Who Are the True Calvinists?

"Their [Jews] rotten and unbending stiffneckedness deserves that they be oppressed unendingly and without measure or end, and that they die in their misery without the pity of anyone." - John Calvin

"Their [gays] rotten and unbending stiffneckedness deserves that they be oppressed unendingly and without measure or end, and that they die in their misery without the pity of anyone" - Fred Phelps

There are very few true Calvinists, and as the quote above reveals, even Calvin had free will tendencies. And of course, Calvin was every bit the anti-Semite as was his contemporary Martin Luther. And it is also noteworthy that Calvin expresses a desire to oppress the Jews “unendingly and without mercy or end”, and takes delight that they might die in misery and completely without pity. I guess Calvin was following a different Jesus than was revealed in Scripture, and that Paul’s wish that he himself would be accursed so that the unbelieving Jews might be saved must be viewed by John Calvin as an unbiblical doctrinal mush. But, you say, times were different back then. Were the Scriptures different? Was the Holy Spirit not guiding back then?

I believe John Calvin was a Christian who was seriously filled with error both doctrinally and in his personal expressions of Christ. How anyone can take delight over the eternal death of anyone or an entire race of people, and still claim to be a follower of Jesus is absolutely mind-boggling. There are those today who still hate the Jews or the gays or the communists or even the liberals. Hatred is birthed in self righteousness and it comes with an incredible energy of its own. But let us leave the repulsive anti-Semitism of Calvin and deal with the focus of my post.

I know some believers who claim to be Calvinist in their theology but when the chips are down will use any methods available to them in order to effect some change in others. None other than Paul Washer volunteers to pray with a lost sinner all night long if need be in order to break through and see him saved. Yes, right out of Charles Finney 101. Those Calvinists who loudly tout God’s sovereignty are every bit as prone to hand wringing and worry as the most committed free will believer. And when it comes to the souls of their own children, they assume that they are elect and will employ all sorts of methods to see them saved - just like I would with my children.

Many Calvinists hold the Word of God in high esteem, and many are well versed in the Scriptures howbeit with a reformed slant. But I have watched as Calvinists worry about the stock market, gas prices, national elections, new strip clubs in their area, and all sorts of things. In fact, if you put two believers together, one free will and one reformed, and let them converse for a couple hours without discussing doctrine, it might be very hard to distinguish who is who.

But I thing the greatest head scratcher is the Amount of Calvinists who spend much time and energy castigating free will heretics. Let us assume that you are a Calvinist and you believe Rick Warren, for example, is not saved. You also believe he preaches a false gospel and compromises in many significant ways. Why then would you spend much time delineating his doctrinal compromises, and also spreading you view that he is not saved? And if God is sovereign, and if Warren is not saved, why would God call anyone to continually establish that fact with a relished redundancy?

And to further point out this incongruence, what you are actually doing is blaming God that Warren is not saved since in your theology God chose not to save him. Talk about your doctrinal mish-mosh! But many Calvinists speak as if Warren continues to have a free will over his stiff necked behavior. Hey Warren, you are not elect, and God does not want to save you, and in fact God hates you, but I am committed to researching the on going revelations of your unelectedness and expending energies along those lines. It makes me feel like I have a “purpose”. (I couldn’t resist!)

Consider this: A man in the next town is not your brother in the flesh. You have different mothers and different fathers. You address this truth and tell those who will listen that this man is not your brother. But you cannot leave it at that. You begin to research his lineage and compare it with yours, and you spend years, mind you, stating and restating and rehashing the same established fact. That man is not your brother. OK, we get it.

And the average Calvinist insists that the Holy Spirit guides us into all truth, and that the true believe hears the Shepherd’s voice and he will not follow another. And most insist that a true believer will not be significantly deceived. But those same reformed theologians teach and preach and provide a feast of discernments about Warren, Bell, Osteen, and others as if without them these same believers might wander away. OK, now which is it?

And now arrives a new breed of Calvinists. Like Mark Driscoll, they claim a reformed theology but act more Arminian then some Arminians I know. Cocktail parties and sexual position seminars are but a few of their methods. But the bottom line is this: there are very few true Calvinists whose lifestyle is consistent with their stated theology. But in full disclosure, there are very few true believers from all doctrinal stripes whose lifestyle is profoundly and breathtakingly consistent with the New Testament.

I guess I will have to write soon about Arminians who act like Calvinist because they never witness to anyone. I desire to be an equal opportunity corrector. Watch for it.