It is a common assault by Arminians (and those who are Arminians but like to call themselves other things) that Calvinists are not evangelistic and that Calvinism dampens evangelistic fervor.
Do you think that is true?
It is awful hard to make that case from history, isn't it?
As a matter of fact the great evangelists have tended to be Calvinistic. With the exception of Moody, Finney, and Wesley, I cannot think of hardly any Arminian evangelists of real renown. One might argue that Billy Graham was an Arminian, and I suppose he was a two pointer most of his life, but he just admitted recently that he never had time to read the Bible like he needed and sat down and read it through in two months and became a 5-point Calvinist.
It seems to me that almost all other major names in truly Christian history of renown were Calvinists.
Spurgeon, the father of the mega church, was a thorough Calvinist.
William Carey, the great Baptist missionary, was a Calvinist.
Lottie Moon, the woman whose name labels Southern Baptist International Missions, was herself a Calvinist.
Jonathan Edwards, the most brilliant theological and philosophical mind in American history and the fountainhead of the Great Awakening was a mighty Calvinist,
George Whitefield the spreader of the Great Awakening fire throughout the colonies was a Calvinist,
the Pilgrims, though perhaps not evangelists, certainly the bringers of the Gospel to this Continent, were Calvinists,
the Puritans were Calvinists,
Matthew Henry, the mighty Commentator whose commentary has touched the lives of multiplied millions was a Calvinist,
John Bunyan whose Pilgrim's Progress has convinced many to enter the Kingdom was a Calvinist,
of course Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation which may be responsible for bringing more people into the Kingdom of God than any other event since Pentecost, was a Calvinist,
John Wycliffe, the 'Morning Star of the Reformation', was a Calvinist,
John Huss, the great martyr for the faith, was a Calvinist,
Augustine was a Calvinist,
the Apostle Paul was a Calvinist, and the list goes on and on...
So the argument is utterly ridiculous and really just asinine that says that Calvinists are not evangelistic.
Do you think that is true?
It is awful hard to make that case from history, isn't it?
As a matter of fact the great evangelists have tended to be Calvinistic. With the exception of Moody, Finney, and Wesley, I cannot think of hardly any Arminian evangelists of real renown. One might argue that Billy Graham was an Arminian, and I suppose he was a two pointer most of his life, but he just admitted recently that he never had time to read the Bible like he needed and sat down and read it through in two months and became a 5-point Calvinist.
It seems to me that almost all other major names in truly Christian history of renown were Calvinists.
Spurgeon, the father of the mega church, was a thorough Calvinist.
William Carey, the great Baptist missionary, was a Calvinist.
Lottie Moon, the woman whose name labels Southern Baptist International Missions, was herself a Calvinist.
Jonathan Edwards, the most brilliant theological and philosophical mind in American history and the fountainhead of the Great Awakening was a mighty Calvinist,
George Whitefield the spreader of the Great Awakening fire throughout the colonies was a Calvinist,
the Pilgrims, though perhaps not evangelists, certainly the bringers of the Gospel to this Continent, were Calvinists,
the Puritans were Calvinists,
Matthew Henry, the mighty Commentator whose commentary has touched the lives of multiplied millions was a Calvinist,
John Bunyan whose Pilgrim's Progress has convinced many to enter the Kingdom was a Calvinist,
of course Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation which may be responsible for bringing more people into the Kingdom of God than any other event since Pentecost, was a Calvinist,
John Wycliffe, the 'Morning Star of the Reformation', was a Calvinist,
John Huss, the great martyr for the faith, was a Calvinist,
Augustine was a Calvinist,
the Apostle Paul was a Calvinist, and the list goes on and on...
So the argument is utterly ridiculous and really just asinine that says that Calvinists are not evangelistic.
