Comments, page 5
I figured I'd add a new page for anyone who wants to use it.
Plus, with the holidays and new year coming up, I might not be online as often as I usually am. So if I don't read or respond to comments right away, don't worry. I'll get to them eventually.
And once again, please see my rules for commenting on the "welcome" page before leaving your comment. Thank you!
I belong to a small church in a rural county in Texas. I first became concerned when we started studying Paul Washer’s book The Predicament of Man in Sunday School. The study began with man is totally depraved. I had never heard that terminology in a church setting. I know all people are sinners but had never been taught all sinners are total depravity and they can’t even respond to God. As time went by I became more concerned about what was being taught. I started researching and found the TULIP doctrine. I was shocked. I had never heard of Calvinism. I just got to where I couldn’t listen to it anymore because it didn’t line up with what I believe and I would come home depressed. That’s when I started doing more investigation and found your blog. I’m convinced that the church I’m going teaches Calvinism. Here is my question however: have you ever heard of Heart Cry Missionary Society? And if so, are they a Calvinist organization? They are the missionary group my church supports. I actually asked the preacher on day before church started if they teach Calvinism and his comment was there are probably some Calvinist here as well as Armenians. That was the first time I heard of Armenians. I’m quite sure I’m going to have to leave and find another church. Thank you for you diligent research and hard work.
ReplyDeleteHello Concerned, I am so sorry to hear that you're facing Calvinism in your church. But I think it's wonderful that you were alarmed enough to investigate it for yourself, that you listened to your alarm bells instead of ignoring them. If more people did that, Calvinism wouldn't take over as easily as it has.
DeleteLike you, I began getting concerned when our new pastor was teaching how "we're all so depraved and spiritually-dead that we could never seek God on our own, and so He has to wake us up (some of us!) and make us seek Him and believe in Him." I had never heard that stuff before, and it alarmed me because of how foreign and unbiblical it sounded, and so I began listening closely and researched it deeper, like you did. And yes, it was depressing. It started to shake my faith... until I researched enough to know how very different their teachings are compared to the Bible.
But even realizing that they're wrong leads to a sort of depression/shaken faith because now we have to deal with the fact that it's in the church, that others are being brainwashed into it, and that we appear like bad Christians for rejecting it or fighting it.
It's sad that you and I (and many other people) have had this bad theology foisted on us. It puts us in a no-win situation: To accept their theology would shatter our view of God as truly good and trustworthy (but Calvinists are good at living with cognitive dissonance for as long as possible), but to reject it puts us in the tiny minority of people and makes us look like bad Christians in their eyes (or non-Christian) for disagreeing with it. And it might lead to us losing our church and friends.
And it's sad that all this happens through no fault of our own - because someone else brought in an unbiblical theology, forcing us to pick sides and go through pain either way. We're forced to be in a battle we never signed up for. Forced to face the fallout and collateral damage it does.
Anyway, I have never heard of that missionary group, but I looked it up online and it's Paul Washer's missionary society. So - yes - it is Calvinist. On their "Our Beliefs" page, they say this: "HeartCry primarily and substantially identifies with the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. It was the standard confession of the early Baptists in Europe and the confession of Charles Spurgeon...and the Baptist Faith and Message (2000)." And their major influences are practically all Reformers/Calvinists.
It's as Calvinist as it gets.
I'm sorry you might have to leave you church, but I applaud you and respect you for listening to your alarm bells, doing your research for yourself, not letting them smooth-talk or manipulate you into Calvinism, and for being willing to leave your church over this, if that's what it comes to. You are made of strong stuff! And I pray that God blesses you for it, for being willing to do what it takes to stand up for the truth and for His good character. God bless! :)
Hello,
ReplyDeleteHave you heard of the new movie called "The Great Awakening?" I've heard rave reviews about it but my spirit has been troubled because of Whitfield's beliefs (e.g., limited atonement). I do believe God can (and does) use those who have certain wacky points of doctrine, and I don't claim to be perfect on every point myself. Nevertheless, I don't know how to feel about this and want to get some second opinions.
Thanks!
Hello, Angel. I've heard of it but haven't watched it. And I don't know anyone else who's watched it either. Hopefully the movie left out the wackier points and just focused on the simple gospel. God bless! :)
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