Calvinism/Reformed Christianity AMA

[DC Al Fine]

I've been meaning to do one of these for a while now.

As the forum's resident Calvinist/Reformed Protestant, feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the movement. Theology, denomination, history, trends, anything is game. What's on your minds Atlas?!

[RFayette]

What's your opinion of John MacArthur and James White, if you've heard of them?  (Those happen to be two of the biggest influences on my beliefs outside of the pastors of the church I attend)

[DC Al Fine]

What's your opinion of John MacArthur and James White, if you've heard of them?  (Those happen to be two of the biggest influences on my beliefs outside of the pastors of the church I attend)

I like James White and have found him to be very helpful. John MacArthur is more hit or miss. I'm not a fan of his eschatology even though he isn't a 'chart' guy or his approach to denominationalism. He does write some good stuff and I listen to him occasionally though.

[Chunk Yogurt for President!]

Hello from a fellow Calvinist!

Is there a significant reformed community in Canada?

[DC Al Fine]

Hello from a fellow Calvinist!

Is there a significant reformed community in Canada?

Hello there!

There's a reasonably large Dutch reformed community in southwestern Ontario, but otherwise no. My city is actually has a pretty high number of reformed churches per capita... at three for 400,000 people.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Were you brought up Reformed or are you a convert?

[TDAS04]

Do you believe God loves everyone or does he hate the unelect?

[DC Al Fine]

Were you brought up Reformed or are you a convert?

Brought up Reformed, with the caveat that my parents started attending my congregation because they didn't like the liberal drift of their mainline Presbyterian church. They didn't embrace Reformed theology until I was in college. I got all of my Reformed upbringing from pastors and Sunday school teachers.

Do you believe God loves everyone or does he hate the unelect?

God loves everyone. God's election is not based on some traits the elect have or foreseen faith. To suggest that He loves some more than others is implying the sin of pride on the elect's part.

[°Leprechaun]

Do you believe God loves everyone or does he hate the unelect?

Good question. I don't understand how a god/dess, creator of humans, could send them to literally burn in hell for all eternity.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

Which of the five points of Calvinism have you found non-Calvinists understand the least or react the worst to? I have issues with all of them but limited atonement is the only one that actually pisses me off.

[I’m not Stu]

I'm no fan of limited atonement. It doesn't make sense to me.

[True Federalist (진정한 연방 주의자)]

Which of the five points of Calvinism have you found non-Calvinists understand the least or react the worst to? I have issues with all of them but limited atonement is the only one that actually pisses me off.

I have no major problems with Limited Atonement, but that's because I view the gospels through a universalist lens.  I believe all can find their way to the Divine, but only those whose path goes through Christ will be drawn to him. My objection with Calvinism lies more with the combination of Unconditional Election and Irresistible Grace.  If God's grace is indeed irresistible then how then did either Lucifer or Adam fall?  If it is irresistible, why then does God Elect some to Damnation?

[DC Al Fine]

Which of the five points of Calvinism have you found non-Calvinists understand the least or react the worst to? I have issues with all of them but limited atonement is the only one that actually pisses me off.

React the worst to: Limited atonement.

Understand the least: Perseverance of the saints.

People hate that we preach limited atonement, but try usually understand and begrudgingly respect our logic. It's the point I personally have the most trouble with.

On the other hand, people mistake perseverance of the of the saints for antinomianism, which is funny when you consider how much Calvinistic churches struggle with legalism.

[DC Al Fine]

As an addendum, I'd also like to take this time to point out that Calvinism is more than TULIP.

[PresidentSamTilden]

What do you think of this Adolphus guy? Can he actually save Protestantism in Germany? Or should we just bow down to our new Austrian, counter-reformist overlords?

Jk. What's your stance on free will?

[DC Al Fine]

What do you think of this Adolphus guy? Can he actually save Protestantism in Germany? Or should we just bow down to our new Austrian, counter-reformist overlords?

I defy the Pope and all his laws.

Jk. What's your stance on free will?

I'm not well researched in this area, but my reading of Reformed theology more or less means I must be a compatibilist.

[PresidentSamTilden]

Interesting. I had a convo with a catholic guy one time who was very adamant that all protestants were deterministic, lol. I guess that was just his bias talking.

Or is Protestantism different from Calvinism/Reformed? 

[RI]

Or is Protestantism different from Calvinism/Reformed? 

Reformed theology is a very specific and narrow subset of Protestantism.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Or is Protestantism different from Calvinism/Reformed? 

Reformed theology is a very specific and narrow subset of Protestantism.

I think you may be allowing a personal dislike to get the better of you; it is hardly narrow.

[DC Al Fine]

Interesting. I had a convo with a catholic guy one time who was very adamant that all protestants were deterministic, lol. I guess that was just his bias talking.

Or is Protestantism different from Calvinism/Reformed? 

Reformed is a school of thought within Protestantism. They have their own churches as well as unofficial "wings" in a few other groups.

I suspect your friend is letting their bias show. Only a small minority of Hyper-Calvinists believe in determinism. The great majority of Reformed people are compatibilist. There are several major Protestant schools of thought. We don't need to get into each one now, but they are all either compatibilist or libertarian. Determinism is a small minority within a single Protestant movement.

Or is Protestantism different from Calvinism/Reformed? 

Reformed theology is a very specific and narrow subset of Protestantism.

I think you may be allowing a personal dislike to get the better of you; it is hardly narrow.

Correct.

[Attorney General, LGC Speaker, and Former PPT Dwarven Dragon]

Are the elect saved at birth or do they have to repent of their sins first? Also, Do you consider it important to share the gospel?

[DC Al Fine]

Are the elect saved at birth or do they have to repent of their sins first?

No, the elect and reprobate are spiritually identical until the Holy Spirit regenerates the elect.

Also, Do you consider it important to share the gospel?

Sure. To paraphrase Spurgeon, if God gave the elect yellow stripes on their backs we would go around lifting shirts, but since he did not we must preach the Gospel to everyone.

[RFayette]

What is your stance on hell?  Do you believe in eternal conscious torment, or are you an annhilationist? 

[DC Al Fine]

What is your stance on hell?  Do you believe in eternal conscious torment.

Yes, or eternal separation from/rejection by God to be precise.

[DC Al Fine]

What elements of your practice and beliefs do you regard as essential to being Calvinist?

Ah, I've been waiting for a question like this. The cliche answer is the TULIP model of salvation, but Reformed theology is so much more! There is an essential attitude which in turn leads to a few key positions.

The attitude is what we might call "Sola Scriptura not Solo Scriptura". The Bible is the highest authority, but it is not the only authority. We read the scriptures but also embrace the creeds, confessions and tradition, so long as they do not contradict the scriptures. This contrasts with the Catholic and Orthodox churches who have a higher view of the church and tradition, and the low church Protestants who abandon confessionalism altogether.

What essentially follows from this attitude is both the traditional TULIP model, and the regulative principle of worship. The regulative principal is the idea was that God instituted a particular way to worship in the scriptures. This is a much more restrictive approach to worship than most churches take, and is perceived as quite austere by both high and low churches.

What are the most common behaviors or beliefs among people who want to be devout that you interpret as impossible to reconcile with Calvinism?

I'm not sure what you mean here. Are you asking what things do many Christians do that is incompatible with how Calvinists think one should act?

If that is the case, the answer depends.

For Catholics and Orthodox, it is the failure to accept the finality of Christ's sacrifice and his role as high priest outlined in Hebrews. This manifests itself in Catholic attitudes towards the Mass, and exceedingly high view of Mary and the saints.

In Protestants, it is a tendency to chase the latest and greatest. They abandon the wisdom of the confessions for whatever new trend is happening. Most worrying is a tendency to look for God speaking to us directly while ignoring the sizeable amount of literature he's left for us. 

There's a bizarre parallel as this attitude shows up in both liberal mainlines looking to abandon Paul and conservative Evangelicals looking for special revelation.