovereignty of God, Calvinism, and Augustinian theology.