Posted on 05/26/2007 4:32:30 PM PDT by Titanites
I am a convert to the Catholic Faith from Calvinism. I loved Calvinism and owned a library full of Calvin, Luther, Warfield, Hodge, Murray, Owen, Machen, etc. as well as helped plant a local Orthodox Presbyterian Church. I knew Reformation Theology and how much hatred it generates for the Catholic Church. As a Calvinist, I could boast with the best of them. I even persecuted the Catholic Church and went after every one of them I found, beating them back with Scripture, upon Scripture, upon quotes of Luther, Calvin, etc. I found great pleasure in debating Catholics.
My one flaw was learning what the Early Church Fathers believed. A Catholic who had not fared well in a debate with me, mentioned I should read the Early Church Fathers to see just how Catholic they were. I honestly thought I would just gain more "ammo" to use in my battles.
I found Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp with my first visit to the University Library. I poured over them for months until finally I pounded the books on the table with my fists, tossed them from the fourth to the third level of the library and wept. It seemed these great martyrs for the Faith were Catholic. It had taken about 8 months of going over Clement, Augustine, Athanasius, etc. to see the Catholic Church was the Early Church. I kept coming back to Ignatius and Polycarp as I could not get them out of my mind.
Over the next two years, I read more and more on the Catholic Faith and became less and less convinced the Reformed Faith was correct. It became clear to me; it was nothing more than a novelty, spewing forth doctrines that had never been believed before. Christ promised the Holy Spirit to His Church and stated the gates of hell would not prevail against it. I thought that was a lie and for 1500 years, the Church had been without truth and the gates of hell had prevailed. It is very humbling to come to the conclusion you have been horribly wrong, even to the point of not trusting the words of our precious Lord and Saviour. Yet, I still was not ready to become a Catholic.
Then one day when I was reading the Scripture I read Paul talking about how he was the most religious Pharisee, the most upright, and you know my heart was pierced and I actually laughed about how I could claim I had been one of the best Calvinists around, but then it hit me. Was that even something to boast about? So I looked up one of the most wonderful examples of boasting the Lord mentioned. Luke 18:9-14 (Please read the Scripture as this is my paraphrase)
'Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Calvinist and the other a sinner. The Calvinist (that would be I) stood and was praying thus to himself, God, I thank thee that I am not like other people, sinners, Catholics, heretics, or even like this sinner beside me. I planted your church in this god-forsaken part of the country, I read the Scriptures and Calvin and Luther twice a week, and the rest of the week I read nothing but reformers and your Scriptures. But the sinner standing a little off to the side, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast saying, God, be merciful to me the sinner. I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled but he who humbles himself shall be exalted."
You know who the sinner was? I turned next to Luke 5:8 because I was then looking for others who admitted they were sinners for I knew I was once the boaster but now I was the sinner. "But when Simon Peter saw that, he fell down at Jesus' feet saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." Peter then was able to go on and follow Jesus. Peter came home, this home became the Church, and he was the Rock it was built upon, and he was justified.
At that moment, it finally became clear I could not stay a Calvinist or stay in the OPC. I had plans to attend Westminster Seminary and those were discarded. I lost friends and was informed I must have never been a Christian in the first place.
As I became least, Christ became more. I decided the only place I could go was the home where the Apostle Peter went. I was accepted into the Catholic Church in Easter 2002. I have never been happier and I wish and pray this joy for all. I will never be the same after taking the Body and Blood of our Lord.
Or at least for a Snickers bar.
Actually not. Calvinism was the overwhelming doctrine believed by America's founding fathers.
Let me add, too, that Calvinism has a far more satisfying answer to the problem of evil than does any other doctrinal perspective.
A few famous Theologians
C. J. Mahaney
Carl F. H. Henry
Charles Spurgeon
Don Carson
James Petigru Boyce
James White (theologian)
John F. MacArthur
John Gill (theologian)
John L. Dagg
John Piper (theologian)
Joshua Harris
Leonhard Euler
Martyn Lloyd-Jones
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
Wayne Grudem
William Carey
A Founding Father who was certainly a Calvinist was William Livingston, a delegate from New Jersey to the Constitutional Convention and a signer of the U.S. Constitution. William Livingston was a Presbyterian, but he strongly identified with Calvinism and an important part of his career involved his representing Calvinist causes (often in opposition to Anglicans) in New Jersey politics.
How many of the other Founding Fathers could probably be classified as Calvinists, based on their denominational affiliation? A lot. Of the 165 different men who were signers of Declaration of Independence, signers of the U.S. Constitution, or who were Senators or Representatives in the First Federal Congress, 21 were Congregationalists (13%), 20 were Presbyterians (12%), 5 were Dutch Reformed or German Reformed (3%) and 1 was a Huguenot. If these individuals whose denominations were officially Calvinist are added to Fisher Ames, then one can count at least 48 (29%) of the Founding Fathers as Calvinists.
It was not until the 1800s that Calvinism began to be more fully expunged from Christian thought in America. Numerous influential American religious founders and theologians soundly rejected Calvinism, including Barton W. Stone, John Mulkey, Alexander Campbell, Joseph Smith Jr., Walter Scott, Sydney Rigdon, James Relly, and Neal Punt. Today Calvinism remains an influential part of many Protestant denominations, but its significance has waned. Most Americans of all denominations are solidly non-Calvinist in their religious beliefs and general outlook.
Sources: “Representatives Elected to the United States Congress: The 1st Federal Congress of the United States of America (1789-1791)” in “Religion in the United States Government” section of “World Information” website (http://www.bizforum.org/FFR-Congress.htm); “Signers of the Declaration of Independence - July 4th, 1776” in “Religion in the United States Government” section of “World Information” website (http://www.bizforum.org/FFR-DoI.htm); “Signers of the Constitution of the United States of America” in “Religion in the United States Government” section of “World Information” website (http://www.bizforum.org/FFR.htm); “Senators Elected to the United States Senate: The 1st Federal Congress of the United States of America (1789-1791)” in “Religion in the United States Government” section of “World Information” website (http://www.bizforum.org/FFR-Senate.htm); viewed 8 July 2005
http://www.adherents.com/largecom/fam_calvin.html
agreed
We're all "responsible" for our own actions, and Predestination is true. As a good Lutheran once wrote...
"Furthermore, I have the comfortable certainty that I please God, not by reason of the merit of my works, but by reason of His merciful favour promised to me; so that, if I work too little, or badly, He does not impute it to me, but with fatherly compassion pardons me and makes me better. This is the glorying of all the saints in their God." -- Martin Luther, "Bondage of the Will" -- (xviii) Of the comfort of knowing that salvation does not depend on free-will' (783)"I frankly confess that, for myself, even if it could be, I should not want 'free-will' to be given me, nor anything to be left in my own hands to enable me to endeavour after salvation; not merely because in face of so many dangers, and adversities, and assaults of devils, I could not stand my ground and hold fast my 'free-will' (for one devil is stronger than all men, and on these terms no man could be saved) ; but because, even were there no dangers, adversities, or devils, I should still be forced to labour with no guarantee of success, and to beat my fists at the air. If I lived and worked to all eternity, my conscience would never reach comfortable certainty as to how much it must do to satisfy God, Whatever work I had done, there would still be a nagging doubt' as to whether it pleased God, or whether He required something more. The experience of all who seek righteousness by works proves that; and I learned it well enough myself over a period of many years, to my own great hurt. But now that God has taken my salvation out of the control of my own will, and put it under the control of His, and promised to save me, not according to my working or running, but according to His own grace and mercy, I have the comfort¬able certainty that He is faithful and will not lie to me, and that He is also great and powerful, so that no devils or opposition can break Him or pluck me from Him. `No one,´ He says, `shall pluck them out of my hand, because my Father which gave them me is greater than all´ (John 10.28-29). Thus it is that, if not all, yet some, indeed many, are saved; whereas, by the power of ´free-will´ none at all could be saved, but every one of us would perish.
Did you toss him a fish? :)
If not, thanks for being so concerned for my welfare.
It's comforting.
Some day we will explain calvinism to you, so you can understand what you mock...
It is obvious you do not understand the doctrine, and in a case like that it is always better just to be quiet
Looks like our boy has made another conversion. This time to Masonry:It also looks like Mr. Beason may now be hawking "The Secret":
Oh, my. Likes to join stuff, doesn't he?
Episcopagans next?
"Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee" -- Psalm 65:4
Nothing in any of us merits God's grace. It is a gift, freely given according to His will. Saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
Couldn’t.
It wasn’t friday. :>)
You actually DON’T have Ears that hear.....but we won’t ive up on you.
You are on a roll !!! LOL
OK, but doesn't mean that some of us are just lucky and everyone else is dammned.
Question: Are you one of the elect?
No on can come to Christ by faith unless the Father has drawn Him.
The Father only draws those he has chosen ( the elect/the saved)
I have repented and believed in Christ as my Savior and Lord by the grace of God.
Calvinists do not go around asking each other or other Christian friends if they are “elect” .
We do not think of being elect as something someone brags about or that is an ego trip.
To us it is a work of Gods grace and mercy that He has designed to save any, and we thank Him for choosing to save us.
Isn't that the case no matter which direction you go?
We all pray that we are.
Don't you?
Or would you rather not be one of the elect?
BTW, what have you done to earn your salvation?
I think the fact that Reformers did not jettison the Creeds shows that the Reformers did not believe there was no Church until the 16th century.
However I have had some non denominational Christians argue that between the time of the Apostles and the Reformation all Christian teaching was lost.
I hope you had a blessed Pentecost.
Well, most of you don't, but I have seen some that do, subtley.
To us it is a work of Gods grace and mercy that He has designed to save any, and we thank Him for choosing to save us.
How do you know he chose to save you?
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