Bit of a puff piece. Though I say that as someone who lives in a land of deconsecrated kirks.
I agree. Calvinism is by no means prominent where I live (a tad ironic, considering New England is home to a number of historically prominent and influential Calvinists... Jonathan Edwards being one of them), but I see no evidence suggesting that it is 'on the rise.' All this article appears to say is, "We're big because we're right and we have a lot of well-known followers and stuff."Well of course, they, being Calvinist don't need to say or do anything else, they're predestined for greatness
But if people are going to church every week just to hear how bad they are, I see little incentive in going to church at all. The other night I was transcribing a sermon by a man whom I assume was a staunch Calvinist (judging by his constant invocations of "the Elect" and whatnot), and it left me feeling neither good nor hungry - it left me feeling no better than dirt.
And hey, maybe that's the aim of those who preach it. Maybe that's what's considered 'theologically correct' in certain circles. Yet, it left me no desire to move on to the man's other sermon and transcribe that as well, lest I lose every remaining ounce of sanity I had left.
And that's just one sermon. To personally realize that there are people who have been forced to listen to this hour-long bunk every Sunday since childhood worries me deeply, to say the least. You seriously cannot escape without feeling some effect of brainwashing going on.
Now to be fair, this man probably isn't representative of a majority of Calvinist preachers, though I can't say for sure since I've never been to a Calvinist service, but I don't see any reason that people choose to listen to that stuff every week other than that they've been truly brainwashed.
EDIT: I read this over a couple times and I fully realize that I just made this thread about myself. Do forgive me.
This is probably the main redeeming quality of Calvinism, it doesn't exist to make us feel good--and contrition begins with guilt and shame for one's sins. Far too much about modern Christianity is done to make us feel good. We're supposed to be following a guy who got whipped, beaten, mocked, and nailed to a tree. If done with any semblance of earnestness it isn't going to be all rainbows and butterflies. But stopping there is like following Christ's life but only until the crucifixion; it tends toward forgetting the point of remorse, which is try and amend one's life, to go forth and to sin no more. It's not that God just wants us all to be miserable, but that he wants us to rend our lives. Since Calvinism is all about predermination, all of this is missing and we're left with just the shame and nowhere to go from there. But we're supposed to rise out of our bondage to sin and be the men and women (well, it's Atlas, so men, who am I kidding?) God created us to be. It still isn't going to all be rainbows and butterflies and still does require suffering, but we need to endure it and, when given a choice between God and sin, choose God. In a world of darkness, we are called to choose the light, not just as recompense for our sins, but because we are created in the image and likeness of God and as such have
value.
Anyway, the article is an interesting portal, but basically just a set of anecdotes of how supposedly successful Calvinism, along with a good, but pretty standard indictment of self-help-Jesus Christianity. I'm not sure one can really ascertain the title "Calvinism is back" from anything presented in the articles contents. Wishful thinking IMO.
