Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Is Calvinism Biblical? (part four) #26

Please note, when I address the topic of Calvinism, there are Calvinists who will argue and claim that I am misrepresenting what Calvinism teaches; thus, it is important to know that there are many different strains of Calvinists (just as there are among Mormons and other religious sects).  I could quote directly from various Calvinists or even from John Calvin himself. The problem is that I might be misrepresenting THEIR view of Calvinism!

There are John Calvin Calvinists and Andrew Fuller Calvinists, Arthur W. Pink Calvinists, James White Calvinists, Loraine Boetner Calvinists, R.C. Sproul Calvinists, John Piper Calvinists, Mark Driscoll Calvinists, Albert Mohler Calvinists, Presbyterian Calvinists, Baptist Calvinists and many other sorts of Calvinists. Many Calvinists have never read Calvin’s Institutes of Christian Religion for themselves. The vast majority of Calvinists are merely following someone who follows someone who allegedly follows John Calvin (who, by John Calvin's own admission, followed Augustine). Furthermore, there are Extreme and Moderate Calvinists, Hyper and Hypo Calvinists, 5 point Calvinists, 4 pointers, 3 pointers, 2 pointers, and so on; thus, when talking with a Calvinist, it's very important to understand what version of Calvinism they subscribe to. The disarray among Calvinists is what happens when people follow after men who are fallible rather than the infallible Word of God. The emphasis of this blog is addressed to the 5 point, hyper Calvinist, which I believe is preaching another gospel, and I will continue to defend my faith, just as I have done with other religions that promote such a false gospel.

As mentioned above, there are numerous off shoots to Calvinism, which makes this subject very difficult to address; however in all fairness, not all Calvinists believe God's love was limited to just a select few, and not all Calvinists believe the five points of Calvinism are the gospel. In fact, there are a number of Calvinists that actually line up with "mainstream" Christianity. They may call themselves Calvinists, but after you peel back the religious label they are wearing, you will find their beliefs are really not much different than what "we" (Christians) believe. Perhaps Calvinists may over-emphasize certain parts of their Christian faith, but so what! If we are honest, every church / denomination (including our own church) have "quirks" or beliefs that makes it "different". The main thing is not to let our differences stop us from advancing God's Kingdom in this world. There is too much to be done, and I am certain that God does not care what label we are wearing, but instead cares if we are sharing His love with the lost and dying world in which we live in, and if we care about the widow, the orphan, and the homeless.  It's been said that as Christians, we need to have unity in the essentials, liberty in the non-essentials, and charity in all.

My challenge to the "Calvinist", especially to the many Calvinists who I personally know love God with all their heart: Why even call yourself a Calvinist? In my mind, when I hear the word Calvinist, it implies that you are a follower of John Calvin, who is a dead man, a known murderer, and who is also known for his many aberrant beliefs, which has sadly been the root cause of so many divisions within the Christian Church throughout the years, as opposed to using the name "Christian", which implies that you are a follower of the living Christ.

Listed below is one of my favorite Christ centered songs. It is titled the "Steeple Song" and is written by Don Francisco. I believe it reflects my passion and illustrates what the Bible says a true "religion" is all about.

The Steeple Song by Don Francisco

I don't care how many buses you own
Or the size of your sanctuary
It doesn't matter how steep your steeple is
If it's sittin' on a cemetery
I don't care if you pave your parking lot
Or put pads upon your pews
What good is picture perfect stage
If you're missin' all the cues?
I don't care if your pastor's super-powered
And your program's always new
What you need is love and truth
And men are going to come to you
It doesn't matter that you know the Bible
If it's all just in your head
The thing I need to ask you is
Have you done the things I said?
Do you love your wife?
For her and for your children
Are you layin' down your life?
What about the others?
Are you livin' as a servant to
Your sisters and your brothers?
Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone?
Do the widow and the orphan cry alone?
I don't care if you pray for miracles
I don't care if you speak with tongues
I don't care if you said you love Me
In every song you've sung
It doesn't matter that your sacrifice of praise
Is loud enough to raise the dead
The thing I need to ask you is
Have you done the things I said?
Lord, when were You a prisoner
That we did not come to You?
When was it that we saw You sick
That we didn't follow through
Every time you turned your head
And pretended not to see
When you did it not to the least of these
You did it not to Me
Do you love your wife?
With all you've got inside you
Are you layin' down your life?
What about the others?
Are you living as a servant
To your sisters and your brothers?
Do you make the poor man beg you for a bone?
Do the widow and the orphan cry alone?

Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world. James 1:26-27 (The Message)

If anyone among you  thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. James 1:26-27 (New King James Version)

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