The Brouhaha Over Calvinism

 

Fresh off the press from CruciformPress.com . . .

Killing Calvinism. The subtitle is "How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside." I needed someone to write such a book and thankfully Greg Dutcher has. Now Pastor Dutcher is not trying to kill Calvinism, but is looking at what Calvinists are doing that is clearly bad press for the church.

Drucker says that Calvinists are shooting themselves in the foot by first of all loving Calvinism as an end in itself. Dutcher points out:

All around the world blogs, study groups, conferences, podcasts, and unusual little publishing houses are churning out material on election, justification, covenantalism, ammillennialism, postmillennialism [the earlier subject of this blog--see Origin above for history], Christo-centric hermeneutics, Augustine, Calvin, Luther, and, yes, even the differences between infra-, supra- and sub-lapsarianism. Frankly, it is indeed cool to be a Calvinist right now, and more resources are available to the "Young, Restless, and Reformed" crowd than ever before. (p. 16)

Click on three red sites in this paragraph that illustrate the above point. The first is this Countering Calvinism which sets out to destroy Calvinism.  Another Calvinistic site posts "this week in Calvinism". Meanwhile this summer the Southern Baptists have a series contrasting Traditionalists and Calvinists with David Allen urging on July 4th deliver us from attempting to Calvinize or de-Calvinize the SBC.

In chapter two Dutcher contends that Calvinists are becoming theologians instead of disciples. He points out how knowledge puffs up (I Cor. 8:1), but that he himself also used to enjoy setting an Arminian straight while he was woefully neglecting things like mercy, kindness, and servanthood (p. 29).

Chapter three is on loving God's sovereignty more than God Himself. In this chapter he references cage-stage Calvinists who should be kept in a cage so they do no harm. He points out that joy, pride and anger might be reasons for the cage-stage. No one is really born, born again or elected as a Calvinist and I certainly find this is correct in my pilgrimage; my conversion was as a child so naive about theology but so happy to be in God's kingdom. I have always gone to Philippians 2 for work out my salvation and it is God who is working in me--two sides of the coin. Yes, God's sovereignty is reassuring, but being WITH our LORD is really more important than being a theologian IMHO. Our LORD wants to be with us. I have blogged about this discovery here, With Part One and With Part Two. This is so important and I am delighting in my devotional and prayer life more than other typical Reformed issues now. My faith is not all about theology. Quote me Scripture that says something different and I will love that you are quoting Scripture and we both can agree that we are growing through Scripture.

Losing an urgency in evangelism is the focus of chapter four. I noticed this immediately when because of my marriage I was thrown into a Reformed congregation where evangelism didn't seem to be the norm.  I found it very hard to criticize Billy Graham dismissing him as Arminian as some Calvinists do. Let the elect find their own way to Christ? Dutcher rather says that like Paul we need to believe 100% in evangelism and 100% in election.To me Graham was in the same camp as the Reformed D. James Kennedy and his Evangelism Explosion. I am not a charismatic, but just like a charismatic I pray Lord, whom do you want me to speak with today, and now as a Reformed believer thank You that You can use me however You will.

Learning only from other Calvinists? In chapter five Dutcher points out how he learned by radio from someone who was not a Calvinist. I heard Chris Fabry on Moody radio interview Skle Jethani and that made me want to read Jethani's book that I have reviewed here. Now Jethani is an editor with Christianity Today, not the reading source of many of my Reformed friends. Actually I want to learn from Scripture itself, and not through the lense of the Westminster Confession or Christianity Today only. I want to keep learning period--Scripture and maybe some creeds, confessions, biblical books and blogs.

The next chapter on Tidying up the Bible's "loose ends" contends that "Calvinists get the order backwards, letting their theology determine what the Bible says or does not say (p. 71)." I noticed on the SBC site that the Scripture quoted is different from what Calvinists use. Of course! Each has their own point to make.

Being an arrogant know-it-all is the subject of the seventh chapter. Notice the emphasis in Reformed circles on T. U. L. I. P. People in my extended family (both pro and con on Calvinism) pointed this out to me and suddenly my joining the church of my husband was suspect to my extended family. Would I become one of them--you know--a know-it-all. At first I had to study just to keep up and really this blog was part of that search. Now I just want godliness,  wisdom from Scripture, not merely knowledge. On the back cover to Killing Calvinism Sam Storms writes that a "healthy dose of Dutcher's wisdom will go a long way in bringing spiritual health to the young, restless, and reformed." Might I add to any one of my senior citizen age as well.

The final chapter of this short book takes on Calvinists for scoffing at the hang-ups others have with Calvinism. Dutcher pastors a church where Calvinism is not an issue because, although he believes in this theological system, he doesn't push it down the throats of those he preaches to. He says my congregation is learning the content of Calvinism without some of the offical labels. . . . All we are trying to do is unpack Scripture. (p. 101) Love it!

Baptist Pastor Thabiti Anyabwile of The Gospel Coalition on the back of the book sums up the value of this book:

"This book blew me away! Greg Dutcher skillfully diagnoses how I kill the very truth I love by my hyposcrisy, pride, anger, and judgmental attitude. This book will serve a young generation of Calvinists. But the older generation had better heed it, too. There's medicine here for all our hearts, and taking this medicine will make us more joyful and more humble when making our glorious God known."

Contest:  The first person to carefully comment on five different posts on Millennial Dreams will win a free copy of Killing Calvinism. If you are first to do that, contact me at the e-mail in Origin of the Blog at the top. Note that one of the five comments can be on my other blog. The comments will all come in order on my e-mail.  Looking forward to mailing you Killing Calvinism. Hopefully you will appreciate this book as much as I have and then you will not have to order a minimum of five paperbacks which is the usual Cruciform Press policy. Of course the book might make some mad. No spam, though, as I can take that off of this blog and spam won't count.

Cordially,
Carol

Amazing Grace DVD--Second Post

Postmoderns don’t need the history of the church, but the first part of the Amazing Grace DVD is about the history of the church. So if you are a postmodern, don’t bother viewing.

Why do we need to know the history of the church? It has been said we are doomed to repeat history if we don’t learn from it. The debates in history become quite interesting in this film. I will not give you the whole carefully crafted historical account written and produced  by Jerry Johnson and Eric Holmberg that includes the Council of Carthage, the Council of Trent and the Synod of Dort. Suffice it to say man either saves himself or God saves him--what the historic and  current debate is about.

Augustine prayed, Lord give us what though commandest, and command what thou wilt. Pelagius disagreed. He felt that man was born sinless and could cooperate with God in his own salvation, taking credit. If I ought, I can was the view of Pelagius--the beginning of  the free will concept.

Semi-Pelagian Erasmus believed that by free choice in this place we mean a power of the human will by which a man can apply himself to the things which lead to eternal salvation, or turn away from them.

Then came James Arminius of the Netherlands whose name is associated with Arminianism and of course in contrast the Martin Luther's beginning of the Reformation:

MAN SHALL LIVE BY FAITH AND NOT BY WORKS.

“Prince of Preachers” Baptist Charles Spurgeon quotes Martin Luther If any man doth ascribe aught of salvation, even the very least, to the free will of man, he knoweth nothing of grace, and he hath not learnt Jesus Christ aright.

Put all this in perspective as you view Part One of this DVD. Understand these concepts:

• Monergism-- Man is dead in trespasses and sin. Regeneration is the work of God alone.
• Synergism—God and man together for man's salvation.

Hear insights from leaders such as J. I.  Packer: Arminianism made man’s salvation depend ultimately on man himself, saving faith being viewed throughout as man’s own work.

The late D. James Kennedy says:  

Unregenerate man is free

to do what he wants to do, 

but 

not what  God wants him to do.

Human effort, doing God's work for Him,  has crept into the church  We need that prospective of history to evaluate this works/righteousness synergism.

Amazing Grace DVD--First Post

It has explained so many things,

all using the Bible as its foundation.

"Amazing Grace: The History & Theology of Calvinism" DVD starts out with a quote from C.S. Lewis:

The Christian does not think God will have us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.

I viewed this video when it first came out in 2004, all four hours and 17 minutes of it. Since then it has sold over 50,000 copies. It is worth watching again for me, and there is even a study guide. It is, by far, the best introduction to the Reformed faith that is out there in my opinion unless you want to read tons of books. I dare say it has helped the return to Reformed thinking and Reformed churches and on blogs I have read that people have come to Reformed thinking from this DVD.

Originally produced by The Apologetics Group, it can be purchased from NiceneCouncil.com who also put out "The Late Great Planet Church" on the carousel wheel above (and reviewed below on this blog). I cannot do justice to this Amazing Grace DVD here, so you will just have to order it from NiceneCouncil.com. Fortunately, there is a link where you can get an introduction:  http://www.amazinggracedvd.com/ 

As I have time I will blog a little about it this week to wet your appetitie. Six years later it is as new as ever for me and I am getting much more out of it in my search to appreciate my Christian faith and its history.

The Book I Wish I Had Read Ten Years Ago

This book was printed 2010 and so I couldn't have read it ten years ago when I needed it. California Pastor Daniel H. Hyde discusses some of the matters that I had on my earlier post of June 10, 2010.

Reformed churches have deep historical and theological roots. Hyde explains confession and creeds showing they are beneficial, promote unity and also are a stardard for church discipline. Scripture, not what is popular or "relevant", is what guides preaching.



The first Appendix answers common questions about Reformed churches, such as:

Are you Roman Catholic?
Are you fundamentalists?
Are you evangelicals?
Why is your worship so boring, cold, and serious?
Why do Reformed churches sing psalms?
Do you care about evangelism?
Are you anit-Semitic?
Why are you so theological? Should you not be more practical?
Why do people put so much emphasis on Calvin and Luther?
Why do you seem so strict and 'legalistic'?
Is there a Reformed view of creation?
What do Reformed churches believe about the Hoy Spirit?
What do Reformed churches believe about the end times?

Relevant questions and good answers. Helpful books are included in a second Appendix, including Horton's Introducing Covenant Theology shown above. 

Listen to an Interview of Hyde by Tim Challies at 
Interview of Author                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

Ten Observations in Ten Years

Recently I read a blog on 10 reasons Reasonable Christian (now a Reformed Anglican) is not a Pentecostal Christian (see his link in Resources—interesting post). It got me thinking about ten reasons I am a Reformed Calvinist. Well I will attempt ten observations in the ten years since I have been in a Reformed church and thinking new throughts. My observations and conclusions are tentative. I have a long way to travel in my faith. In ten years there may be another post here.

Becoming a Calvinist and joining a Reformed church isn’t like winning a theological debate or reciting and explaining the Five Sola’s, TULIP and the Westminster Confession (WC). It is orthodoxy and it is orthopraxy. I think that Mike Horton says it best when he says that Calvinism is just biblical Christianity.

Now the most important information is not that I became Reformed, or a Calvinist, but that I became a believer at the age of seven. Since that time I have had a joyous assurance of Christ as  my Savior.

Years ago I was conceptually introduced to Calvinism with a sermon by Rev. Dwight Small, my pastor at the time. Much later in 2000 when I married my current husband and joined his church, I learned a lot more about Calvinism and the WC. In fact while we were courting he had me read up on the WC and I e-mailed him my responses to my study, all the while wondering if I was his project or he was in fact courting me. My relatives would smile while I read a quota of pages every day to get through this induction into more informed Reformed thinking.

Since that time I found out that Calvin was not a perfect man (just as no Pope is), but that Calvin’s Institute and the WC fairly well represents what God wants us to know in the Bible. The Puritans, whom Reformed folks are constantly pointing to, were especially concerned that they follow God’s Word as accurately as possible, not to obtain salvation, but to please God who had chosen them. They were ever so grateful to God.

Before 2000 I had barely affirmed the doctrines of grace and giving God the glory. I was a devoted, careful Christian for the most part, but not free from worry about how things would work out. I would worry instead of trusting God (and at times I still worry going into our senior years). Much of my former and new thinking is in my book Getting Off the Niceness Treadmill. I had wanted God to lead me, but often lacked confidence that He would. I was a widow, however, and God was answering my prayer for a godly, attentive husband. Then comes the shock of changing denominations with my marriage.

I can’t say I have ten reasons, but ten adjustments/observations.

1. First bombshell. Always a fan of Dr. Billy Graham, I have learned he is an Arminian. Never thought he was one before. Never thought about the difference between Arminianism and Calvinism before. I still am his fan, even a Facebook fan of the Billy Graham Association. I believe the Lord has used that man in a mighty way. Was Calvin always right? James Dobson sounds Arminian when he heralds the late Reformed pastor D. James Kennedy for being responsible "for six million souls being saved through Evangelism Explosion". Hmm. I just say God elected people to be Christians before the foundation of the world and it doesn’t matter if it was Billy Graham or D. James Kennedy or however they came into His fold.

2. Second bombshell. We women don’t study Scripture together. There has to be an Elder present to study Scripture. We women do meet together each month to study Puritan women, however, and do pray for each other.  Now this is such a radical departure from my previous church. I was an elder in a small church because there just weren’t enough men up to the job. This fact of my being an elder embarrassed my husband, fiancé at the time. Now I think it is so wonderful there are biblically literate men in my church who answer my questions. And I do have those questions. I do study Scripture everyday on my own.

3. Third bombshell—The Puritans. Are the heralded Puritans legalists? Really I have been forced to take a new look at them. They wanted to apply Scripture to all areas of life. I like this. Counseling doesn’t have to be Rogerian. It can be Nouthetic—healing by applying God’s Word.

4. I care about theology now. Rather than a dull document, I now find the Westminster Confession the benchmark for so much theology. We study a section each Sunday before the sermons and I do take notes on the WC.

5. Church history is so very important. I have always affirmed the importance of Scripture, but church history is now coming alive. Without history, why, one could create a new kind of Christianity as some are now wont to do—make it more appealing to the post-moderns.

6. I am much more understanding of the moral law of the Old Testament as it centers on the Ten Commandments whose principles have a whole lot to say about the New Testament and all of what God wants for us. The WC specifies more information on that Moral Law. Thank God those ceremonial laws  and case laws don’t apply since Christ has come. Christ fulfilled the law, but subjects such as graven image, respect, lust, murder, envy, slander are still part of the moral law that Christ fulfilled.

7. The Regulative Principle of Worship (RPW) is a highly regarded practice in Reformed circles. It is almost the default on worship practices. No new technology (except recording of sermons) or entertainment.  I am finding that different persons and churches interpret the RPW differently. For example, a PCA church might have a band in the worship service with words projected. Another Reformed church might sing psalms only. Reformed folks try to worship God as He has prescribed. Worship and the Sabbath are elevated. Worship is the highlight of the week—it is for God, not my Christian entertainment.

8.  At times theology seems to be elevated over orthopraxy. There are so many theological issues in the Reformed churches that need attention and I do appreciate the men who guard the flock. Sometimes we have to speak up if we need shepherding that isn't theological. Sometimes we need to be there for others with their ordinary needs that aren't theological. Caring for others used to be the only concern I had in  my previous church experience. We need the balance of both.

9. I came from a congregational form of government and have adjusted to a Presbyter/Elder form of government. No more church politics for me! Relief!

10. I used to have too many things to do on a Sunday and throughout the week "for Christ" in my former denomination. Now whom was I trying to impress?! It is for God's glory.

I am free to bring God the glory as I ask for His guidance and obey His Word that I study every day. I am growing in faith, responding to the grace I have been given, but not becoming a Calvinist as one might become a member of the Rotary Club. Others may call me a Calvinist or a Reformed believer by my associations, but I hope that they see Christ in me, and that I am a growing believer in Christ.