This is a topic that I have been both eager and apprehensive to write about. I would consider myself a Calvinist. I may even go so far to say that I am a five point Calvinist. However, I strongly feel that most Calvinist of today have no clue as to what Calvinism really means. Here is my definition of Calvinism.
God gets to chose who goes to heaven.
That is it. We go to Heaven solely by God’s grace. No saying a “special prayer”, no baptism, no having the correct belief about end times, no going to church on a certain day, no being a good person, nothing else. God can save the most evil person he wants to even if they don’t want to be saved. We see this multiple times in the Bible. The apostle Paul certainly didn’t agree with Christianity or its arguments for Christ. God had to personally stop Paul physically in his tracks and strike him with blindness. God makes it very clear that he chose Paul (not the other way around). Cyrus is another example of someone whom God called long before he was born and who had no interest in God until God proverbially slapped him in the face.
Heaven is God’s home. He can invite anyone into it or keep anyone out of it that he wants to and for any reason that he so chooses. Just because we “asked him into our heart” does not bind God into an irreversible contract that he has to abide by. Salvation is a one sided deal. If God chooses you, then you go. Just ask Jonah.
Also, we have no say as to who he chooses. Who are we to say to God that a certain person is not “worthy enough”? None of us are worthy. That is the point of grace. See my paper on why I think Hitler may be in Heaven.
While modern Calvinists talk endlessly about grace and eternal security, they are the most judgmental, conceited and ungracious people I have met. Unfortunately, I am not the only one to have observed this. Many other people have confided in me about the terrible treatments they received by Calvinists. It has even become a stereotype of the group. When I was going through my divorce, the Calvinists were extremely quick to tell me that I was going to hell. The very people who preach eternal security were not only the first people to tell me I was going to hell, but they were the ONLY people who felt they had the audacity and authority to judge me. More than one even told me that they were obligated before God to judge me. My response was they they were not the apostle Paul, but that is the very mindset that many of them develop.
So how do I reconcile calling my self a Calvinist, when I completely disagree with the way they act and treat people. Quite simply, I agree with their theology and most of their teaching. I just think that they are horrible Calvinists who completely miss the point of what they teach. You could say that they have good theology (teachings about God) but a terrible doctrine (how to apply those teachings to everyday life and the people around them).
Over time I have come to the conclusion that today’s Calvinists are the modern day equivalent of the New Testament Pharisees. They are typically very well educated. They are well versed in theology and Scriptures. They are articulate and good communicators who write many books and participate in debates. They also are very judgmental, conceited, opinionated, like the spotlight and having their name presented in front of people. When I was visiting John MacArthur’s Grace Community Church in Sun Valley California there were portraits of John MacArthur that were 20-30 feet tall on the walls of the buildings. Now I like many of John’s teachings, his works and his sermons. He acted humble about the posters of himself, but how could a pastor allow that? There were more icons of MacArthur than there was of Jesus.
Look at what Jesus says about the Pharisees in Matthew 23:1-7
Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, 3 so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. 5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, 6 and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues 7 and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others.
The Pharisees were all about following the law, all about works. Yet they would do nothing themselves unless it made them look good. The same is true for modern day Calvinists. They are all about grace, yet they are the most judgmental people around, unless it makes them look good to other people. They have the correct teaching, but they totally miss the point of their own teachings and therefore treat others in a way that completely violates the greatest commandments. So while the Pharisees believed that they were “right with God” (after all, they followed the letter of the law better than anyone else), they were in fact bound for hell. Having the correct teachings and beliefs about God is not what saves you. God saves you by his grace and his choosing, not yours. And if he has saved you, then this type of behavior will not consistently be coming from you.