I think that many "see" the resurgence of Calvinism, often called "New Calvinism" as if the Reformed doctrines have ever gone away or are anything new, as the new version of fundamentalism.
I also think that many who hold to some form of Arminian-derived theology are frightened that their way of life, churches, theological constructs, etc., will somehow "go away" or otherwise be subsumed by this movement. But, I believe their fears are not founded on sound reasoning nor on a view of theological principles, but rather merely on the fact that they have built a strawman enemy out of Reformed doctrines and are now afraid of their own rhetoric.
Specific fears that I can see are:
- A fear of the loss of missions work
- A fear of the loss of personal evangelism
- A fear that a new set of "rules" or "laws" will be enacted that will force those who do not hold to a set of doctrines to change or leave their churches, schools, etc.
- A fear that creedalism will once again reign supreme in the church world
- A fear of legalism
- A fear of anti-nomianism
- A fear of "change"
In turn, an examination of these points shows that none are particularly true for those in the Reformed camp, but they have so long been promulgated as the enemy position by those outside that camp that the perception has become reality for those doing the fearing.
A fear of the loss of missions. This, like the next fear, a loss of personal evangelism, stems from a false dichotomy that links Calvinism with a deterministic God, whereby all actions are so dictated by God that there remains no room for human involvement. Thus, the actions of missions and evangelism are non-starters because "God does all the work anyway..." Of course, that some of the greatest mission and evangelism efforts in the history of the church stemmed from those with a Calvinistic or Reformed doctrine seems to never come to light, or be ignored by those who do not cotton to the idea that Calvinists can and do support both missions and evangelism -- perhaps for reasons other than Arminians -- but nevertheless, true just the same.
A fear of a new set of laws or rules, plus creedalism and/or antinomianism. There are conflicting responses here, for antinomianism is the polar opposite of a Pharisaical (law or rule based) view of church operation or theology. On the one hand, it is feared that the "rules" of the church will be set aside because of the doctrines of Grace, which seeming allow for "anything" to be acceptable behavior, practice, etc. On the other hand, the fear that mirrors the old Fundamentalist legalism is exactly the opposite, nothing goes and mistrust everyone and everything. In truth, neither position is correct, and neither accurately describes those who hold to the Doctrines of Grace. The "rule" is God's Word, the authority is a Sovereign Lord, and we are saved by grace through faith to serve that God by doing what it says in His Word.
The fear of creedalism. For many Baptists and baptistic agencies, churches, believers, etc., the doctrine of Baptist "freedom" stands foremost as "the" Baptist distinctive that sets "us" apart from other denominations and "the world." The problem is that some form of creedalism exists in any religious structure as a matter of fact. Whether written or oral, whether codified into text or merely lived out by cultural pressures, there are standards, creeds, confessions, etc., that form the basis of doctrines as derived from Scripture and tradition. What may be feared in actuality, is "someone else's" creed or confession. Not that there are creeds or confessions.
The fear that the "New Calvinism" (which, by the way is anything but new) will set aside and/or force a change in churches, schools, doctrines, etc., is largely misplaced fear. The doctrines of grace point to a sovereign, all-good, God, who has revealed Himself to us through His Word, through the prophets, and through Jesus Christ incarnate. We cannot overstep the bounds that God has laid out for us, some of which are love for one another, unity in the church, and actually "doing" what God told us to do. If any given school or church is not actually doing these things, then they may have some rationale for fear, but to the extent that they are holding the Word of God, rightly divided, and acting on that Word in ways that advance the kingdom of God, then there really are no bones to pick, other than in minutiae of theology that will likely not be settled indeed until the advent of the Kingdom.
What I have seen, in my own ministry, is that I have been turned down for ministry positions because I come from a seminary that is seen as being at the forefront of the "New Calvinist" movement. I have been shut out of pastorates, Directors of Missions, church planting, and other positions largely because I am percieved as a "Calvinist." Because of that, I wonder if it is the "New Calvinists" that we need to fear, or the status quo...
