"Defend Your Calvinism" Challenge (updated)
A challenge for Calvinists out there (or for those who just think they're Calvinists but haven't really studied it):
If you are so sure about your Calvinism, then how about taking the "Defend Your Calvinism" Challenge:
1. Before you start this challenge, you have to pray. Sincerely pray and ask God to open your eyes to the truth about what the Bible says and about what Calvinism teaches. Ask God to reveal to you if you really are willing to see the truth, if you really are willing to find out you might have been wrong all this time. If you are not willing, you won't be able to see the Truth.
2. Read at least one of these blog posts of mine about it:
Read them carefully, thoughtfully. Write down the arguments against Calvinism. Write down the verses I refer to, look them up, read them in context.
If you want more, I also suggest these posts/websites from other people:
Basically, give "the other side" a fair hearing.
3. Read my post 12 tips on how to think critically about Calvinism (or see below for the short version)
4. Do your best to defend your Calvinism. (In your own head, not to me. This is between you and God.)
If I am wrong and you are right, you should be able to do this. And it should only help to strengthen your position. (Or how about giving this challenge to your church, making it a church-wide study? Challenge the people to seriously study this issue to figure out what the Bible says.)
5. BUT ... you can only do this using the Bible and a good concordance (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible). That's basically the way I did it. I didn't quote or refer to commentaries or theologians or authors or use my own reasoning as a foundation for my beliefs. I formulated my view, specifically and first-and-foremost, from the Bible and a good concordance, asking God to help me read it correctly and to tell me if/when I am wrong. So no referencing Calvinist authors or theologians to see what they say or how they interpret a verse. Study this issue using a Bible and concordance only.
And you must keep Bible verses in context, reading it as it was meant to be interpreted, without trying to squeeze your own assumptions and preconceived ideas into it. So don't go looking for hidden "double meanings" or "second layers" that aren't there, especially if the verse makes sense when read as it's plainly and clearly written, in a commonsense way. You'd be surprised how often we assume things or reading into it things the verse doesn't say, all because we were pre-taught to read it that way. Calvinists, in particular, do this, because they were pre-taught to believe Calvinism is in the Bible, and so they're always looking at it from the lens of "How does this verse fit with Calvinism?" And yet the Calvinist interpretation contradicts the clear, plain understanding of Scripture. [See "The Calvinists Big Ugly 'But'".]
But the Bible you use has to be a "word for word" translation (the most reliable is the KJV). And I would use a couple different ones for cross-referencing because each version has its own "issues" - such as where the NIV says "elect" in one verse (sounding Calvinistic), the RSV says "exiles" (sounding like it's talking about the Jewish exiles at that time). Big difference!
DO NOT use one of those recent, conversational-style Bibles like The Message or The Living Bible or The New Living Translation. The way they write, you won't be able to look up words in the concordance. And no ESV! [See my post "Is the ESV a Calvinist Bible?"]
So, what will it be? The red pill or the blue pill?
Are you going to take the blue pill and continue to live in blissful ignorance, refusing to take the arguments against Calvinism seriously, afraid to study it deeply, unable to really defend it because you haven't really studied it for yourself, trusting that the Calvinist theologians are correct?
Or are you going to take the red pill and really study for yourself what the Bible teaches, in context, to see if it really does support Calvinism?
Don't just let someone else - Calvinist theologians, or even me - tell you what to believe about the Bible, about God's character, about the Gospel Message, about Jesus's sacrifice! Find out for yourself!
And don't just say "I'm a Calvinist" ... unless you really understand what it is and can defend it!
I am challenging you right now to take the red pill, even if it makes you sick to your stomach at first. Let God open your eyes to what Calvinism really teaches and to what the Bible really teaches, and see if you can really reconcile the two.
A few tips on how to read Scripture critically:
1. Read each verse IN CONTEXT. Read the entire section, not just the supposed "Calvinist" verse. Who is speaking? Who are they speaking to? Are they talking to Jews or Gentiles, about Jews or Gentiles, about all believers, about mankind in general, etc.? What is the message they are trying to get across, for the people they are speaking to, in their time period? (And only after this should you try to figure out what it means for us today.)
2. Read more of the book (or read the whole book) that the verse is from. See what else the author says about the issue you are studying. This gives a fuller picture of what the author is really trying to say. (In fact, read other books in the Bible by that author, taking note of the times they refer to what you are researching.)
3. Look up the verses in other translations of the Bible. Cross-reference other translations to get a better idea of which one is the most accurate. (Almost always trust the KJV to be the most accurate. Not the NKJV, just the KJV.)
4. Look up words, especially those that supposedly confirm Calvinism, in the concordance (I use Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible), even words you assume you know the meaning to.
For example, as I said above, one version will say "elect," but another says "exiles." But when you look up the word that's in the concordance, it's talking about strangers who are wandering in a strange land. And metaphorically it's about Christians, whose true home is in heaven, being residents on this earth. In the world, but not of the world. It says nothing about being "chosen for salvation," which is how Calvinists would interpret "elect." [See "A Quick Study of Calvinism's Favorite Words"]
5. In the concordance, find other verses that have the same word meaning (the same number assigned to them) so that you can cross-reference the verse you are considering with others that use the same word. [When I did this, the "whosoever believes" in John 3:16 couldn't possibly mean "just the elect" or "the believers," as Calvinists like to say. Because the use of this same word in other verses can't mean "the believers." See #9 in this post for more on that: "According to the Concordance, It's NOT Predestination".]
6. If you have to, I suggest after studying it on your own, look up other people's interpretations of the verse. But do not put too much weight on them. It's just what others think the verse means. But it might shed some light on a verse, especially when you are stumped. (Learn which websites are Calvinist though, so you can know if you are getting Calvinist help or not. See "List of Calvinist preachers, authors, theologians, websites, etc." or "Avoiding Calvinist Websites".)
7. Always ask yourself if there is anything about the verse that you are adding or assuming, if you are reading it with some sort of preconception or assumption or bias (of your own or from someone else, like a Calvinist theologian). And then reread the verse (and the whole passage) AS IF you were reading it for the first time, as if you have no previous assumption of what it means, as if you were in the audience while the author was preaching it for the first time. How would you interpret it if you had no previous ideas of what it should mean? (Once again, don't look for hidden meanings. Take it at face-value, in a commonsense way, if that's the way it's written.)
8. When reading Calvinist theology, look for the things they are assuming. Always ask yourself "What verse confirms this?" or "Is that what the verse clearly, plainly says, or are they reading into it?"
Such as, Calvinists says that when Adam ate the fruit, mankind became "totally depraved," which, to Calvinists, means that humans can't possibly think about, want, seek, believe in God unless He causes it. Where is this in the Bible? Where is the verse that says this was a consequence of the Fall?
Calvinists also say that if God really loved all people then He would save all people. But since He doesn't save all people, it must mean He doesn't love them all in the same way. They say this because they assume that God's true love has to always end in saved people. Where is the verse that says this? God's saving love doesn't always end in everyone being saved. What it did was buy salvation for everyone - it paid for everyone's sin - but it's up to us to accept or reject it.
They also say that if anyone could reject Jesus then it means His blood was wasted, that it would be a disgrace to Him and His sacrifice. And so therefore, they conclude, people cannot reject Jesus, which means that Jesus only really died for those who would surely be saved, that Jesus only died for the elect. Where is this in the Bible?
Pay careful attention to the assumptions and misconceptions that Calvinists start with, that they build their whole theology on. This, I believe, is the essence of Calvinism. It's all built on their own ideas of who God is and how He has to act, in order to be considered the sovereign God they think He is, according to their definition of "sovereign". (See also "When Calvinism 'Bad Logic' Traps Good Christians" and "Problems in John Calvin's Institutes ...".)
9. Also pay attention to the contradictions in their theology. See "Some of Calvin's Contradictory Nonsense." DO NOT allow them to convince you that these contradictions are not real or that they don't matter. It's these contradictions that turn God into an illogical, untrustworthy monster, so don't shrug them off.
Such as they say "God is not the cause of sin, but He 'ordains' everything we do. But we are still responsible for our sins because ..." and then they come up with all sorts of confusing, rambling, nonsensical ideas to try to make man the cause of sin while still holding to the idea that God causes everything that happens. And when you try to dig deeper, they say, "Well, you don't have to understand it because it's a mystery. So you just have to accept it. Because it's what the Bible teaches."
NO, IT'S NOT!!! It's what THEY SAY the Bible teaches, but they are basing their interpretation of the Bible on their own ideas of how God has to be.
These contradictions can't be brushed away so easily. And they cannot be meshed into one seamless, reliable, accurate theology. Do not accept these contradictions and the Calvinist's twisted efforts to weasel out of them. If something doesn't make sense and doesn't seem to fit with God's character and the rest of the Bible, research it more deeply, until you find a way to read it that does fit, that keeps everything in harmony.
The Bible makes sense and God's character makes sense and it's all consistent ... when you throw out the Calvinism!
10. Also, when reading or listening to Calvinist theologians, authors, and pastors, take careful notice of the ways they try to manipulate you into agreeing with them, into not questioning them, into feeling unhumble if you dig too deeply into this issue or if you disagree with it. See "Predestination Manipulation" for more of this. Don't let Calvinists bully you into agreeing with them, into making you feel like a "less than" Christian because you disagree with them or want to look into it more.
These are just a few ways to critically research this issue and read the Bible. If you do this, it will open your eyes in ways you didn't even know they needed to be opened. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. From the contradictory, nonsensical prison of Calvinism.
You do not need Calvinist theologians to tell you what God meant to say in His Word. Let God tell you what He says, right from His Word!
