Tozer-
"To square the records, however, it should be said that if the Calvinist does not rise as high [phlegmatically], he usually stays up longer. He places more emphasis on the Holy Scriptures which never change, while his opposite number (as the newspapers say) tends to judge his spiritual condition by the state of his feelings, which change constantly. This may be the reason that so many Calvinistic churches remain orthodox for centuries, at least in doctrine, while many churches of the Arminian persuasion often go liberal in one generation."
Do you agree with Tozer?
Do Calvinists seem to be more stable emotionally than "non-cals"?
Their denominations have certainly tended to withstand the onslaught of liberalism and heterodoxy a great deal better than "non-cals".
Emotionalism is often related to the fall of theology.
Pentecostals are BY AND LARGE Arminian (perhaps 99.9999999 percent?) and they tend to be VERY unstable emotionally and less able to defend their doctrines, don't they?
Calvinists tend to be more educated too, don't they?
It would be hard to prove this statistically I suppose, but it has been my experience everywhere I have been.
Presbyterian denominations tend to be VERY demanding educationally of their ministers, for example.
IFB churches and non-reformed Baptist churches do not. And often those folks who are members in those churches are not very educated- at least this has been what I have observed.
I come from the Free Will Baptist movement and it is THOROUGHLY Arminian and it doesn't even HAVE a real seminary in the entire DENOMINATION! (some count Hillsdale but most Free Wills I know would not).
The main Presbyterian church in town, it has been my experience, tends to be the home church of the more educated folks.
Arminianism has seemed to appeal throughout history to the more sensational, emotional masses. It was spread across our land by, what I would consider to be, very shallow emotional tent revivals and camp meetings.
Doesn't it seem to be the case that the more educated one is the less he experiences often reoccurring fits of emotional highs and emotional lows?
Doesn't it seem that the more poor or uneducated or "backwoodsy" a person is the more they tend to be VERY emotional?
Could it be that as our culture dipped a hundred + years ago into low education and heavy emotionalism that THAT is related to the rise of Arminianism in our religious culture?
Could that rise of Arminianism be related to the liberalism that has overtook our culture at the same time?
Tozer, an Arminian, noted that Arminianism tends to liberalism and Calvinism tends to stand many generations before falling into liberalism.
I think they are related.
I think the surge of Calvinism in the SBC and her return to the Fundamentals of the Faith are related as well.
"To square the records, however, it should be said that if the Calvinist does not rise as high [phlegmatically], he usually stays up longer. He places more emphasis on the Holy Scriptures which never change, while his opposite number (as the newspapers say) tends to judge his spiritual condition by the state of his feelings, which change constantly. This may be the reason that so many Calvinistic churches remain orthodox for centuries, at least in doctrine, while many churches of the Arminian persuasion often go liberal in one generation."
Do you agree with Tozer?
Do Calvinists seem to be more stable emotionally than "non-cals"?
Their denominations have certainly tended to withstand the onslaught of liberalism and heterodoxy a great deal better than "non-cals".
Emotionalism is often related to the fall of theology.
Pentecostals are BY AND LARGE Arminian (perhaps 99.9999999 percent?) and they tend to be VERY unstable emotionally and less able to defend their doctrines, don't they?
Calvinists tend to be more educated too, don't they?
It would be hard to prove this statistically I suppose, but it has been my experience everywhere I have been.
Presbyterian denominations tend to be VERY demanding educationally of their ministers, for example.
IFB churches and non-reformed Baptist churches do not. And often those folks who are members in those churches are not very educated- at least this has been what I have observed.
I come from the Free Will Baptist movement and it is THOROUGHLY Arminian and it doesn't even HAVE a real seminary in the entire DENOMINATION! (some count Hillsdale but most Free Wills I know would not).
The main Presbyterian church in town, it has been my experience, tends to be the home church of the more educated folks.
Arminianism has seemed to appeal throughout history to the more sensational, emotional masses. It was spread across our land by, what I would consider to be, very shallow emotional tent revivals and camp meetings.
Doesn't it seem to be the case that the more educated one is the less he experiences often reoccurring fits of emotional highs and emotional lows?
Doesn't it seem that the more poor or uneducated or "backwoodsy" a person is the more they tend to be VERY emotional?
Could it be that as our culture dipped a hundred + years ago into low education and heavy emotionalism that THAT is related to the rise of Arminianism in our religious culture?
Could that rise of Arminianism be related to the liberalism that has overtook our culture at the same time?
Tozer, an Arminian, noted that Arminianism tends to liberalism and Calvinism tends to stand many generations before falling into liberalism.
I think they are related.
I think the surge of Calvinism in the SBC and her return to the Fundamentals of the Faith are related as well.
