Protestantism = Calvinism = Aurelius Augustinianism = Catholicism
Notice that historical Baptists are not in this chain, and do not recognize either Jacob Arminius or John Calvin as anything.
Why do you think the majority of Baptist board keeps saying " I AM NIETHER!"
People CAME OUT of Protestantism into churches (non-heretical) like the Waldensian (who John Calvin forced into his submission, with his "irresistable grace"), Lollard, Hussite, Donatist, AnaBaptist (who Luther persecuted), etc.
There has always been an outside line of "bible believers" that either CAME OUT of Rome ALL THE WAY, or formed groups that eventually did, and they DID NOT FOLLOW THE PRACTICES OF THE STATE CHURCH!
Augustine was the foundational "saint" for the Roman Catholic Church, after Constantine formed the first church/state union. Do your history on Constantine and his false "conversion".
What Constantine did is against everything Baptists stand for, historically.
Augustine is the one who concreted the doctrines of the Catholic church, in regards to infant baptism, baptismal regeneration, and the forced conversion of people outside of it. He could have cared less for their biblical salvation. He also developed the doctrine of predestination, and states in one of his books, that he recognized that the early church did not hold to this view.
You guys are on the road back to Rome if your not careful.
Augustine persecuted (and that means forced conversion and killing) the first "baptist-type" of outside church, the Donatists, who seperated from the state-church.
Mohammed the false prophet of Islam, was heavily influenced by Judaism and Catholicism, making a fatalistic, all-determinalistic, god -allah. He got it from Augustine.
Tha's where John Calvin got it from too. I'm not juding John Calvins salvation, or Augustine, but I doubt it, based on their burning and persecuting of "heretics" like BAPTISTS, and their Augustinian mind set of STATE CHURCH OR DIE!
I wouldn't swallow their doctrine, even if Calvinists killed me. Brother Bob, if your gonna be a fruit inspector, inspect the fruits of the line of men who held to a very strict or strict predestinarianism, before Baptists took over domination of it. You'll be suprised at what you find.
Augustinian Predestinarianism limits God to being forced to only have omniscience regarding what He has planned, instead of ALL THINGS.
But God's Omniscience is not confined to what he "authors", or uses to His Glory, BUT ALL THINGS!
Here is what Calvinsts have contributed to the Baptist churches:
*The need for Holy Ghost Conviction, in salvation.
*A God-focus, not a man-focus.
*The use of the Law, in preaching the Gospel.
*The Doctrine of Eternal Security.
This is why "Arminian" or non-Calvinist churches are so full of false professions, and liberal heresy, because they have left out these fundamental truths of God, and the Holy Spirit.
If the Arminian church is Laodecia, then the Calvinist Church is Sardis.
That's good stuff, what our Calvinist Baptist brethern have brought to the table, but TULIP is a Thistle.
