So why do calvinists identify themselves first and foremost with a sinful man, rather than as a disciple of Jesus?
I call myself Christian--not calvinist, not catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, or any other denomination. I follow Christ, not the extra-biblical teachings of a sinful man who claims that God creates most men for the express purpose of throwing them into Hell.
Not all. One needs to also have pity for the poor souls who don't understand but are easily led by their perception of Calvin as the tough guy.
“I follow Christ, not the extra-biblical teachings of a sinful man who claims that God creates most men for the express purpose of throwing them into Hell.”
That’s what Arminians, semi-pelagians, and other freewillers claim Calvinists believe and it’s a false caricature. I do believe in reprobation, but there is much more to it than that.
I am first and foremost a Christian. I happen to believe the theology nicknamed Calvinism to be the most authentic expression of biblical Christianity, particularly the theology laid out by the Apostle Paul. That theology was believed, taught, and loved by many for centuries before John Calvin took his first breath.