A letter to which I'd like to hear your reasonable answer and I ask for your pastoral sensitivity.
Dear Scot,
We met a few years ago when I was youth pastor. Now I am at a church plant in Minnesota. I know that you are up to speed with the post modern church. Thatâs really good.
The main reason I am writing is to see if you know anything a person can do in response to hyper-calvinism. Around these parts, we are getting killed by very vocal, self-righteous hyper-calvinists, especially those who are connected with Piperâs church. He has a very strong following around here. They always use the same language and have the same condescending attitude toward everyone else. This stripe also seems to revere Bob Dewaay, Kirk Cameron, and Lighthouse trails research. They turn up their nose at Rick Warren and Bill Hybels.
The problem is that they just are relentless. Absolutely no discussion or compromise. I have had the life kicked out of me at my church this past year by some of these people. For them, it just isnât good enough to be a solid evangelical who really loves Jesus and wants to serve him. It has to be all about reformed theology.
With regards to these dear folks at my church â the proud Calvinists â my approach has always been exactly what you were suggesting. I went out of my way time and again to be friends with them â the number of hours spent over coffee and lunch (funny thing, it was always on my dime!) was incalculable. The tool that I had leaned on for so many years in youth ministry, namely loving relationships, failed me. They were just too stuck in their theology to see anything else. We couldnât ever just agree to disagree and leave it at that.
Which is why it is such a stretch for these people to find a home in our church. We deliberately say that we will not divide over theological issues like this. We are centered on the cross, on walking with Jesus. They just seemed like they were always picking a fight.
So, any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions?
In Christ,
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Thanks to Joshua Taylor who has supported Biblically the importance of why we do not agree to disagree concerning Those Pesky Calvinists. The Truth of Scripture must be upheld, protected, guarded diligently. That is commanded. God has 'called' men of God who have devoted their lives 100% to the study of Scripture, Calvin being one such persons.
Paul writing to Timothy about such matters while suffering in prison for the Gospel " For this reason, I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, (here is that word again) so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory. It is a trustoworthy statement: For if we died with Him we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; If we are faithless, He remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself. Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to a be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. 1Tim. 2: 9-15
Oh yes, remember 2 Tim. 4:2, 3 , Paul instructing Timothy: "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. "
May we never forget the greatest and foremost commandment :
'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.' The second is like it, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' Mat. 22:338-
It is a good thing to discern heresy from Truth. Love covers a multitude of sins. Your neighbor may not be saved, just like the guy sitting next to you in your church for the last 10 years. God knows His own, we may not. The Church belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, we are 'called' to serve and we are to bless those who persecute us. Its better to give than receive! So, pick up the tab, enjoy the joy of
giving.
My husband and I (both born again, charismatic, Calvinist believers) have tried to have meaningful conversations with my Calvinist sister and her husband about the Lord and what He's done in our lives over the years, but it feels like we aren't even brothers and sisters in the Lord. It's like hitting a brick wall. I feel like I'd have to believe everything exactly as they do down to the smallest jot and tittle for us to share Life. It's been a big disappointment to us, but what can we do? Unless they are matters of essential doctrine (and maybe that's every matter to a 5-point Calvinst) disagreements should take a backseat to our shared Life in Jesus. Disclaimer: I know all Calvinists are not like that.
Many assume being a Calvinist is the same as being one of the elect. This is not the case. Many are called who are not now nor ever will be Calvinists. Calvinism is not a condition for election. Grace is. We are saved by grace through faith in CHRIST...not John Calvin or the the pillars represented in TULIP.
Last night a ghetto Latino teenager was asking me about God and time. I replied that God can see the past and future at will just like I can look at objects to my left and right on a sidewalk. The boy responded, "That doesn't make sense!" Well, to him it doesn't make sense because he defines God in human terms...we can't travel in time. His God is too unGodly.
I think the same applies to people who believe other spiritual truths can only be humanly "logical" Their god is too unGodly to be able to operate above human logic, i.e. predestination and choosing to receive Christ are both true. Now we see through a glass darkly and the ultimate details of spiritual truth are not yet understandable to our finite minds...just as the disciples on the Emmaus road had not yet understood Messianic prophecy despite their familiarity with both the Old Testament and the Messiah. I've learned to enjoy the misty mystery of spiritual truth and love the fact that somehow God chose me before the foundation of the world and as a six-year-old I choose to receive Him as my Lord and Savior. I compare myself to a dog who can't fathom how "bark" can mean the covering of a tree AND a sound he makes. The intellectual distance between a dog and the real me is infinitely less than the distance between me and the real God.
I am Calvinist myself and I hope I am a Humble Calvinist. I belong to a Southern Baptist Church and I can safely say that 85% of the church is Arminian. I am also leading a class by RC Sproul "Chosen by God". Boy oh boy! Did I stir up the chicken?! :). I was very clear at the beginning of class to reassure the students are in for a discussion. I also made it clear that it is not a divisive issue or a salvation issue even though I hold the Calvinistic view with much passion. I struggled with this view at the beginning of my walk with God. As I begin to grow in my maturity I begin see how dead I was in my sin. Now I understand why God gets all the glory! I think Calvinist gets a really bad name because of a few Prideful Calvinist. I dont remembered who said this but here it is: "Whether you reject the Calvinist-view or you are a anti-Calvinist or you are indifferent to this view, it is worth looking into the marrow of the Calvinist view. Apologize for my bad english :)
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