Cheryl Schatz

Mark,
Thanks for taking the time to explain your limited experience with Arminianism. This helps a lot to understand why it is difficult for you to get the opposing viewpoint. It is now clear that you didn’t put the effort into understanding that position before you converted to Calvinism. It is going to make it harder for you to understand us though without a solid grounding in the view of the other side.

My Father-in-law would hold to a strong classical Arminian position.

Is he still an Arminian? Do you have debates with him too?

The crux came, when i was asked to preach at our church becasue our Pastor was away. We were at the time going through a ‘doctrine’ series, so i thought it wise (although i was probably foolish) to go through Romans 9 and look at predestination. This is when it hit me. As i studied Romans 9-11, in the context of Romans as a whole, and as i looked at various commentaries, both reformed and arminian, my whole theology fell to pieces.

From reading about your conversion, it appears to me that it happened rather quick. You were asked to preach and by the time you gave your sermon, you had already accepted this teaching of Calvinism from the Calvinist commentaries. I haven’t personally met anyone who came to a Calvinist belief by themselves just from reading the Bible. The testimonies that I have heard are always that the person either was reading through Romans and needed help so they went to a Calvinist commentary, or else they were listening to the radio or sermons from a strong Calvinist pastor. I figure that if Calvinism was really true, it could be “caught” just by reading the Bible without having to be told what the passages mean. Or God could just “drop ship” the gift of faith into one’s heart and they could become an instant Calvinist. I also have not met anyone to this point who got saved as a Calvinist. Everyone to date that has given me their testimony of conversion has been saved as an Arminian.

It also seems to me that those who become enamored with Calvinism rarely put as much effort into reading the opposition. Usually they become so in love with Calvinism that they read everything that they can get a hold of from Reformed teachers. And so many of these won’t even call themselves a Christian anymore. They are “Calvinists”.

And it seems like the more they get into Calvinism the more they despise their brethren in Christ who are not Calvinists. That in itself is a red flag to me. For if the doctrine of Calvinism is correct it should cause one to love the Christian brethren more not less. But I have been mocked and been treated badly by Calvinists just because I am not a Calvinist. These kinds of brethren tend to mock the opposition as if we are not as privileged as they are because they are really enlightened. And when they are not mocking, they are trying to convert us as if we could not be a true Christian unless we are a Calvinist. It is a really odd thing. Honestly it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I see it as an unnecessary division in the church and that makes me very sad.

Looking at the text exegetically in it’s context i could no longer hold onto what i thought predestination was. As such i began researching reformed theology and thus my whole doctrinal position shifted.

It is too bad that you didn’t work hard to see how the text could work exegetically in the passage without having to believe that God purposely created some for destruction without a care to redeem them or His image within them. I think you gave up too soon.

Many in my church were disgusted at what i had said. But it was always good in stimulating discussion and being humble and loving to those you disagree with.

Should you have been teaching this doctrine first without having done a thorough job understanding the doctrine of the church you were in? It seems like teaching this doctrine so soon without researching all the ramifications of the doctrine might have been an unkind thing done to the church. Don’t you think?

Once i began looking into the two different theologies i began to realise that much of the arminian position is based on ‘reason’ and not scripture.

I recognize this accusation as the “norm” from Calvinist books. It seems to me that what you were recognizing as only “reason” was because this is what you were being told.

Things like preceeding grace are assumed but not declared in the Bible. Like wise divine foreknowledge of faith is assumed but not declared. The inconsistencies began to flow in what i thought i believed and so i decided from that point to stick to what the Bible saids, no matter what!

The name of a doctrine doesn’t have to be there to be true. After all the “Trinity” isn’t named in the Scripture either, but is that a reason to dismiss it?

I am reading Calvinist books now and I am shocked at the amount of attacks against their brothers in Christ and the challenges that we don’t use Scriptures but on reason. That is not true. In fact I believe that the most important texts that clearly disprove Calvinism are the ones that they claim as their “proof” texts. I just can’t figure out why they can’t see it for themselves.

But I am glad that you believe it important to love the brother or sister that you disagree with. When we do that we are truly loving Jesus who is our common Lord.

i decided from that point to stick to what the Bible saids, no matter what!

That’s great. Then we are going to have a wonderful time in the Scriptures.

Hope this helps.

Sure does!

I was not converted a ‘calvinist’ in terms of theology.

What do you mean by this?

But as i refelct even on my own conversion i can see the truth in reformed theology. I had no interest in the things of God. I did not fear him, i did not glorify him. But at that one moment when i heard the gospel a light bulb switched on. I wasn’t serching or seeking for God. I know however, that when Jesus calls his sheep they listen to his voice. I experienced that first hand. I indeed was dead and blind, BUT GOD made me alive in Christ Jesus

Just because you weren’t seeking for God doesn’t mean that the gospel cannot be preached to you and you believe it. God is the one who allows us to hear. It is never on our own that we come to Christ.