[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

(As an aside to the GRPL: has any of you found that, if you drop the 5 points, and just discuss monergistic regeneration, you get a lot further? I found that, as soon as I dropped the title "Calvinism" and ignored the 5 points, but focused on how "it's all God from start to finish," I was able to elicit agreement from an hardened anti-Calvinist that what I believed was Biblical after all.)

Thats called closet tulip, and underhanded, I was a member of a church that the closet tulip folks tried to take over using this method and they tore the church apart.

BigMack

[jude24]

I'm not interested in splitting churches. Nor do I see what's underhanded in not applying a label to myself.

[rwfromkansas]

It is underhanded to drop the specific 5 points and try to get the core issue of where salvation begins?

Monergism is the essence of Calvinism. If you understand salvation in a monergistic manner.....that, as Scripture says it was God who "began a good work in you..." not you making the choice, you HAVE to eventually agree with all 5 points of Calvinism. It just will happen.

It is highly erroneous of you to claim that by trying to elicit agreement on this major point at first people are being "closet" Calvinists and "underhanded."

As for your church situation, I highly doubt they "tried to take over."