The Duck Test #4

The duck test is a humorous term for a form of inductive reasoning. It can be explained this way:  "If a bird looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck".

The duck test implies that a person can figure out the true nature of an unknown subject by observing the subject's readily identifiable traits. It is sometimes used to counter difficult arguments when dealing with something that is not what it actually appears to be.

Today, we are going to apply two duck tests to Calvinism, one from a worldly perspective, and the other from a Christ-centered perspective. More specifically, we are going to look at John Calvin since his teachings are the foundation of what Calvinists believe. So, who is John Calvin?

John Calvin

John Calvin was a famous theologian, writer, and pastor. (1509-1564) Along with Martin Luther in Germany, Calvin is considered to be one of the most influential forces of the Protestant Reformation. His commentaries and his work,  Institutes of the Christian Religion, have become a major influence on Christian theology and the "source" of what Calvinists believe today. In Geneva, Calvin attracted other Protestant refugees, and, over time, made that city a major force in the spread of Reformed theology.

Duck Test (world centered)

From the very short historical summary referenced above, it would be easy to conclude that Calvin was a great thinker (quack), a great writer (quack), a great religous leader (quack), a great reformer(quack), and the list goes on (quack, quack quack).  When applying the duck test to Calvin from a world-centered perspective, I think many of us would agree that he was indeed a very great man who made some very important contributions to history.

But since this is a Christian blog, I would like to apply the duck test from a Christ-centered perspective to see if Calvin measures up to what God would define as great. Before doing this, let's review another side of Calvin that is usually not discussed in Calvinist church groups.

John Calvin

John Calvin was known as a cruel, murderous, tyrant who considered himself to be the "Pope of Geneva". Calvin lacked love, compassion, patience, and tolerance for those who did not agree with his Institutes. Criticism of Calvin's Institutes was considered heresy, and it resulted in a sentence of death by burning at the stake.

Duck Test (Christ centered)

From this historical summary, most Christians would agree that Calvin was anything but great. During Calvin's  "five year reign of terror" (quack), he was responsible for sentencing 58 people to death (quack), and exiling 76 others because they disagreed with him on spiritual matters (quack). Furthermore, he held onto some of his Catholic beliefs, such as infant baptism (quack), and he placed his own writings above the Bible (quack). Moreover, Calvin's belief structure and writings were strongly influenced by the work of Augustine, a philosopher and theologian, who, for nine years, was part of a Persian cult rooted in gnoticsm called Manichaeism before he converted to Catholicism (quack!quack!quack!). Based upon these observances, if we apply the duck test from a Christ-centered perspective, I think most of us would conclude that John Calvin was far from being a great man, let alone a devoted Christ follower.

It is interesting to note that our duck test conclusions of John Calvin are quite different depending on what perspective we are using (Christ-centered vs. world-centered). The reason this is so important to point out is because Calvinists will often make world-centered arguments stating John Calvin was a great man who made remarkable contributions to the advancement of Western  Christianity (which is true). They will also point out how many prestigous Christian leaders agree with John Calvin, such as Charles Spurgeon, Jonathan Edwards, John Piper, and R.C. Sproul (also true). After gaining some credibility, the Calvinist will take you down a logical path and proclaim that Calvinism is true because of these world-centered perspectives. Then, they will make claims that their beliefs are based on the Bible (which is false). Don't be fooled, Calvinism is squarely based on the teachings of John Calvin, who in turn based his writings on the work of Augustine.

When questions about John Calvin's dark side come up, Calvinists will argue that violence was acceptable during the time that Calvin lived, therefore excusing all the evil and bloodshed caused by Calvin and his followers. If we were using a world-centered perspective, the Calvinists would have a very strong argument; however, we need to use a Christ-centered perspective and the Bible as our authority. Regardless of the times, there is no excuse or justification for Calvin's behavior. The Bible and history gives us numerous examples of God's people yielding to God, and sometimes even giving their own lives as a selfless sacrifice to God. When comparing the two perspectives, the Calvinist position falls apart and we see Calvinism for what it really is - a man-made,  world-centered philosophy.

When these obvious, Christ-centered truths are pointed out to a Calvinist, an attempt will be made to defend the Calvinist position with arguments such as, "we do not follow Calvin, we follow the Bible". However, you can no more seperate Calvinism from John Calvin, than you can seperate Mormonism from Joseph Smith, or Nazism from Adolph Hitler.

It is offensive, in view of the Christ-centered duck test, to base one's spriritual beliefs on John Calvin and call it Christian. How can there be any question that this evil man was like Christ?  Please, I encourage you to do your own research on John Calvin, and to conduct your own duck test based on the truths found in the Bible and in history.  Discover for yourself whether or not the information I am writing is true.

Remember: If a bird looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck!