I was religiously liberal for a long time and always condemned Calvinism. Once I joined a conservative Presbyterian Church, however, I began to understand the practical side of Calvinism. In this post, I won’t argue the supernatural points, but just the side that helps people in this life.
One of the keys is that we are all sinners and in need of a savior. If everyone starts with that idea, people ask “how can I be a better person?” instead of “please tell me how great I am.”
Once a church rejects the idea of total depravity, it tends to descend into the minister praising the congregation. The congregation then doesn’t do anything to improve themselves and the results are usually horrendous.
Some traditional synagogues and Catholic churches teach a doctrine similar to total depravity, and therefore also get good results. Flattering the congregation is such a tempation from the pulpit, so it’s important to have doctrines that discourage that.
“Once a church rejects the idea of total depravity, it tends to descend into the minister praising the congregation. The congregation then doesn’t do anything to improve themselves and the results are usually horrendous.”
Not true. Total depravity says man cannot respond to God at all unless God first regenerates them, which conflicts with the command to “Repent and believe” - and “that by believing you may have life in his name.”