Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside

[Revmitchell]

How can the contemporary “young, restless, Reformed” movement remain on track? What are its pitfalls? Where is it inconsistent? How must it mature?

Greg Dutcher, pastor of Christ Fellowship Church in Maryland and author of Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside, sat down with Mark Mellinger to explore such questions.

“The book Killing Calvinism is essentially a love letter to my Calvinist friends,” Dutcher explains in the video. “There’s an incredible resurgence of gospel-centered, God’s-glory-centered theology today. But I fear the possibility of squandering what’s been entrusted to us, of falling into the very arrogance and theological smugness that have at times characterized me.”

The doctrines of grace, properly understood, have to lead to humility. “If we truly believe the only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin that makes it necessary,” he asks, “then how could we ever look down at anyone else?”

Watch the full 10-minute video to hear Dutcher discuss Piper for Arminians, evangelical celebrity culture, the litmus test of evangelism, and more.

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-destroy-perfectly-good-theology

 

[steaver]

How can the contemporary “young, restless, Reformed” movement remain on track? What are its pitfalls? Where is it inconsistent? How must it mature?

Greg Dutcher, pastor of Christ Fellowship Church in Maryland and author of Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside, sat down with Mark Mellinger to explore such questions.

“The book Killing Calvinism is essentially a love letter to my Calvinist friends,” Dutcher explains in the video. “There’s an incredible resurgence of gospel-centered, God’s-glory-centered theology today. But I fear the possibility of squandering what’s been entrusted to us, of falling into the very arrogance and theological smugness that have at times characterized me.”

The doctrines of grace, properly understood, have to lead to humility. “If we truly believe the only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin that makes it necessary,” he asks, “then how could we ever look down at anyone else?”

Watch the full 10-minute video to hear Dutcher discuss Piper for Arminians, evangelical celebrity culture, the litmus test of evangelism, and more.

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-destroy-perfectly-good-theology

I believe Calvinism is destined to destroy itself from within. I believe this is so because it is not backed by the Holy Spirit and thus, being a man-made theology, has no other course to take but than to be destroyed by the very men who embraced it and preach it.

You hear testimony after testimony of how one comes to embrace Calvinism and it doesn't come easy. Scripture teaches us that being born of God is having the Holy Spirit indwelling within, the two (spirit of man and Spirit of God) becoming one, a new creation. With this comes the teaching of the Holy Spirit, that we may freely know the things of God, even deep spiritual things. Calvinism works against this new creation's spirit, and is why we hear testimonies of folks coming to embrace Calvinism "kicking and screaming".

I know I have personally spent quite a bit of time investigating the assertions of Calvinism and it just comes up lacking. After debating and studying just about every nook and cranny of the theology for some five years now, I have concluded that it just doesn't fit into the full counsel of God's Word. I will help others see the light when I can, but I'm not going to spend much time on it anymore, too many other important ministry tasked at hand to waste anymore precious time on the subject.

Blessings! :wavey:

 

[Van]

Thanks Steaver, you have been a blessing to me. But I agree, as a good steward, spending our time and effort in productive ministry is important.

Brother Van

 

[convicted1]

I believe Calvinism is destined to destroy itself from within. I believe this is so because it is not backed by the Holy Spirit and thus, being a man-made theology, has no other course to take but than to be destroyed by the very men who embraced it and preach it.

You hear testimony after testimony of how one comes to embrace Calvinism and it doesn't come easy. Scripture teaches us that being born of God is having the Holy Spirit indwelling within, the two (spirit of man and Spirit of God) becoming one, a new creation. With this comes the teaching of the Holy Spirit, that we may freely know the things of God, even deep spiritual things. Calvinism works against this new creation's spirit, and is why we hear testimonies of folks coming to embrace Calvinism "kicking and screaming".

I know I have personally spent quite a bit of time investigating the assertions of Calvinism and it just comes up lacking. After debating and studying just about every nook and cranny of the theology for some five years now, I have concluded that it just doesn't fit into the full counsel of God's Word. I will help others see the light when I can, but I'm not going to spend much time on it anymore, too many other important ministry tasked at hand to waste anymore precious time on the subject.

Blessings! :wavey:

That which I bolded I want to address....


Change is never easy. I was raised in a non-christian home, but we knew about God and the Man Jesus. We had a few bibles in the house, and dad would read one quite a bit. But we rarely went to church. The churches we went to preached free will. That's all I knew. I knew nothing of John Calvin and Calvinism. After being saved, I thought Calvinism was the "doctrine of devils", and said as much on here. I wanted NOTHING to do with it. I had a false view of it's beliefs, because all I had been exposed to was free will doctrines.

Over time, I'd hear people preach, "I chose Jesus", and I'd amen them, but deep inside I'd feel this "tug"...like something's amiss. Where's the "I have chosen you", for instance?

I then one day laid out the fleece and begged Him to show me if I'm wrong. It was then that the Doctrines of Grace seem to leap out at me. The more I studied, the more I saw I was wrong. But still, to change one's views...views they held from being taught them from youth, is never easy...

 

[webdog]

That which I bolded I want to address....


Change is never easy. I was raised in a non-christian home, but we knew about God and the Man Jesus. We had a few bibles in the house, and dad would read one quite a bit. But we rarely went to church. The churches we went to preached free will. That's all I knew. I knew nothing of John Calvin and Calvinism. After being saved, I thought Calvinism was the "doctrine of devils", and said as much on here. I wanted NOTHING to do with it. I had a false view of it's beliefs, because all I had been exposed to was free will doctrines.

Over time, I'd hear people preach, "I chose Jesus", and I'd amen them, but deep inside I'd feel this "tug"...like something's amiss. Where's the "I have chosen you", for instance?

I then one day laid out the fleece and begged Him to show me if I'm wrong. It was then that the Doctrines of Grace seem to leap out at me. The more I studied, the more I saw I was wrong. But still, to change one's views...views they held from being taught them from youth, is never easy...

The Bible says to test the spirits. Just because you laid out the fleece doesn't mean God was the one who made it wet.

 

[blessedwife318]

I believe Calvinism is destined to destroy itself from within. I believe this is so because it is not backed by the Holy Spirit and thus, being a man-made theology, has no other course to take but than to be destroyed by the very men who embraced it and preach it.

You hear testimony after testimony of how one comes to embrace Calvinism and it doesn't come easy. Scripture teaches us that being born of God is having the Holy Spirit indwelling within, the two (spirit of man and Spirit of God) becoming one, a new creation. With this comes the teaching of the Holy Spirit, that we may freely know the things of God, even deep spiritual things. Calvinism works against this new creation's spirit, and is why we hear testimonies of folks coming to embrace Calvinism "kicking and screaming".

I know I have personally spent quite a bit of time investigating the assertions of Calvinism and it just comes up lacking. After debating and studying just about every nook and cranny of the theology for some five years now, I have concluded that it just doesn't fit into the full counsel of God's Word. I will help others see the light when I can, but I'm not going to spend much time on it anymore, too many other important ministry tasked at hand to waste anymore precious time on the subject.

Blessings! :wavey:

I did not find the transition to Reformed Theology hard at all. I don't feel like I came to it kicking and screaming. It was more a natural progression as I studied the Bible. And ironically the whole time I was moving more and more reformed I was in a church that would not consider itself Reformed and the Pastor on more then one occasion would make snarky comments about Calvinism and yet he was preaching Expository through the Gospel of John and he and the church as a whole placed great importance on Bible Study. So I figure I naturally (by God's Election of course LOL) became more and more reformed just by the study and preaching of the word.

 

[convicted1]

The Bible says to test the spirits. Just because you laid out the fleece doesn't mean God was the one who made it wet.

And that's what I did...

 

[webdog]

And that's what I did...

As did I and the majority of believers. Now what? We are not all believing truth.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

I believe Calvinism is destined to destroy itself from within. I believe this is so because it is not backed by the Holy Spirit and thus, being a man-made theology, has no other course to take but than to be destroyed by the very men who embraced it and preach it.

You hear testimony after testimony of how one comes to embrace Calvinism and it doesn't come easy. Scripture teaches us that being born of God is having the Holy Spirit indwelling within, the two (spirit of man and Spirit of God) becoming one, a new creation. With this comes the teaching of the Holy Spirit, that we may freely know the things of God, even deep spiritual things. Calvinism works against this new creation's spirit, and is why we hear testimonies of folks coming to embrace Calvinism "kicking and screaming".

I know I have personally spent quite a bit of time investigating the assertions of Calvinism and it just comes up lacking. After debating and studying just about every nook and cranny of the theology for some five years now, I have concluded that it just doesn't fit into the full counsel of God's Word. I will help others see the light when I can, but I'm not going to spend much time on it anymore, too many other important ministry tasked at hand to waste anymore precious time on the subject.

Blessings! :wavey:

Oh my....Saint Stephen arisen --:laugh::laugh::laugh:

 

[Iconoclast]

steaver

I believe Calvinism is destined to destroy itself from within.

:laugh:

I believe this is so because it is not backed by the Holy Spirit

:laugh:

and thus, being a man-made theology,:

laugh:

has no other course to take but than to be destroyed by the very men who embraced it and preach it.

:laugh:

 

[steaver]

I did not find the transition to Reformed Theology hard at all. I don't feel like I came to it kicking and screaming. It was more a natural progression as I studied the Bible. And ironically the whole time I was moving more and more reformed I was in a church that would not consider itself Reformed and the Pastor on more then one occasion would make snarky comments about Calvinism and yet he was preaching Expository through the Gospel of John and he and the church as a whole placed great importance on Bible Study. So I figure I naturally (by God's Election of course LOL) became more and more reformed just by the study and preaching of the word.

I often asked the question of Calvinist, "what difference does it make if I believe in TULIP?" It isn't going to change my love, my devotion, my gratitude towards God. I already believe God is Sovereign, God is first in all things, God choose me before the foundation of the world, salvation is ALL of God, salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ.

A few comments help cement my views about Calvinism, mainly the hypocrisy preached by some Calvinist preachers like John MacArthur when I heard him just railing on the unbeliever for rejecting Jesus Christ and shouting they deserve the very hell in store for them! And when asked in an interview about all the passages in the bible that promotes freewill choice, he said "I don't know". One poster here on the board also influenced me when he said such a thing so un-God of the bible that I placed it in my signature field (see below).

 

[salzer mtn]

I too was brought up free will and never questioned it. Both sides of my parents family believed in backsliding and everything that is attached to free will. After I was saved the comforter began to show me scripture that over time I embraced eternal security of the saints. In 1980 I purchased the 63 volumes of The new Park Street Pulpit and the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit by Spurgeon. As I began to read these sermons God began to open my heart to the gospel and I found my soul craving these truths like a thirsty man craves a drink of cold water. I wanted to share my findings with fellow preachers, they would listen but also they were going behind my back to destroy me. I saw I had a choice, I could stay and drink the praises of men or I could continue my studies and take a stand for the truth. I have suffered a lot of persecution of wagging tongues in the last thirty four years but I burned my bridges, I put my hands to the plow, I won't look back. When I was a free will, pride was my constant companion. Now I have learned through grace that all flesh is grass, and the glory of men as the flower of grass, it all wilts and blows away.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

I believe Calvinism is destined to destroy itself from within. I believe this is so because it is not backed by the Holy Spirit and thus, being a man-made theology, has no other course to take but than to be destroyed by the very men who embraced it and preach it.

You crossed the line saying that there is no backing by the Holy Spirit.....you do know that right?!?

 

[convicted1]

You crossed the line saying that there is no backing by the Holy Spirit.....you do know that right?!?

Iconoclast gets accused of veiled attacks on one's salvation. What about Brother Steaver's comment?? Hmmmmmm???

 

[convicted1]

As did I and the majority of believers. Now what? We are not all believing truth.

I have no idea what you're insinuating here, but it appears to be baiting...


We're not saved, neither kept saved via knowledge. Sure, we are to grow in grace and knowledge, but something like the Cal v. Arm doesn't equate to one being saved or lost. People just come to different conclusions. In the end, it's up to God to sort this out, not you or I....

 

[Reformed]

How can the contemporary “young, restless, Reformed” movement remain on track? What are its pitfalls? Where is it inconsistent? How must it mature?

Greg Dutcher, pastor of Christ Fellowship Church in Maryland and author of Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside, sat down with Mark Mellinger to explore such questions.

“The book Killing Calvinism is essentially a love letter to my Calvinist friends,” Dutcher explains in the video. “There’s an incredible resurgence of gospel-centered, God’s-glory-centered theology today. But I fear the possibility of squandering what’s been entrusted to us, of falling into the very arrogance and theological smugness that have at times characterized me.”

The doctrines of grace, properly understood, have to lead to humility. “If we truly believe the only thing we contribute to our salvation is the sin that makes it necessary,” he asks, “then how could we ever look down at anyone else?”

Watch the full 10-minute video to hear Dutcher discuss Piper for Arminians, evangelical celebrity culture, the litmus test of evangelism, and more.

http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/how-destroy-perfectly-good-theology

The "RRR" brand of Calvinism is rife with arrogance due to the very fact that it appeals mostly to the younger set. It does not matter whether you are a 20-something Calvinist or a 20-something Arminian; that demographic is defined by arrogance and contempt for anything they consider to be part of the establishment. Mark Driscoll is their poster boy.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

Iconoclast gets accused of veiled attacks on one's salvation. What about Brother Steaver's comment?? Hmmmmmm???

That commentary by Steve isn't veiled....its blatent.

 

[Earth Wind and Fire]

The "RRR" brand of Calvinism is rife with arrogance due to the very fact that it appeals mostly to the younger set. It does not matter whether you are a 20-something Calvinist or a 20-something Arminian; that demographic is defined by arrogance and contempt for anything they consider to be part of the establishment. Mark Driscoll is their poster boy.

Boy have I got news for you.

 

[steaver]

When I was a free will, pride was my constant companion. Now I have learned through grace that all flesh is grass, and the glory of men as the flower of grass, it all wilts and blows away.

I don't see pride being confined only to a freewill attribute. Just look at the post right here on the BB by many Calvinist. Lots of pride to go around in both camps. Personally, I have never felt proud to be a Christian, humbled and blessed I would say. It's all about :jesus:

 

[Reformed]

Boy have I got news for you.

Driscoll's recent problems notwithstanding, he is still the face of the RRR franchise.