is it A MUST That Your pastor/Church Teach/Preach Calvinism?

The answer is no.

 

No, and not sure what "armenion" theology is. But we don't teach Arminian theology.

 

My spell check say's Arminian is spelled wrong or doesn't recognize it, but Armenian is, it is people from Armenia. Calvinism is in my spell check go figure:type:

 

We got a new pastor a few years ago. Among other things the pulpit committee was instructed not to hire a Calvinist. They were instructed to ask the hard questions, get the prospect to commit to believing in free will, in other words not to bring home a closet Calvinist. They did as instructed.

 

Interesting.....Z, I'm only guessing here but is your church Southern Baptist? When I told the story of a Calvinist Church not wishing to hire anyone without that belief system I got excoriated by most of the board.

I would imagine then Z that a guy like me who wants to practice my own brand of theology "Calvinism" would be told to take a walk by your church.

 

Jesus Fan...

Well, I would wish that he didnt teach calvinism, because of the false teaching we would be hearing.(excepting eternal security of course)

But, if he was a good preacher and teacher in general, and did not consider non/cavinists to be heretics, I would engage in the sometimes needed practice known as..."eat the chicken, throw away the bones".

I would recieve and be blessed by his good teachings, and ignore the error.

AiC

 

now thats just silly....why would you ever ignore error?

 

That sounds like a hierling and not a Pastor.....who are they to tell the pastor what to preach?

 

Earth wind and fire....

Huh??

What do you do...internalise error? Heed it? Propagate it?

 

That sounds like a wolf and not a pastor...who do those saints think they are—expecting him to be straightforward about his intentions?

 

You point it out & correct it.....If it willingly continues you walk away from it.

 

& stacking the cards against him if he should even utter he is a Calvinist. Why not just put it on the job description ...."No Calvinist Need Apply". Did Spurgeon ever run into this Jerome? Surely you have a quote by him to illustrate!

Better yet, Z lets say ole Charlie S (or a man of his intellect & devotion) was to come to your church that day..... guess your church wouldn't hire him, right? Just send him packing. "Not our type" No Calvinist need apply.:laugh:.....as the man said.... Genius!

 

Yes it is SBC. We welcome everyone but if you want to hear reformed theology being preached from the pulpit and taught in Sunday School, you might be disappointed with us.

 

They don't, but only a fool would call a pastor whose belief system differs substantially from his own. That's why the prospective candidates were thoroughly grilled on this and other topics before the call.

 

Yeah, I know, we are sometimes unreasonable. But closet Calvinists are not exactly like purple cows. I think we had a thread on that topic about a year ago.

 

The answer to this question is not as simple as one might think.

Let's take my church as an example.

I'm one of a half-dozen known Calvinists in the congregation--a definite minority. Also within our church, a majority are probably dispensationalists, with a few of us historic pre-mils (post-tribbers), a couple of A-mils, and at least one mid-tribber. This means that all but the Calvinists and post-tribbers are wrong, including my pastor.. What do we do about that?

If I decide to make an issue of the differences, I am going to destroy some of the most delightful unity I have ever seen in a church. I am going to create dissension and conflict where there is harmony and love, both for our pastor and for each other.

This is also a church that is thoroughly Baptist, conservative, inerrantist, evangelistic.

Now, if we want to turn our differences into a fight over error and heresy, then the Calvinists are going to lose. The church will lose its deacon chairman, choir director, Sunday School director and one great teacher, plus a couple of other solid, faithful members.

If we're going to label our eschatological differences as error worth fighting over, then the dispies will win, and we'll lose our church organist, along with the aforementioned teacher, choir director and deacon chairman.

Now, if my pastor wants to preach real heresy, then we're going to have a big fight. But we have chosen NOTto make our different views as tests of fellowship.

Besides, I doubt if any of us could ever find a church where we agreed with everything it taught.

 

It would be fine for a pastor/teacher to teach Calvinism if Calvinism was biblical. Ditto for Arminianism. Scripture alone is our authority, and not the traditions of men. Right now the body of Christ is split, with neither side able to demonstrate from scripture why they are correct and the other view is in error. Would it be too bold to say we do not know what we are talking about, and therefore should not teach ignorance to the next generation. We should go back to first principles, and formulate doctrine based on what scripture actually says, not on what we can pour in between the lines. Walking by faith requires a minimalist view of scripture, whereas the doctrines formulated hundreds of years ago are the product of speculative rationalism.

 

Tom Butler..

Excellant post!

That is a marvelously *expanded* version of my recent "man of few words" exchanges with EWF.

AiC

 

It is a must that they not contradict calvinism because if they do they contradict the scriptures. If they do that I'd have to find another place to worship.