Friday, April 22, 2011

This Week in Calvinism - April 22, 2011

  • Peter Lumpkins thinks Southern Baptists should "drop allegiance to being Baptist Calvinists and become self-described Baptist Fullerites."

  • William Birch misrepresents Calvinists on the topic of evangelism. I've long since given up on trying to figure out why Arminians constantly rely on the same straw man arguments. Perhaps he's right when he says that "there is little hope for a befitting dialogue between Calvinists and Arminians."

  • One retired preacher rejects Calvinism and Lordship salvation as unbiblical.

  • Richard sees similarities between Darwin's thinking and Calvin's, believing "it shows that all falsehood, such as Darwinism and Calvinism, really has a common ancestor."

  • Evangelical Calvinist Bobby Grow thinks TULIP Calvinism can lead to "navel-gazing spirituality...wherein a totally depraved, unconditionally elected person seeks to verify that he/she has actually been limitedly atoned for, and thus a recipient of irressitible grace by discerning through their good works that they indeed are a persevering saint."

  • Chuck describes his journey to Calvinism.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm glad you took the time to show *how* I "misrepresented" Calvinists on evangelism. I guess merely making statements is enough. You're certainly right about the "dialogue" part.

Lee Shelton said...

Using your sick girl analogy, you're saying that Calvinists don't tell sinners how they need to respond to the gospel. Really? Calvinists don't call on people to repent and believe?

Anonymous said...

Lee,

Respectfully, you need to read more carefully. That "sick girl" analogy was aimed not at all Calvinists but at that one particular Calvinist student. Here are the words again:

I liken this Calvinist's evasive method of evangelism to someone telling a person that she has an illness which needs to be addressed.

God bless.

Lee Shelton said...

You asked him how he came to Christ. He said that God opened his heart. Did you ask him this immediately after his conversion, or had he grown in faith and in the study of God's word since then? And how did you interpret this to mean that he practices an evasive method of evangelism? Surely you would never say to an unsaved person that he must save himself. You then go on to say (or at least imply) that this evasiveness is a demonstration of consistent Calvinism.

Lee Shelton said...

It seems to me there was more to this evangelistic conversation that what's recalled in your post.

Anonymous said...

You asked him how he came to Christ. He said that God opened his heart. Did you ask him this immediately after his conversion, or had he grown in faith and in the study of God's word since then?

He's a seminary student who has been saved for several years. He answers the way he answers because of his Calvinistic beliefs.

And how did you interpret this to mean that he practices an evasive method of evangelism?

Because in the evangelism demonstration, he wanted to avoid telling the person what he or she must do in response to the gospel. That's slightly evasive, eh?

Surely you would never say to an unsaved person that he must save himself.

That's ridiculous.

You then go on to say (or at least imply) that this evasiveness is a demonstration of consistent Calvinism.

I then went on to ASK, not SAY, if this was consistent of Calvinism in general, especially in light of Sproul's comments, which I presume you read as well.

Anonymous said...

It seems to me there was more to this evangelistic conversation that what's recalled in your post.

Nope. That was pretty much the gist of it.

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