The Uneasy Conscious of a Non-Calvinist #12

The word Xenophobia means fear of, a distaste for, or a hatred directed at people, ideas, or customs thought to be strange or foreign. In an articled titled, Righting Crime, Roberto Lovato calls this "White Fear." Lovato says "In white fear's eyes, any shade of brown is suspect," and explains that "white fear mobilizes Republican and Democratic voters to defend their perceived racial interests under the guise of patriotism."  Mr. Lovato's "white fear"  comments reminded me of the experiences my kids had recently when they were confronted by several of their Reformed Christian friends (Calvinists). Because my kids did not agree with the beliefs of Calvinism, they were rejected and treated like social outcasts, simply because their views were different. The irony behind this situation is that, prior to moving to the Carolina's, my family lived in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, my kids were constantly harassed, ridiculed, and condemned for their Christian beliefs.

The recent experiences that my children have had with Calvinists are strikingly similar to the experiences we had when we lived amongst the Mormons in Utah. My kids are once again experiencing  a form of  "white fear", but this time it has happened a little closer to home since most of it took place in the very church and youth group that my kids were a part of. Thankfully, the experience of living in Utah helped make my kids stand firm in their Christian faith, because they had to know what they believed, in order to remain strong. Thus, by the time we moved to the Carolinas, my kids had become "battle tested veterans" and are well prepared for the battles that they are now experiencing. I believe they are able to do this because they have embraced the Word of God as their strong foundation.  

I want the readers of this blog to understand that I don't have a hatred towards Calvinists. I am a father of five beautiful children and I am just trying to protect the spiritual integrity of what their mother and I believe the Bible teaches. I realize that the primary focus of my blogs have been on Calvinism, and it has had a negative slant to it. I believe my love for my kids, and  my passion for spiritual truth, has caused me to become a little on the over protective side. The truth is that even though I firmly disagree with what Calvinists believe, I also believe that many Calvinists are devout Christians who believe in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. According to the Bible, this means they are redeemed.  I realize this sounds like double talk, but I believe that Jesus' death and resurrection is much stronger than any human vice, and, despite our sin and all of our human flaws, God's love will prevail to those who have put their trust in Him.

So for anyone reading my blogs, especially if you are a Calvinist, please understand my aim is not to tear down your faith, but instead to build your faith up and to challenge you to test the scriptures to see if the things you have been taught are true.  The issues that I am addressing are controversial and may even offend you.  Again, this is not my objective!

Lord willing, I will continue to write more about Calvinism because I sincerely believe it is unbiblical. In the meantime, I welcome any profitable discussion to rightly divide God's Word and glorify Him in the process - even if we may disagree!