What's With All This Negative Energy Towards Calvinism? - Day 1

What exactly is it that makes Calvinistic theology so odious to some people? I actually began studying Calvinism and theology in earnest two years ago when I heard an anti-Calvinist speak at another church. Just to give an idea of what kinds of things are being said about it, here's a few blurbs from the front of Dave Hunt's work, "What Love Is This?" (Excerpts only - full comments are lengthier).

"To suggest that the merciful, longsuffering, gracious and loving God of the Bible would invent a dreadful doctrine like Calvinism, which would have us believe it is an act of 'grace' to select only certain people for heaven and, by exclusion, others for hell, comes perilously close to blasphemy." Tim Lahaye.

"Calvinism makes our Heavenly Father look like the worst of despots..." Joseph R. Chambers.

"...Calvinism, like dandelions, comes in the spring. Students get wrapped up in arguing the issues of Calvinism. Those students who don't like aggressive soul-winning use their view of Calvinism to defend their position. Those who are aggressive soul winners attack the weaknesses of Calvinism. Very little of their discussions are grounded in the truth of the Word of God. In the final analysis, their arguments are like weeds, i.e., dandelions that bear no fruit." Elmer L. Towns.

This is to say nothing of the attacks that Dave Hunt himself makes throughout the lengthy (414 pg.) work.

But the criticisms are not new ones. They are all well-worn in their usage. First, Calvinism, it is said, discourages evangelism. Interestingly, Calvinists have throughout history been just as staunch in their evangelism as their detractors. It was Charles Spurgeon who was reported to have said, "Lord save your elect...and then elect some more!"

George Whitefield, the associate of the Wesley brothers, was firmly Calvinistic in his view of salvation. (Ironically, it was Charles Wesley who wrote one of the most popular hymns among Calvinists today: "And Can It Be"!) Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, both evangelists, both convinced of the doctrines of grace; to say nothing of the other great names who were convinced of the complete sovereignty of God in salvation.

I would submit that ones soteriological viewpoint makes little difference in regards to his evangelistic zeal. In either case, we still have the command from Jesus to preach the gospel to all peoples.

To paraphrase a thought from D.A. Carson's, "A Call to Spiritual Reformation", people will pray for the lost or they won't. A Calvinist who was indolent might say, "Well, God has predetermined who will be saved. I see no need to pray for their salvation." In actuality, that would more accurately represent a more hyper Calvinistic viewpoint, but in either case, it is woefully errant.

On the other hand, a person who held to a synergistic view of salvation (God enables all men to come to him, but men must individually make the final choice themselves), might say, "It is no good praying to God for so-and-so to be saved. He's already doing his best to save them".

People who hold Christ as their Savior will either follow the Bible's teachings or they will not. If a person has no desire to evangelize, he doesn't need to become a Calvinist to avoid it. I suspect, though I cannot say for certain, that those anti-Calvinists who make such statements can`t see the forest for the trees. That is, they see Calvinists who are disinclined to evangelize, and use faulty logic to link the two together. They suggest that correlation implies causation between the two things where it does not of necessity exist.

Using this kind of logic, one might just as easily say:

A. Sales of hot chocolate increase in the winter time.

B. More people go ice skating in the winter time.

Conclusion: drinking hot chocolate causes people to want to ice skate.

In actuality, both are traditionally more prevalent due to a common cause: Cold weather.

Similarly, though not quite the same, a belief that God is completely sovereign over salvation and must effectually call individual sinners to salvation before they can respond, which nullifies the need for evangelism, and a disinclination towards evangelism, may seem as though they represent a case of cause and effect. However, the common cause in both cases is unfaithfulness to the Word of God which tells us that we must evangelize the lost. To read the Bible plainly, it seems to state both that God is absolutely sovereign in election for salvation, yet we are to preach the gospel to all men.

To be continued.