Featured A question for my fellow Calvinists

There seems to be a habit among some Calvinists saying that they are not Calvinists. They claim to be Mongergists soteriologically but distance themselves from the Calvinist label. In my conversations (on and offline), the two most popular reasons for rejecting the Calvinist moniker are 1. The scorn they receive over the term from Christians who are not Calvinists. 2. Disagreement with John Calvin on his other beliefs. Charles Spurgeon had no problem describing himself as a Calvinist because even in the 19th-century the term had become ubiquitous in describing Reformed soteriology only. Today, in the 21st-century, the term means the same thing. Calvinist does not mean embracing Presbyterian ecclesiology, paedobaptism, or even covenant theology (although many Calvinistic Baptists do hold to the latter).

So, I have a few questions for my Calvinist brethren who do not like the term.

1. What is your objection to the term?

2. Do you have an issue with Baptists who embrace the term?

3. What are your thoughts of an alternative descriptor such as Monergist?

Thank you and Soli Deo Gloria!

 

Jon, obviously you are entitled to your opinion (which I do not share in the least). I can state that militant anti-Calvinists are just as bad as the Calvinists you are describing but I do not know how that forwards any meaningful discussion.

Calvinism is not my religion. In fact, I am of the opinion you are creating a strawman when you infer there is such a group. First and foremost I am a Christian. My Reformed (Calvinistic) leanings are part of my theology. There is no dissecting them from my belief system but I do not identify myself as a Calvinist first. And for the sake of this thread, I define Calvinism as nothing more and nothing less than the Reformed (or Monergistic) view of soteriology. But I did not start this thread to defend Calvinism/Monergism. I wanted to find out why those who are like-minded on Calvinistic soteriology askew the name that has come to define it for hundreds of years. You have given your reason and I thank you for it.

 

I have run into #1 more than a few times and I certainly appreciate that reason.

I agree, there are plenty of Calvinists who are not playing with a full deck. But there is no shortage of Arminians/Synergists/Wesleyans/[insert any other term you like] that are also batty between the ears. To assume that theological craziness is the domain of just one theological camp is a dishonest statement. I am not suggesting you believe that. I am just taking liberty with your #2 reason for the sake of discussion.

Also, I have no idea what a high Calvinist is unless you are describing Calvinists in Colorado who love their cannabis.

 

One of the motivating reasons why I started this thread has to do with a conversation I had with a brother in Maryland last week. I was visiting friends and family in Maryland and Jersey and one of those friends embraced the Reformed faith years before I did. In fact, he answered a lot of my skeptical questions when I first started challenging my then current belief system. He does not refer to himself as a Calvinist because of the blowback he receives from other Christians. He is an easy-going, not-want-to-offend type of guy, so for him, the path of least resistance was an easy choice. Unfortunately, in order for him to teach in his church, he has to put a check on his theology. I am of a different mindset and do not feel I need to apologize or hide what I believe. I also do not believe I should march down Main St. with an "I am a Calvinist" banner. My friend and I disagree on this issue but we love each other anyway.

 

Well, that really helps!

 

Jon, I cannot speak for others but I have not been a silent critic of those within my "camp" that are deserving of criticism. There are some on my side who are members of this board that I am not even on message board speaking terms. Would it be that all Christians are concerned about the "bad seeds" in their circle of influence?