"Is God really in control of everything?" "What did Jesus actually accomplish on the cross?" "If God has chosen who will be saved from eternity past does that mean I don't have any responsibility to evangelize?" "Can a genuinely saved person ever fall away?" These are important questions, questions that have been considered for centuries. Calvinism (or Reformed theology) is a school of thought within Protestantism that has wrestled with and answered these questions carefully and biblically. Many people have heard of Calvinism but don't understand it. Others think they understand it but do not really. Many who believe in Calvinism are afraid to admit it publicly because it is controversial. It is one of the topics most Christians are encouraged not to discuss. With this post I want to cordially, but directly address the subject of Calvinism in general, recommend some resources, and invite dialogue. I admit that Calvinism has occasioned controversy and even divided Christians and churches in the past. This is unfortunate and I hope that by discussing Calvinism openly, mutual understanding, respect, and truth can prevail.
I spent my early years as a Christian being baffled by Calvinism. I only knew the main points without ever hearing or reading an explanation of the points of Calvinism. I was a vocal opponent of the doctrines of Calvinism until I began to really study it for myself. Then, much like Charles Spurgeon, I came to the realization that Calvinism is simply the gospel elucidated (see Spurgeon's "A Defense of Calvinism").
Recently there has been a growing concern within the Southern Baptist Convention about the rise of Calvinism. This concern was the impetus behind a conference called "Building Bridges" held last November. The conference was jointly sponsored by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and Founders Ministries (the conference audio files are all available online here). The conference featured calvinist and non-calvinist speakers seeking to dialogue and better understand one another. I commend the intention and the spirit in which this conference was conducted. All of the messages are worth hearing. I found Jeff Noblit's message the most helpful, while Malcolm Yarnell's was the least helpful in my opinion as he misconstrued calvinism and its role in Baptist history numerous times (no surprise though as every time I have heard a non-calvinist critique Calvinism it has invariably been misconstrued. Strange that...).
There is no doubt that Calvinism is on the rise, especially among younger Southern Baptists and Evangelicals, and is showing no signs of peaking any time soon. This is certainly the case within the SBC as recent research has shown. A journalist has also documented the rise of Calvinism among the younger generation in a new book titled Young, Restless, Reformed.
If one simply takes the time to learn the history and theology of Calvinism one would easily find that the concerns of non-calvinists are totally unfounded (e.g., squelching of evangelistic zeal, human logic taking precedence over scriptural authority, undermining human responsibility, fatalism, etc.). There are many new books being published of late that seek to give a clear and biblical introduction to calvinism, but probably the best resource I have come across has never been formally published. The History and Theology of Calvinism by Dr. Curt Daniel is probably the most clear, accurate, and thorough resource and one I recommend heartily. This resource grew out of a series of 74 lectures delivered in a local church in the late 1980's. The complete notes (over 500 pages) and audio files are all available free online. You can find the notes here and the audio files here. One other resource I recommend, especially for those who don't like to read, is the DVD documentary titled Amazing Grace: The History and Theology of Calvinism. This video is over 4 hours long and very well done with interviews with theologians, "man on the street" interviews, and even short skits. There is also a study guide for use with study groups or Sunday School classes. Another free resource I'll mention is a series of essays by my friend Jay Wegter titled The Doctrines of Grace. I also recommend the web site http://www.monergism.com/. It is the most comprehensive calvinistic web site that is easy to navigate. You can find every theological topic you can imagine on this web site (they also list several essays by myself and my friend Jay). If all of this seems overwhelming and you just want something brief, simple, and biblical to read to introduce you to what this is all about then I recommend the essay "God's Part and Man's Part in Salvation" by John G. Reisinger.
If you are confused about Calvinism, I urge you to clarify your confusion with facts. Just be sure you get those facts from a source that actually holds to Calvinism as non-calvinist sources are notorious for producing straw men arguments against Calvinism and are no help at all at clarifying the confusion. How many times I have said to myself after hearing or reading a non-calvinist critique: "That's not what I believe!" Or, "I don't know one calvinist who believes that!" Once you are clear on the facts, then be a good "Berean" and test the claims of calvinism against Scripture, the ultimate authority for faith and practice. You just might come to see the glory and grandeur of God and the gospel in new ways that radically transform your spiritual life. Once you have tasted of the best of Reformed theology (should God mercifully grant you a taste for it), you will never be able to go back to anything else.
If I can answer any questions (I don't claim to be an expert but will give a sincere effort to answer), please post a comment or send an email. It took me many months of reading, questioning, and reflecting before I embraced God's complete sovereignty in salvation. If you are a thoughtful Christian with real questions, I welcome you to ask those questions and get the answers you need. Even if you think you understand Calvinism (without believing it yourself), I welcome your comments or challenges to me. Perhaps I have something to learn from you. The goal of this post is to encourage careful and biblical thinking about the gospel, Calvinism's understanding of it particular.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Teenagers Losing the Gospel
The article below is alarming and yet typical of reports and surveys I have read the last few years about the decline of Christian beliefs among teens. I did not want to post this article without offering some sort of help and the best I have seen in this area are the books Josh McDowell has written over the last 15 years. You can find them at my online bookstore here and here. You'll find some other helpful books there like one called Growing Up Christian which is more focused on helping Christian parents and teens who grow up in church discern if they are truly converted. The main thing to keep in mind here is being able to connect with teens relationally and in the context of meaningful relationship truth can be communicated and take root. Let's pray for a God-sent revival among our parents and youth!
The following is posted with permission from Kairos Journal (kairosjournal.org).
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently instituted a new minor for its students: “Christianity and Culture.” Sociologist Christian Smith,1 the faculty member who spearheaded the change, indicated that the “program is neither ‘devotional nor antagonistic’ toward Christianity.” It operates under the assumption that students who fail to understand Christianity in general and evangelicalism in particular will fail to fully understand the West. Smith, an Anglican, admits there are dangers to learning about evangelicalism in an academic environment. However he explained that the genesis of his campaign for the new courses was rooted in his discovery that incoming evangelical students often know little about Christianity. Hypocrisy is more than the pretense of righteousness—it can be the pretense of knowledge as well. Though Christian teenagers identify themselves as believers, in too many instances they actually believe very little about God and His work in history.2
Some well-intentioned youth ministers have encouraged this hypocrisy by coating Christian discipleship in a varnish of entertainment. One expert explains, “Young people are drawn to excitement. They enjoy being involved in activities that are fun.”3 This may explain why another expert was led to announce at a conference, “Young people today will not listen to a message longer than seventeen minutes.”4 Their attention spans have been amused into submission. This has produced a teenage culture that is heavy on flair but light on substance.
Smith described the problem facing so many teenagers who profess to be Christians today. They have adopted a new religion: “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” Their beliefs are worldly, not biblical. According to Smith this faith consists of five basic tenets: First, God created and watches over human life. Second, God wants people to be nice and fair. Third, life’s ultimate goal is for each person to be happy and to feel good about himself. Fourth, God does not need to be intimately involved in anyone’s life—He is just there for emergencies. Fifth, good people go to heaven. Who is this God? Smith asks. He is the God of “Leo Buscaglia, Oprah Winfrey, and Self magazine. Times change. So must God, it seems.”5
Instead of Christ being the sovereign Lord to whom everyone, including teenagers, is called to submit, He becomes an instrument of personal growth. Teenagers may still profess Christ is Lord, but their lives and the ministries to which they belong betray a different perception altogether. Religious hypocrisy is encouraged when Christianity is seen as a panacea instead of a cross:
The Church has its own, sacred calling: to teach its children God’s commandments and to remind them of His covenant faithfulness (Deut. 6). Jesus said those who love Him have and keep His commandments (John 14:21). Not to be lost in the din of youth group concerts and ski trips is the majesty of Christ and the substance of the gospel. The church can too easily produce religious-knowledge hypocrites at a very young age, individuals who are able to say just enough to profess faith but know in fact very little about the faith they profess. Even worse, if the Church is not careful, it can produce a generation with a Christian veneer that is actually devoted to the church of Oprah.
Footnotes:
1 Now at Notre Dame.
2 Jamie Dean, “Classroom Christianity,” World Magazine, January 27, 2008, http://www.worldmag.com/articles/12617 (accessed March 24, 2008).
3 Nido Qubein, What Works and What Doesn’t in Youth Ministry (Colorado Springs, CO: Meriwether Publishing, 1996), 121.
4 Quoted by Alvin L. Reid, Raising the Bar: Ministry to Youth in the New Millennium (Grand Rapids, Kregel, 2004), 57. Reid’s argument counters the entertainment-driven youth ministry that is so popular.
5 Christian Smith, “Is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism the New Religion of American Youth? Implications for the Challenge of Religious Socialization and Reproduction,” in Passing on the Faith: Transforming Traditions for the Next Generation of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, ed. James L. Heft (New York: Fordham University, 2006), 65. Buscaglia was a professor at the University of Southern California and a bestselling author of books about love.
6 Ibid., 62.
7 Ibid., 67.
The following is posted with permission from Kairos Journal (kairosjournal.org).
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently instituted a new minor for its students: “Christianity and Culture.” Sociologist Christian Smith,1 the faculty member who spearheaded the change, indicated that the “program is neither ‘devotional nor antagonistic’ toward Christianity.” It operates under the assumption that students who fail to understand Christianity in general and evangelicalism in particular will fail to fully understand the West. Smith, an Anglican, admits there are dangers to learning about evangelicalism in an academic environment. However he explained that the genesis of his campaign for the new courses was rooted in his discovery that incoming evangelical students often know little about Christianity. Hypocrisy is more than the pretense of righteousness—it can be the pretense of knowledge as well. Though Christian teenagers identify themselves as believers, in too many instances they actually believe very little about God and His work in history.2
Some well-intentioned youth ministers have encouraged this hypocrisy by coating Christian discipleship in a varnish of entertainment. One expert explains, “Young people are drawn to excitement. They enjoy being involved in activities that are fun.”3 This may explain why another expert was led to announce at a conference, “Young people today will not listen to a message longer than seventeen minutes.”4 Their attention spans have been amused into submission. This has produced a teenage culture that is heavy on flair but light on substance.
Smith described the problem facing so many teenagers who profess to be Christians today. They have adopted a new religion: “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” Their beliefs are worldly, not biblical. According to Smith this faith consists of five basic tenets: First, God created and watches over human life. Second, God wants people to be nice and fair. Third, life’s ultimate goal is for each person to be happy and to feel good about himself. Fourth, God does not need to be intimately involved in anyone’s life—He is just there for emergencies. Fifth, good people go to heaven. Who is this God? Smith asks. He is the God of “Leo Buscaglia, Oprah Winfrey, and Self magazine. Times change. So must God, it seems.”5
Instead of Christ being the sovereign Lord to whom everyone, including teenagers, is called to submit, He becomes an instrument of personal growth. Teenagers may still profess Christ is Lord, but their lives and the ministries to which they belong betray a different perception altogether. Religious hypocrisy is encouraged when Christianity is seen as a panacea instead of a cross:
Given such instrumentalist assumptions about religious faith, youth ministers are ever obliged to be entertaining, religious youth activities always need to be great fun, Sunday-school teachers must be interesting and ‘relevant’ in ways that do not always comport well with the actual interests and priorities of religious traditions, etc. . . . It is difficult to have it both ways.To the extent that churches are encouraging this “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism,” they are their own worst enemies. They are promoting hypocrisy, for this is not simply a watered-down version of the Christian faith. It is no faith at all. “It is not-Christianity.”7
The Church has its own, sacred calling: to teach its children God’s commandments and to remind them of His covenant faithfulness (Deut. 6). Jesus said those who love Him have and keep His commandments (John 14:21). Not to be lost in the din of youth group concerts and ski trips is the majesty of Christ and the substance of the gospel. The church can too easily produce religious-knowledge hypocrites at a very young age, individuals who are able to say just enough to profess faith but know in fact very little about the faith they profess. Even worse, if the Church is not careful, it can produce a generation with a Christian veneer that is actually devoted to the church of Oprah.
Footnotes:
1 Now at Notre Dame.
2 Jamie Dean, “Classroom Christianity,” World Magazine, January 27, 2008, http://www.worldmag.com/articles/12617 (accessed March 24, 2008).
3 Nido Qubein, What Works and What Doesn’t in Youth Ministry (Colorado Springs, CO: Meriwether Publishing, 1996), 121.
4 Quoted by Alvin L. Reid, Raising the Bar: Ministry to Youth in the New Millennium (Grand Rapids, Kregel, 2004), 57. Reid’s argument counters the entertainment-driven youth ministry that is so popular.
5 Christian Smith, “Is Moralistic Therapeutic Deism the New Religion of American Youth? Implications for the Challenge of Religious Socialization and Reproduction,” in Passing on the Faith: Transforming Traditions for the Next Generation of Jews, Christians, and Muslims, ed. James L. Heft (New York: Fordham University, 2006), 65. Buscaglia was a professor at the University of Southern California and a bestselling author of books about love.
6 Ibid., 62.
7 Ibid., 67.
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