How to Tell if a Church, Pastor, or Website is Calvinist (simplified version)
(For the extended version of this post, which I recommend, click here. It is loaded with lots more information. This simplified one is just the highlights. And feel free to copy this and share it with others, to help them learn to identify Calvinism when they see it. Just make sure to share the link to this blog so that they can find the original post. Thank you. New: For the super-short version, click here. And FYI: I found a couple times when the Calvinist author of an article I linked to changed their article after I linked to it. So if their article doesn't seem to match what I said about it, it may be because they altered it.)
We just left our church of almost 20 years because of the dogmatic Calvinist pastor who recently came on board. (Read my "Letter to Our Elders Regarding Calvinism Growing in Our Church" here.)
And I was thinking about what precautions I might take to make sure we didn't end up in another Calvinist church (that is, when we feel like searching again, which we don't for now). What signs would I look for?
And I figured I'd post my ideas here, in case they might help someone else too. (Be aware that some of the links I provide are for pro-Calvinist sites and some are for anti-Calvinist sites and some are for Arminian sites, though I am not an Arminian. I try to note the Calvinist ones so that you are not misled by them, thinking that I am linking to only anti-Calvinist sites.)
I'll look at websites later, but first:
(And be aware that many Calvinist pastors know that Calvinism is a hotly-contested and highly-inflammatory subject, so they will do their best to avoid the terms “Calvinism” and “Calvinist.”)
Here is an example of what's clearly a Calvinist Statement of Faith. Notice that most of it sounds fine, worded in such a way to not set off any alarms. But here are the things that should alert and alarm you:
... the role of the Holy Spirit is to "give us faith" [instead of responding to our choice to put our faith in Jesus]. [Calvinists don't believe faith is a choice, but that it's something Calvi-god gives to the elect, and only the elect. Also, Calvinist churches like the one we left will say that the Holy Spirit "regenerates sinners," and they will list verses to support it. But this is not true, and the verses don't say that. The Holy Spirit regenerates believers, those who chose to put their faith in Jesus. He helps believers grow in righteousness and obedience. But to say "regenerates sinners" means that He takes sinners and makes them believers. Big difference!]
... because of the fall, man became "inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive." [Calvinists love to emphasize how "depraved" we are, as if to show how supremely humble and "God-honoring" they are to reduce themselves so low and elevate God so high. (Yet they do this in a way that is not biblical, that God Himself doesn't even support - such as by deciding that "God is sovereign" must mean that "God has to control every tiny detail, even our sins, or else He's not really a sovereign God." Yet God Himself shows us in His Word that He has chosen to not use His sovereign power to control everything. He is over and above all and has the final say in everything and works all things into His plans, but He has allowed us to have a certain amount of freedom and to make real choices within boundaries. This is how He has decided to use His power, as clearly seen all throughout His Word. And I wonder, if Calvinists alter the Gospel and God's character to show how "humble" and "God-honoring" they are, can that really be considered humble and God-honoring? Sounds like a satanic scheme to me, using humility and the desire to honor God against God, against Truth.) And it takes a "special work of grace" (Calvi-god's election of certain pre-chosen people and their regeneration by the Holy Spirit) to cause people - the elect only! - to return to God.]
... This depravity "extends to his mind, will, and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan." [This doesn't just mean that the Fall affected all parts of us negatively, that it separated us from God and put us under the influence of sin and Satan. It doesn't just mean that depraved people don't generally want God or seek God. It means that depraved, unregenerate people (ultimately meaning those predestined to hell, because the elect are predestined to be regenerated) are incapable of seeking God, wanting God, or thinking about God. They can only always want to sin and choose to sin. They can never want to - never have the ability to - seek God, want God, choose God, or obey God, because Calvi-god predetermined they would get the "unregenerate" nature, which only comes with the desire to sin and rebel and reject God. Whereas, Calvi-god regenerates the elect by giving them the Holy Spirit to "wake them up spiritually," giving them the "regenerate" nature which contains the desire to seek him, obey him, repent and be saved. Calvi-god determines which nature you get, and you can only do what your nature tells you to do. And you can never do anything to change or affect your Calvi-god-determined nature, meaning that the unregenerate can never be or want to be regenerated. If you weren't chosen as one of the elect, then your mind, will, and affections (desires) will always be depraved, and you will always be incapable of wanting/seeking/choosing/obeying God, and you will never be able to do anything to change your condition. Because you weren't chosen.]
... "Man's response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the free and unconditional election of God for His own pleasure and glory." [This means that Calvi-god decides who responds to the Gospel and who doesn't, for his pleasure and glory. And this means that Calvi-god is pleased to predestine some to heaven and the rest to hell, that it's for his glory that some are in heaven and the rest are in hell. Both are equally glorifying to him, just as evil and good are, since he causes both things - all things - for his pleasure and glory. (Think about the implications of that!) The "unconditional" part doesn't mean that Calvi-god offers salvation unconditionally to everyone. The "free and unconditional" part is only for the elect, meaning that Calvi-god gives faith/salvation to the elect without any conditions they must meet first, not even "choosing to believe the Gospel" or "choosing to put your faith in God" or "accepting Jesus." Because Calvinists believe these things are "working for salvation." And since we can't work for salvation, they say that we can't do these things either. (But the problem is they mis-define these as "works," which changes the whole Gospel and how we get salvation.) And so the elect are prechosen for salvation and regenerated (filled with and regenerated by Calvi-Holy Spirit) before they can even understand/respond to the Gospel and before they believe and repent. In Calvinism, being chosen and regenerated has to come first, so that the elect have the ability to hear/respond to the Gospel and to believe and repent. Everyone else - those not chosen - remain prisoners to their depraved "sin nature" and can never be saved.]
... "the gospel is only effectual to those who genuinely repent of their sins and, by God's grace, put saving faith in Christ." [In Calvinism, this doesn't mean that anyone can repent, just that those who do repent - which will only be the elect! - will be saved. (Just like Calvinists say that anyone can come to Christ if they "want to," knowing full well that they believe only the elect can and will want to, that the non-elect can never want to. It's word trickery, to make you think they are saying that anyone can come to Christ, that salvation is truly available to all, when they are really not saying this at all.) In Calvinism, "God's grace" determines who has faith and who doesn't. And Calvi-god's grace is only for the elect. So if he didn't choose to give you his grace, then you never have the chance to find saving faith in Jesus.]
... "Anyone turning from sin in repentance" [I only include this because, while it is a critical part of salvation, Calvinists say this instead of anything having to do with someone putting their faith in Jesus, or accepting Jesus, or choosing to believe in Jesus. There is no room in Calvinism for these things because, as I pointed out, they believe this is "working for our salvation." And so in the absence of those kinds of phrases, they say "repenting of sins." Although I don't know how they can think that choosing to believe in Jesus is "works," but repenting of sin is not. Interesting! Although they would probably say that the elect don't repent to become saved, but that they repent because they were already chosen to be saved, because the Holy Spirit regenerated them. See the extended version for an update about this point.]
... "persevere in the faith (one of the five petals of the Calvinist TULIP] ... the believer's ultimate confidence to persevere is in the sure promise of God to preserve his people to the end." [This means that if you are definitely one of the elect then God will cause you to persevere, to keep your faith till the end. But the downside is that if you don't persevere, you must not have been one of the elect. And you won't know for sure whether you are truly elected or not until the end, until and unless you persevere to the end. Talk about "working" for your salvation! See the section on "evanescent grace" in this post, to see how "secure" a Calvinist's salvation really is.]
Also pay attention to any other "historic confessions" that they believe in, such as the London Baptist Confessions, Westminster Confession, New Hampshire Confession, Abstract Principles, Canons of Dort, Heidelberg Catechism ... (Check out this list and this other list of the historic confessions that are common in reformed churches. I haven't read these confessions myself; I am just passing on what I've found online. And apparently, the "Baptist Faith and Message" 2000 seems to have a clear Calvinist-bent, especially given that Albert Mohler is one of the main shapers of that statement. See point #5 in that link, about the trend towards Calvinism.)
3. Watch some of their sermons online and read their blogs. Listen for things that I mentioned above. Even listen for things like: “Men are dead like dead bodies, and dead people can't seek God... The Holy Spirit has to regenerate us before we can understand the Gospel, seek God, believe in Jesus... God opened Lydia's eyes to make her believe [But does the Bible actually specify that the message Paul preached to her was the salvation message? Is it possible it could have been some other message, such as about the need for believers to be baptized?]... Man's main purpose is to glorify God because God’s greatest focus and priority is His glory... God's biggest goal is to be famous among the people... He loves Himself more than people, because if He didn’t, He’d be an idolater... The Bible teaches, the Bible teaches, the Bible teaches [Calvinists know they can't say "the Bible says" because the Bible doesn't outright say the things they believe, so they mash verses together and take them out of context and claim "the Bible teaches..."]... How can God ordain all that happens but hold us accountable for it? I don't know; it's a mystery. We don't have to like it or understand it; we just have to accept it. Who are you, O man, to question God? Humble Christians don't question God or the Bible. [Listen for their non-answers and for the manipulation they use to get you to accept their non-answers without pushback.]... We make choices according to our desires/nature [This is a critical addition, and what Calvinists mean by it is that we make choices based on the desires/nature that God gave us, that God gives us either the regenerated/elect nature or the unregenerated/non-elect nature, and these have built-in desires that we have to obey (to obey/love Him or to sin/reject Him, respectively). Therefore the non-elect can only desire to sin/reject God and so they can only choose to sin/reject God, according to their nature.]... God loves people; He loves peoples [They want you to think they are saying that God loves all people, but when they add the second "peoples", they are stealthily clarifying that they mean "people groups/all kinds of people/the elect from all over the world," not all individual people.]"
(And be forewarned, Calvinists LOVE God's grace. They talk about it all the time. But they don't mean that God's grace is for all people. They mean that God's grace - His saving grace - is only for the elect, for them. Lucky, special people!)
Does the pastor talk about Romans a lot, especially Romans 9? Ask around to see if he's done any long series in Romans. (Calvinists love Romans 9 because they believe it proves their view.)
(For a "hypothetical" story of how one church was taken over by Calvinism, see "What the Best Way to Make People Agree with Your Calvinist Views?" And on a different note, my own personal opinion is that Calvinism and legalism go hand-and-hand. If you are in a church that seems highly critical and that highly emphasizes "proper" behavior, "for God's glory, of course," then you may be in a Calvinist church. Calvinist leaders tend to have a high view of themselves, of their authority, and they like to maintain a "tight ship." So just be aware of this. Because it may trap good Christians who really just want to do their best to live a life that honors God.)
4. Google the church to see if anyone says anything about them. Are there reviews on yelp or something like that?
And pay attention even to the name of their church or blog. It may be a clue, especially if the words “reformed” or “grace” or “sovereign” are in it, such as the church in the "statement of faith" link above: "Sovereign Grace." It doesn't get much more Calvinist than that, unless it was called "The Reformed Calvinist Church of God's Sovereign Grace and Sovereign Control in Election and Predestination." (Here's a link that shows some of the denominations that are known to be Calvinist, such as The Presbyterian Church of America: Christian Theology: 5 Christian Denominations That Follow Calvinism.)
5. And when listening to sermons, don’t just listen to what they do say, but also listen for what they aren’t saying. This is huge! Oftentimes, it's not what they say that's the problem, but it's what they don't say that's the problem. (See "Confronting Calvinism's Deceptive Nonsense" and "When Calvinism's 'Bad Logic' Traps Good Christians" and "Why Is Calvinism So Dangerous.")
Are the sermons all lofty theological messages, devoid of practical encouragement and help?
Do they not do altar calls? Do they refuse to call people to "ask Jesus into their hearts," focusing instead on calling people to repent? (Doing altar calls and calling people to "ask Jesus into their hearts" implies that we can make a choice about God. And Calvinists do not want us thinking we can make choices regarding our salvation.)
What is their view of missions, evangelizing, reaching out to the community? Some Calvinists don't see the value of evangelizing because they think God's already chosen who will believe, and there's nothing we can do to affect it.
But this isn't always the case.
My Calvinist pastor has a huge passion for mission work. And I couldn't figure out why ... until I found some articles he wrote where he shared his reason and goal for missions. His reasons sounded okay at first, but then I noticed that something was missing: God's love.
His reason for missions has nothing to do with sharing God's love for people, telling them how Jesus loved them enough to die for them, calling them to reach out to Him, to accept Him as Lord and Savior (because, once again, that would imply we have a choice about Jesus). It mainly has to do with "making God famous" (because, according to him, God's highest goal is to be famous) and "telling people to repent." So a Calvinist may indeed have a heart for missions, but for very different reasons than you would think.
Does the pastor focus on the glory of God, on how our main purpose is to bring God glory (they elevate His glory so high that they do damage to His love for us, to the relationship He wants to have with us)? Does he talk about how much God loves Himself, with little to no focus on God’s love for mankind and His desire for a relationship with us? (See "Are We Only Here For God's Glory? What About God's Love?")
Also listen for "either/or" dilemmas, with no other options given. Calvinist pastors do this to force you into Calvinism. "Either God actively controls everything or else He controls nothing." "Either God is sovereign over us or we are sovereign over ourselves." "Either God saves us or we save ourselves." This is to cause you to feel so "humbled," so ashamed for thinking too highly of yourself, that you will accept their teachings just so you don't look like you are reducing God and elevating yourself. It's manipulation.
In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 2, Section 1, he says: "For, until men feel that they owe everything to God ... they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience ..."
This makes it sound like men have the free-will to choose to obey or disobey God.
But how is "voluntary obedience" possible when, according to Calvin, ...
"... everything done in the world is according to His decree..." (Book 1, Chapter 16, section 6) and ...
"... the devil, and the whole train of the ungodly, are, in all directions, held in by the hand of God as with a bridle, so that they can neither conceive any mischief, nor plan what they have conceived, nor how much soever they may have planned, move a single finger to perpetrate, unless in so far as [God] permits - nay, unless in so far as he commands ..." (Book 1, Chapter 17, section 11) and ...
"The counsels and wills of men are so governed as to move exactly in the course which he has destined" (Book 1, Chapter 16, section 8)?
Additionally, in Book, 2, Chapter 2, section 8, he scolds people for believing in free-will and says that they should not believe in it, saying, "If any one, then, chooses to make use of this term [free-will] ... but I am unwilling to use it myself; and others if they will take my advice, will do well to abstain from it."
Never mind the fact that Calvin just said he is "unwilling" to use the term "free-will" - that he wills himself to not believe in free-will (ha ha ha, what a joke!) - but this contradicts what he said about us obeying God voluntarily (of our own free-will choice). (And ... just wondering ... but how can he reason with people to not believe in free-will when he believes that God makes all of our choices for us? Talk about nonsense!)
Another example: In Book 1, Chapter 17, Section 5, Calvin says this about wicked people: "I deny that they serve the will of God." He says that we CANNOT say that "he who has been carried away by a wicked mind are performing service on the order of God" because the evil person is "only following his own malignant desires," not acting in obedience.
And yet ... just a couple sections later, as we see above ... he says that all the ungodly are held in the hand of God so tightly that they cannot even conceive a thought unless God commands it. And a chapter earlier, he said that everything happens according to God's decree (according to how God planned it to happen), that God controls our wills in order to move us in exactly the course He predestined us to go in.
But now ... in this section ... he dares to say that wicked men are acting on their own, outside of God's control, that God doesn't cause them to do the wicked things they do!?!
And a chapter later, in Chapter 18, section 2, Calvin says, "The sum of the whole is this, - since the will of God is said to be the cause of all things, all the counsels and actions of men must be held to be governed by his providence; so that he not only exerts his power in the elect, who are guided by the Holy Spirit, but also forces the reprobate to do him service."
So ... he denies that wicked men serve the will of God and he says that they are "not performing service on the order of God" ... but then he says that "the reprobate do him service"!?!
Which is it, Calvin!?! Make up your mind!!!
Is Calvi-god in control of evil or not!?! Does he control everything or not!?! Do we have free-will or not!?!
Do not trust what a Calvinist says in one place ... because they will say the opposite somewhere else or simply be hiding what they really believe! And they usually do this to hide the fact that Calvi-god is the cause of evil. They try to say he controls everything and that there's no free-will, but then they struggle with how to hide the fact that this makes him responsible for evil. For more on this, see "Do Calvinists Really Believe God Causes Sin? Let Them Speak For Themselves!"]
6. Speaking of manipulation, listen especially for manipulative phrases such as “My view is what the Bible says. I am teaching right from Scripture. Humble Christians will accept what I’m saying. It's normal to have trouble accepting what I'm saying; I struggle with these things too. (They're saying the problem is with your willingness to accept "the truth," not with what they're teaching.) You only have three choices about what I'm teaching: ignore it, get angry about it, or accept it. You don't have to like it, but you do have to accept it because it's what the Bible says. Who are you to talk back to God anyway? God’s ways and understanding are far above us, so who are we to think we can or should fully understand Him anyway? God alone holds the 'secret things' that He doesn’t want us to know, His mysteries, and so who are we to try to peer into these “secret things/mysteries” of God? Don’t ask ‘Why would God send anyone to hell,’ but instead ask ‘Why would God choose to save anyone when we all deserve death?’ Are you going to claim credit for your salvation, as though you saved yourself or earned your salvation!?!” (For more on this see “Predestination Manipulation”.)
7. Who does the pastor quote in his sermons? Which authors or theologians does he like and recommend? Try to find a list of blogs or books the pastor recommends, either on the church website or the church blog. Or simply ask the pastor which blogs, authors, and websites he likes best.
If you see several of these names (learn them, remember them), sit up and take notice because it’s a good clue your pastor might be a Calvinist. From what I can tell, these are all Calvinists:
(Check out this post for some examples of Calvinist theologians and authors and groups and websites: Is J.D. Greear a Calvinist?. And here is Wikipedia's list of well-known Calvinists.)
8. Are all the elders Calvinists too? The pastor may not tell you if he's a Calvinist, but you might be able to find out if the elders are. If most or all of them are, then it's likely the pastor is too.
Also ask which books or training programs the pastor requires the elders to go through. If it's something from the authors listed above (or google the author if you're not sure), you can pretty much know they are being put through “Calvinist Indoctrination" (he won't call it that, of course), such as Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology or Arthur Pink's The Sovereignty of God or R.C. Sproul's The Holiness of God and Chosen By God.
[For a list of popular Calvinist theologians and authors, see American Calvinist and Reformed Theologians and My List of Reformed Theologians and Famous Calvinists (from a Calvinist website that basically calls Billy Graham a heretic!). And here are some books (from a very Calvinist website) that Calvinists often recommend: Best Resources For Reformed Theology.]
Also, try to ascertain if the elders are "yes men," if they all agree with the pastor's view on theology. Does the pastor allow other views on debatable subjects (which Calvinism most definitely is, even if dogmatic Calvinists won't admit it)? I'm not sure how you can find this out ... but where there's a will, there's a way.
9. Which Bible does the pastor use?
A major “red flag” is an ESV, especially the ESV Study Bible. It appears that many Calvinists prefer the ESV. And there's got to be a reason why. [Wayne Grudem and J.I. Packer were contributing editors on the ESV Study Bible. And several Calvinists were on the translation oversight committee for the basic ESV - at least, from what I can tell, Packer, Grudem, Hughes, Poythress, Ryken. Plus, if you look at the reviews for the ESV, there are many Calvinists who give it a glowing review - at least, and from what I can tell, Piper, Sproul, Chandler, Mohler, Platt, Anyabwile, DeYoung, Chappell, Schreiner, Lutzer, etc. This is telling. I'm not saying the ESV itself, apart from the Study Bible, is a bad translation, just that many Calvinists worked on it, many sing its praises, and many hold it up over all the others. So be discerning. For a little more on this, see "A Random Verse That Destroys Calvinism (And "Is The ESV a Calvinist Bible?")]
Also watch out for the Macarthur Study Bible (as in John MacArthur, Calvinist hero to many) and the HCSB, which has been updated to the CSB.
[Lifeway Christian Resources is the publisher of the CSB, and Lifeway is a Calvinist group. See their Beliefs here, note the one on election. Also see "Is Lifeway Pushing Calvinism Through The Gospel Project?" and "Calvinism at Lifeway - New Curriculum Alert". I am not saying that I know what to think of all this, but I am sharing it for you to consider for yourself. And while most of us grew up with the NIV, there is some concern about this translation being more Calvinist than others. See Calvinism and the NIV. D.A. Carson is the general editor of the NIV Zondervan Study Bible.]
(Yes, I've looked at this issue from many angles. And sadly, the more you look into it, the deeper this rabbit-hole goes!)
10. What seminary did the pastor go to? Ask him or find it on the "about us" page of the church's website, and then google the school to see if it's one that heavily promotes Calvinism. (Also see List of Calvinist Educational Institutes in North America)
11. Ask them if their church is elder-ruled or congregation-ruled? What is the role of the elders? How do they lead? Are they responsible for making all the decisions? What say does the congregation get in matters? Who do the elders and the pastor answer to? (If even just asking these questions causes them to react harshly or defensively, I'd be very concerned.)
This might be a hard one to figure out and to be discerning about. (I myself am just learning about this.) But it seems that Calvinist churches (at least the more dogmatic, legalistic ones) tend to be elder-ruled. They believe that they are in authority over you, and that no one is in authority over them. And so they don't take kindly to being questioned or challenged.
And these churches may end up putting more and more power into the hands of fewer and fewer elders, until only a few Calvinist men are in power over all.
[If you hear talk about changing by-laws, or if they recently changed the by-laws, sit up and take notice, and find out what they changed or what they want to change, and why. They may be slowly, subtly implementing more aggressive complementarian policies (I will look at this soon), shifting power into the hands of the elders, or concentrating the power into the hands of less elders. When all the power is in the hands of less people, with no one to oversee them, it opens up to the door to potential spiritual abuse and dogmatic legalism.]
And if you want to, ask how many times they've disciplined members and what they will discipline members for. If you notice that they are pretty aggressive with their discipline and that they discipline for lots of "smaller" things, I would be concerned. (Do they have a clear idea of the things they discipline for, or do they wing it? Winging it opens the door to over-discipline - doing it whenever they feel like, whenever they don't like something, whenever they feel threatened.)
[For your consideration:
"Elder Rule increasing in Baptist life, and so is controversy over the role" (The Southern Baptist Church is having trouble with Calvinist take-over: How Calvinism is Dividing the Southern Baptist Convention)
SBC Insurrection: Calvinists Go for the Crown, JD Greear, David Platt, et all
Calvinism and the Cultural Spoon-Feeding of Control and Tyranny (A must-read if you want to know why Calvinists are so controlling of their churches. Be sure to read the article he links to in the first paragraph, written by 9Marks. Also see his "New Calvinism and Hotel California.")]
12. What studies do they use in the church? Do the Sunday Schools use resources from Lifeway or The Gospel Coalition or Crossway? (I found lots of Calvinist authors/articles on the Crossway site. Not all of them are, but lots of them. So be discerning.) How about The Gospel Project (see "The Subtle Secrets of The Gospel Project")? MacArthur Bible Studies? (Ask them which Bible studies, Bible resources, or programs they use, or try to find them on the church website. And then google them.)
13. Do they believe in complementarianism and Wayne Grudem’s Biblical Manhood and Womanhood? (This, of course, isn't a conclusive sign that they are Calvinist, but it seems that legalistic Calvinist churches tend to support the complementarian view of gender roles, a stricter view of "men lead and women follow." And, of course, Wayne Grudem is a huge Calvinist.
16. Are they listed in church-finders at Gospel Coalition, Acts 29, 9Marks, or in a Calvinist church-finder? (When we left our church May 2019, I saw that our church had been listed with The Gospel Coalition, which I don't remember them informing the congregation about or voting on. And a year later, I saw they were listed with 9marks too. Good thing we got out when we did! I don't think the congregation has any idea what's in store for them.)
Additional note about 9Marks and Acts 29 churches:
I am sure this is not representative of all 9Marks and Acts 29 churches, but it seems that not only are these Calvinist churches (along with those listed with The Gospel Coalition), but they are Calvinist churches with legalistic, control issues.
For your consideration:
9Marks Church Authority Over Church Members
9marks Spiritual Abuse and How Church Members Can Fall Through the Cracks
Why Are 9marks Churches So Unhealthy?
Problems of Abuse at 9Marks Churches
Christmas Letter from Hell
Do Acts 29 Churches Share the DNA of the Mothership, Matt Chandler's The Village Church?
FBC Sapulpa Mails 9Marks Church Discipline Letters
Thoughtful Pastor: Is Acts 29 a Cult? Why Do They Marry So Young?
New Calvinism’s Dirty Little Secret: How They Practice "Redemptive" Church Discipline
9marks Category at The Wartburg Watch
Acts 29 Category at The Wartburg Watch
The Gospel Coalition Category at The Wartburg Watch
https://gbfsvchurchabuse.org/tag/the-gospel-coalition/
https://gbfsvchurchabuse.org/tag/9-marks/
https://gbfsvchurchabuse.org/tag/acts-29/
Church Membership Covenants - Legal Contracts that are NOT Biblical
Further Proof You Are Signing A Legal Contract Not A Membership Covenant: Courtesy of The Gospel Coalition
How to resign from a church whether or not you are under church discipline
(For a disturbing example of church discipline gone wrong in one of these churches, click here and follow the links.)
A little more about The Gospel Coalition, behind its "Christian" front (for your discernment, to tuck in the back of your mind):
I never realized how politically "left" The Gospel Coalition is (our ex-church was listed with their 'church search,' probably because of our new Calvinist pastor), until this article: TGC Doesn't Want You To Vote For Trump. WE GET IT!
And so I looked a little harder ... and found these (I'm sure I would've found more, but I only looked for a few minutes):
Evangelical Leaders: Tell Us to Vote for Clinton [Personally, I think "But look what kind of a person Trump is, so we have to vote for Hilary" is a pathetic excuse Christians use to rationalize their desire to vote for someone who would clearly drag our country down even more into immorality and godlessness. That's my own opinion. And I'm allowed to have it. But what in the world is a supposedly godly organization like TGC doing making political endorsements like this!?! I'm beginning to think they aren't as Christian as I assumed they were. Here is someone's well-written opinion on the TGC's opposition to Trump: The Gospel Coalition vs. Donald Trump. You know what? I'm praying that Trump gets in again in the next election, that God would bless Trump with another 4 years in office simply so that, in part, God can show people (like the liberal left, the rabid feminists, and people like the "Christians" in the so-called "Gospel" Coalition) that He can thwart their plans, no matter how much they rage against Him or how powerful they think they are.]
Obama Staffer Now Writing For The Gospel Coalition, Pushing Liberalism
Tim Keller's Subversive Social Justice Takeover of the Evangelical Church
Liberals May Win Control of Largest U.S. Protestant Denomination
Be wary! Be discerning about where you get your "Gospel" from!
And now onto "How to avoid Calvinist blogs and websites" ...
Did you ever wonder about the websites that pop up when you type a religious question into a browser? Who are they? Are they reliable? Is the advice you're getting biblical and accurate? What is their theological view?
Be careful about who you get your theological answers from. Do not just trust the website because they're "Christian," but research them a bit before putting stock in their answers. (And for the record, it seems that most of the websites that pop up at the top of an online search of theological issues are Calvinist. So be discerning.)
1. If they have one, look at their statements of faith. Or look in the "about us" site to see if they identify themselves as "reformed" or "Calvinist." And look for the things I mentioned for the churches. (Or do they call anyone a Pelagian or semi-Pelagian? Calvinists love to accuse people of this.)
2. Do a search on their site for "predestination" or "election" or "Calvinism" or "reformed theology" to see what their view on these issues are.
3. Google the name of the site, along with the words "Calvinist" or "reformed" and see if anyone else has identified them as a Calvinist site.
4. Find a tab on their site that shows you what resources they recommend or authors they like. Look for the things I warned you about for the church websites.
5. Look up Calvinist websites to see which blogs or websites they recommend. Calvinists tend to stick together.
6. Google to find lists of reformed/Calvinist sites, such as:
Known Calvinist Sites:
Christ is Deeper Still (Ray Ortlund)
DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed (Kevin DeYoung)
Pure Church (Thabiti Anyabwile)
Wit's End (Melissa Kruger)
Kingdom People (Trevin Wax)
Heavenward (Scotty Smith)
The Gospel-Driven Church (Jared C. Wilson)
Ordinary Pastor (Erik Raymond)
For the Love of God (D.A. Carson)
Other Calvinist (or potentially Calvinist) Ministries, Groups, or Conferences:
Anything by The Gospel Coalition, 9Marks, Acts 29, Ligonier Ministries
Kuyper conferences
G3 Conferences for pastors and leaders (some big name Calvinist speakers there like Tim Challies, James White, Paul Washer. And some Calvinist ministry partners like The Gospel Project, Founders, Grace to You, 9Marks.)
Sovereign Grace Churches (formerly Sovereign Grace Ministries. I'm not sure if these guys provide programs or resources for churches, but I'll include them anyway because they are a big name. )
Shepherd's Conference (a ministry of Grace Community Church, pastored by John MacArthur)
Weekender Conference (hosted by 9Marks)
Founders Conferences
Cross Conferences
Q conferences
t4g.org (Together for the Gospel conferences, sponsored by Lifeway and Crossway. A celebration of all things Calvinist, with dogmatic Calvinist speakers like John Piper, John MacArthur, Ligon Duncan, Albert Mohler, Kevin DeYoung, Matt Chandler, Mark Dever, Thabiti Anyabwile, and more. Oh my goodness! It doesn't get more Calvinist than this! It should be called "Together for Calvinism"!)
The Gospel Project (see this link for more on this, or google "The Gospel Project and Calvinism")
And A Bunch More Links That Are Worth Reading:
We just left our church of almost 20 years because of the dogmatic Calvinist pastor who recently came on board. (Read my "Letter to Our Elders Regarding Calvinism Growing in Our Church" here.)
And I was thinking about what precautions I might take to make sure we didn't end up in another Calvinist church (that is, when we feel like searching again, which we don't for now). What signs would I look for?
And I figured I'd post my ideas here, in case they might help someone else too. (Be aware that some of the links I provide are for pro-Calvinist sites and some are for anti-Calvinist sites and some are for Arminian sites, though I am not an Arminian. I try to note the Calvinist ones so that you are not misled by them, thinking that I am linking to only anti-Calvinist sites.)
This is by no means an official list or an exhaustive list, nor a “one size fits all” list. And these shouldn't be taken as absolutes. This is just my opinion of some of the “red flags” that would make me concerned and some of the steps I might take to determine if a church or pastor is Calvinist. (TS00, a regular commenter at Soteriology 101, added a few ideas that I didn't think of. Thank you.)
[I highly recommend these anti-Calvinist websites: Soteriology 101 (here's the Facebook page and YouTube channel), Beyond the Fundamentals (but I have some concerns about him, so be discerning), Hoppers Crossing Christian Church, and Idol Killer (I haven't yet watched him, but my husband has and really enjoys him. Here is his YouTube channel. FYI: In his Statement of Faith, it sounds like The Idol Killer believes we can lose our salvation. I do not agree that true Christians can lose their salvation.) Also see these newer (to me) ones: Alana L.... Living Christian... Great Light Studios... Faith on Fire. And the article: The Bible vs. Calvinism: An Overview by Patrick Myers, one of the best overviews about Calvinism and its errors.]
ADDED MAY 5, 2021:
On a personal note: After having seen firsthand how Calvinism stealthily infiltrates and takes over a church, I want to share with you something that Kevin from Beyond the Fundamentals said in the video "Stealth Calvinism in Oklahoma" (my paraphrase): "By the time you realize what's going on and start looking up information about Calvinism online, it's too late."
Calvinist pastors who set out to take over non-Calvinist churches are banking on the fact that most people don't know what Calvinism is, giving the pastors plenty of time to weave in Calvinism in sneaky, subtle, tricksy ways before people catch on to (and research) the red flags. By that time, too many people in the church have been suckered into Calvinism (without realizing it's called Calvinism), believing that they're just learning the "deeper truths of Scripture," that they're being humble, intelligent, God-glorifying Christians for embracing these "hard truths," that they're honoring God by submitting to His "sovereign authority," feeling like they've joined the upper-level of the spiritually-elite (which now includes most of their spiritual social-circle too). And they've been programmed, through subtle manipulation from the pastor over the years, to view anyone who disagrees with the pastor as "unhumble, resistant, arguing with God, disagreeing with the Bible, divisive, etc."
By this time, it's too late to turn the ship around. It's too late to save your church.
And so if this issue (the Calvinism that took over your church) is brought to light, most likely it will lead to a church-split of some kind. Or it might end with you being one of the only ones to leave the church while everyone else supports the pastor (as it was for us). Nevertheless, it's your job to speak up, to do what you can to sound the alarm for as many people as possible. And as quickly as possible.
Time is of the essence. (If we hadn't waited and researched for 6 years before speaking up, maybe we could have reached more people.) And so even if you aren't sure yet what Calvinism is, even if you have only an inkling that something is wrong but you're not sure what, start telling people. Start telling them that you think something is off, that you all need to listen more closely to what the pastor is teaching and to compare it all against the Bible for yourselves. (If you sense something is wrong, most likely there are others who do too. But we're all afraid to speak up, feeling like we're the only ones who sense a problem. And so we all keep quiet, and the Calvinism spreads.) Pass out cards or send emails with the websites I listed above to as many people as possible, telling them to look them up and to listen for if anything sounds familiar. And I recommend doing this before the pastor catches on, or else you could find yourself being shamed into silence or threatened with church discipline for being "divisive". (But honestly, if what the pastor is teaching is biblical truth, it should hold up under scrutiny, right? So he shouldn't have anything to worry about if people explore his Calvinist theology deeper or read things against it. If he's preaching clear, biblical truth then all the research we do should only convince us more of the accuracy of his theological views, right? So he should have nothing to fear. Unless ... Calvinism is wrong.)
And if you think the pastor is a Calvinist, DO NOT accept any offer of his to take you through their "Calvinist indoctrination" books (my wording, not theirs), to "help you understand the gospel better." Instead, ask him what authors/books he recommends, and then go home and do a search for them online with the words "Calvinist, Calvinism, or Reformed" to see if others identify them as Calvinists.
And, as Kevin essentially says in the video, do not be afraid to be "divisive" about this issue. If there is anything worth being divisive about, it's about the fundamental truths of God's Word. You are not hurting the body of Christ by trying to expose/resist Calvinism. You are trying to help it, trying to remove the cancer that has taken over the body of Christ.
It was sad to me that - even though I left comments on the church blog against Calvinism (until they stopped allowing comments, because of me) and even though we sent long letters to all the elders about our concerns about Calvinism before we left the church and even though we told those who asked us why we left that it was because of the pastor's bad theology, his Calvinism - after we sent our resignation letter, we got a note from the office thanking us for "leaving quietly." How sad that we left so quietly, that we didn't do more to warn the people in the congregation about what was happening right under their noses. Maybe if we weren't so quiet for so long, maybe things would have ended differently. (And since we left, they have joined up with 9Marks and The Gospel Coalition. I bet the congregation has no clue where they're headed. But little do the leaders know that I didn't leave all that quietly. This whole blog - where I have been shouting as loudly as I can about the dangers of Calvinism - is all because of them. So, thank you to the stealthy Calvinist pastor who took over our church and to the Calvinist elders who sided with him. None of this would have been possible without you!)
Do not roll over and allow a backwards, unbiblical theology to supplant God's Truth. If Calvinism is a false doctrine that destroys the Gospel and God's character (which I believe it is) then we must fight it. We must not compromise God's Word or allow false doctrine to spread without a fight. As Kevin points out in a different video, Calvinists will use your politeness, niceness, and tolerance against you, as an opportunity to shove their Calvinism in more forcefully. Don't make it easy for them. If there's anything worth being divisive over, it's this! After all, if we don't speak up and sound the alarm, who will?]
I'll look at websites later, but first:
How to Tell if a Pastor or Church is Calvinist:
1. Find out what Calvinism really teaches first, so that you can learn to notice the signs. Calvinists, especially if they think you disagree with Calvinism, will tend to be evasive about their true beliefs. So do some research for yourself first. Here is a post on Calvinism in their own words. And here are two more to give you a good grasp of what Calvinism is: "Why I Disagree With All 5 Points of Calvinism" and "What's Wrong With 5-Point Calvinism".
2. Check out the church’s website, particularly their Statements of Faith. This won’t always be a dead-give-away because Calvinist theology can be worded in a way that escapes setting off alarm bells.
But it can provide clues, especially if you notice one or more of these kinds of words or phrases: election, predestination, decree, ordains, fore-ordains, sovereignty, sovereign control, monergism, "doctrines of grace," "we have a very high view of Scripture," "Gospel-centered movement/Biblical Christianity" (two deceptive names they give their theology), covenant theology, reformed theology, "man is utterly depraved and totally wicked from birth," "man is totally dead and unable to respond to God without the work of the Holy Spirit," "the Holy Spirit has to regenerate sinners before they can believe," "God fore-ordained all things since before time began," and "before earth was created, God chose to redeem for Himself a group of people."
1. Find out what Calvinism really teaches first, so that you can learn to notice the signs. Calvinists, especially if they think you disagree with Calvinism, will tend to be evasive about their true beliefs. So do some research for yourself first. Here is a post on Calvinism in their own words. And here are two more to give you a good grasp of what Calvinism is: "Why I Disagree With All 5 Points of Calvinism" and "What's Wrong With 5-Point Calvinism".
2. Check out the church’s website, particularly their Statements of Faith. This won’t always be a dead-give-away because Calvinist theology can be worded in a way that escapes setting off alarm bells.
But it can provide clues, especially if you notice one or more of these kinds of words or phrases: election, predestination, decree, ordains, fore-ordains, sovereignty, sovereign control, monergism, "doctrines of grace," "we have a very high view of Scripture," "Gospel-centered movement/Biblical Christianity" (two deceptive names they give their theology), covenant theology, reformed theology, "man is utterly depraved and totally wicked from birth," "man is totally dead and unable to respond to God without the work of the Holy Spirit," "the Holy Spirit has to regenerate sinners before they can believe," "God fore-ordained all things since before time began," and "before earth was created, God chose to redeem for Himself a group of people."
[This last one doesn't mean that God chose to have people with Him in heaven, which we can all agree on, but that God chose specifically who would be in heaven with Him. This is along the line of their phrases like "Jesus died for His people, for those who will believe" and "The door of salvation is open to all who believe in Him" and "Jesus died to offer salvation to all who will accept it." NO! Jesus died for all people, even those who won't believe, not just for the elect (according to Calvinism, the elect = "those who will believe"). The door of salvation is open to all people, the offer of salvation is for all people, not just "those who will believe" (the elect). The offer is extended to all, for all to accept, but only those who do choose to accept it will acquire it. It is not a slip of the tongue when they limit His death and the offer of salvation to His people, to "those who believe". Their "those who believe" doesn't mean that everyone has the ability to believe or that we have a choice about it; it just means the elect will believe, and only the elect. Everyone else is predestined to not believe, to go to hell. In Calvinism, God decides for us, and there's nothing we can do about it. Calvinism is full of deceptive, slippery language! That's how they get their terrible theology past good, God-fearing, well-meaning Christians.]
(And be aware that many Calvinist pastors know that Calvinism is a hotly-contested and highly-inflammatory subject, so they will do their best to avoid the terms “Calvinism” and “Calvinist.”)
Here is an example of what's clearly a Calvinist Statement of Faith. Notice that most of it sounds fine, worded in such a way to not set off any alarms. But here are the things that should alert and alarm you:
... "reformed" and "doctrines of grace"
... the role of the Holy Spirit is to "give us faith" [instead of responding to our choice to put our faith in Jesus]. [Calvinists don't believe faith is a choice, but that it's something Calvi-god gives to the elect, and only the elect. Also, Calvinist churches like the one we left will say that the Holy Spirit "regenerates sinners," and they will list verses to support it. But this is not true, and the verses don't say that. The Holy Spirit regenerates believers, those who chose to put their faith in Jesus. He helps believers grow in righteousness and obedience. But to say "regenerates sinners" means that He takes sinners and makes them believers. Big difference!]
... because of the fall, man became "inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive." [Calvinists love to emphasize how "depraved" we are, as if to show how supremely humble and "God-honoring" they are to reduce themselves so low and elevate God so high. (Yet they do this in a way that is not biblical, that God Himself doesn't even support - such as by deciding that "God is sovereign" must mean that "God has to control every tiny detail, even our sins, or else He's not really a sovereign God." Yet God Himself shows us in His Word that He has chosen to not use His sovereign power to control everything. He is over and above all and has the final say in everything and works all things into His plans, but He has allowed us to have a certain amount of freedom and to make real choices within boundaries. This is how He has decided to use His power, as clearly seen all throughout His Word. And I wonder, if Calvinists alter the Gospel and God's character to show how "humble" and "God-honoring" they are, can that really be considered humble and God-honoring? Sounds like a satanic scheme to me, using humility and the desire to honor God against God, against Truth.) And it takes a "special work of grace" (Calvi-god's election of certain pre-chosen people and their regeneration by the Holy Spirit) to cause people - the elect only! - to return to God.]
... This depravity "extends to his mind, will, and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan." [This doesn't just mean that the Fall affected all parts of us negatively, that it separated us from God and put us under the influence of sin and Satan. It doesn't just mean that depraved people don't generally want God or seek God. It means that depraved, unregenerate people (ultimately meaning those predestined to hell, because the elect are predestined to be regenerated) are incapable of seeking God, wanting God, or thinking about God. They can only always want to sin and choose to sin. They can never want to - never have the ability to - seek God, want God, choose God, or obey God, because Calvi-god predetermined they would get the "unregenerate" nature, which only comes with the desire to sin and rebel and reject God. Whereas, Calvi-god regenerates the elect by giving them the Holy Spirit to "wake them up spiritually," giving them the "regenerate" nature which contains the desire to seek him, obey him, repent and be saved. Calvi-god determines which nature you get, and you can only do what your nature tells you to do. And you can never do anything to change or affect your Calvi-god-determined nature, meaning that the unregenerate can never be or want to be regenerated. If you weren't chosen as one of the elect, then your mind, will, and affections (desires) will always be depraved, and you will always be incapable of wanting/seeking/choosing/obeying God, and you will never be able to do anything to change your condition. Because you weren't chosen.]
... "Man's response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the free and unconditional election of God for His own pleasure and glory." [This means that Calvi-god decides who responds to the Gospel and who doesn't, for his pleasure and glory. And this means that Calvi-god is pleased to predestine some to heaven and the rest to hell, that it's for his glory that some are in heaven and the rest are in hell. Both are equally glorifying to him, just as evil and good are, since he causes both things - all things - for his pleasure and glory. (Think about the implications of that!) The "unconditional" part doesn't mean that Calvi-god offers salvation unconditionally to everyone. The "free and unconditional" part is only for the elect, meaning that Calvi-god gives faith/salvation to the elect without any conditions they must meet first, not even "choosing to believe the Gospel" or "choosing to put your faith in God" or "accepting Jesus." Because Calvinists believe these things are "working for salvation." And since we can't work for salvation, they say that we can't do these things either. (But the problem is they mis-define these as "works," which changes the whole Gospel and how we get salvation.) And so the elect are prechosen for salvation and regenerated (filled with and regenerated by Calvi-Holy Spirit) before they can even understand/respond to the Gospel and before they believe and repent. In Calvinism, being chosen and regenerated has to come first, so that the elect have the ability to hear/respond to the Gospel and to believe and repent. Everyone else - those not chosen - remain prisoners to their depraved "sin nature" and can never be saved.]
... "the gospel is only effectual to those who genuinely repent of their sins and, by God's grace, put saving faith in Christ." [In Calvinism, this doesn't mean that anyone can repent, just that those who do repent - which will only be the elect! - will be saved. (Just like Calvinists say that anyone can come to Christ if they "want to," knowing full well that they believe only the elect can and will want to, that the non-elect can never want to. It's word trickery, to make you think they are saying that anyone can come to Christ, that salvation is truly available to all, when they are really not saying this at all.) In Calvinism, "God's grace" determines who has faith and who doesn't. And Calvi-god's grace is only for the elect. So if he didn't choose to give you his grace, then you never have the chance to find saving faith in Jesus.]
... "Anyone turning from sin in repentance" [I only include this because, while it is a critical part of salvation, Calvinists say this instead of anything having to do with someone putting their faith in Jesus, or accepting Jesus, or choosing to believe in Jesus. There is no room in Calvinism for these things because, as I pointed out, they believe this is "working for our salvation." And so in the absence of those kinds of phrases, they say "repenting of sins." Although I don't know how they can think that choosing to believe in Jesus is "works," but repenting of sin is not. Interesting! Although they would probably say that the elect don't repent to become saved, but that they repent because they were already chosen to be saved, because the Holy Spirit regenerated them. See the extended version for an update about this point.]
... "persevere in the faith (one of the five petals of the Calvinist TULIP] ... the believer's ultimate confidence to persevere is in the sure promise of God to preserve his people to the end." [This means that if you are definitely one of the elect then God will cause you to persevere, to keep your faith till the end. But the downside is that if you don't persevere, you must not have been one of the elect. And you won't know for sure whether you are truly elected or not until the end, until and unless you persevere to the end. Talk about "working" for your salvation! See the section on "evanescent grace" in this post, to see how "secure" a Calvinist's salvation really is.]
... God "creates the Church, calling sinful men out of the whole human race" [To me, this sounds like they are NOT saying that God calls all sinful men of the world to repent and become part of the Church, but that Calvi-god has called and chosen certain, specific men from the whole human race to be part of the Church. Big difference!]
Also pay attention to any other "historic confessions" that they believe in, such as the London Baptist Confessions, Westminster Confession, New Hampshire Confession, Abstract Principles, Canons of Dort, Heidelberg Catechism ... (Check out this list and this other list of the historic confessions that are common in reformed churches. I haven't read these confessions myself; I am just passing on what I've found online. And apparently, the "Baptist Faith and Message" 2000 seems to have a clear Calvinist-bent, especially given that Albert Mohler is one of the main shapers of that statement. See point #5 in that link, about the trend towards Calvinism.)
3. Watch some of their sermons online and read their blogs. Listen for things that I mentioned above. Even listen for things like: “Men are dead like dead bodies, and dead people can't seek God... The Holy Spirit has to regenerate us before we can understand the Gospel, seek God, believe in Jesus... God opened Lydia's eyes to make her believe [But does the Bible actually specify that the message Paul preached to her was the salvation message? Is it possible it could have been some other message, such as about the need for believers to be baptized?]... Man's main purpose is to glorify God because God’s greatest focus and priority is His glory... God's biggest goal is to be famous among the people... He loves Himself more than people, because if He didn’t, He’d be an idolater... The Bible teaches, the Bible teaches, the Bible teaches [Calvinists know they can't say "the Bible says" because the Bible doesn't outright say the things they believe, so they mash verses together and take them out of context and claim "the Bible teaches..."]... How can God ordain all that happens but hold us accountable for it? I don't know; it's a mystery. We don't have to like it or understand it; we just have to accept it. Who are you, O man, to question God? Humble Christians don't question God or the Bible. [Listen for their non-answers and for the manipulation they use to get you to accept their non-answers without pushback.]... We make choices according to our desires/nature [This is a critical addition, and what Calvinists mean by it is that we make choices based on the desires/nature that God gave us, that God gives us either the regenerated/elect nature or the unregenerated/non-elect nature, and these have built-in desires that we have to obey (to obey/love Him or to sin/reject Him, respectively). Therefore the non-elect can only desire to sin/reject God and so they can only choose to sin/reject God, according to their nature.]... God loves people; He loves peoples [They want you to think they are saying that God loves all people, but when they add the second "peoples", they are stealthily clarifying that they mean "people groups/all kinds of people/the elect from all over the world," not all individual people.]"
(And be forewarned, Calvinists LOVE God's grace. They talk about it all the time. But they don't mean that God's grace is for all people. They mean that God's grace - His saving grace - is only for the elect, for them. Lucky, special people!)
Does the pastor talk about Romans a lot, especially Romans 9? Ask around to see if he's done any long series in Romans. (Calvinists love Romans 9 because they believe it proves their view.)
(For a "hypothetical" story of how one church was taken over by Calvinism, see "What the Best Way to Make People Agree with Your Calvinist Views?" And on a different note, my own personal opinion is that Calvinism and legalism go hand-and-hand. If you are in a church that seems highly critical and that highly emphasizes "proper" behavior, "for God's glory, of course," then you may be in a Calvinist church. Calvinist leaders tend to have a high view of themselves, of their authority, and they like to maintain a "tight ship." So just be aware of this. Because it may trap good Christians who really just want to do their best to live a life that honors God.)
4. Google the church to see if anyone says anything about them. Are there reviews on yelp or something like that?
And pay attention even to the name of their church or blog. It may be a clue, especially if the words “reformed” or “grace” or “sovereign” are in it, such as the church in the "statement of faith" link above: "Sovereign Grace." It doesn't get much more Calvinist than that, unless it was called "The Reformed Calvinist Church of God's Sovereign Grace and Sovereign Control in Election and Predestination." (Here's a link that shows some of the denominations that are known to be Calvinist, such as The Presbyterian Church of America: Christian Theology: 5 Christian Denominations That Follow Calvinism.)
5. And when listening to sermons, don’t just listen to what they do say, but also listen for what they aren’t saying. This is huge! Oftentimes, it's not what they say that's the problem, but it's what they don't say that's the problem. (See "Confronting Calvinism's Deceptive Nonsense" and "When Calvinism's 'Bad Logic' Traps Good Christians" and "Why Is Calvinism So Dangerous.")
Are the sermons all lofty theological messages, devoid of practical encouragement and help?
Do they not do altar calls? Do they refuse to call people to "ask Jesus into their hearts," focusing instead on calling people to repent? (Doing altar calls and calling people to "ask Jesus into their hearts" implies that we can make a choice about God. And Calvinists do not want us thinking we can make choices regarding our salvation.)
What is their view of missions, evangelizing, reaching out to the community? Some Calvinists don't see the value of evangelizing because they think God's already chosen who will believe, and there's nothing we can do to affect it.
But this isn't always the case.
My Calvinist pastor has a huge passion for mission work. And I couldn't figure out why ... until I found some articles he wrote where he shared his reason and goal for missions. His reasons sounded okay at first, but then I noticed that something was missing: God's love.
His reason for missions has nothing to do with sharing God's love for people, telling them how Jesus loved them enough to die for them, calling them to reach out to Him, to accept Him as Lord and Savior (because, once again, that would imply we have a choice about Jesus). It mainly has to do with "making God famous" (because, according to him, God's highest goal is to be famous) and "telling people to repent." So a Calvinist may indeed have a heart for missions, but for very different reasons than you would think.
Does the pastor focus on the glory of God, on how our main purpose is to bring God glory (they elevate His glory so high that they do damage to His love for us, to the relationship He wants to have with us)? Does he talk about how much God loves Himself, with little to no focus on God’s love for mankind and His desire for a relationship with us? (See "Are We Only Here For God's Glory? What About God's Love?")
Also listen for "either/or" dilemmas, with no other options given. Calvinist pastors do this to force you into Calvinism. "Either God actively controls everything or else He controls nothing." "Either God is sovereign over us or we are sovereign over ourselves." "Either God saves us or we save ourselves." This is to cause you to feel so "humbled," so ashamed for thinking too highly of yourself, that you will accept their teachings just so you don't look like you are reducing God and elevating yourself. It's manipulation.
[Additional note: One thing to watch out for with Calvinists is that they will say one thing in one place but the opposite thing in another place. So never trust a quote from a Calvinist author or theologian. Because there will be another quote you didn't hear where they said the exact opposite. Or they will simply add a bunch of qualifiers to what they first said which will change the meaning completely. (It's like I say: It's what they hide that makes all the difference!).
Here are a couple examples from John Calvin himself:
In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1, Chapter 2, Section 1, he says: "For, until men feel that they owe everything to God ... they will never submit to him in voluntary obedience ..."
This makes it sound like men have the free-will to choose to obey or disobey God.
But how is "voluntary obedience" possible when, according to Calvin, ...
"... everything done in the world is according to His decree..." (Book 1, Chapter 16, section 6) and ...
"... the devil, and the whole train of the ungodly, are, in all directions, held in by the hand of God as with a bridle, so that they can neither conceive any mischief, nor plan what they have conceived, nor how much soever they may have planned, move a single finger to perpetrate, unless in so far as [God] permits - nay, unless in so far as he commands ..." (Book 1, Chapter 17, section 11) and ...
"The counsels and wills of men are so governed as to move exactly in the course which he has destined" (Book 1, Chapter 16, section 8)?
Additionally, in Book, 2, Chapter 2, section 8, he scolds people for believing in free-will and says that they should not believe in it, saying, "If any one, then, chooses to make use of this term [free-will] ... but I am unwilling to use it myself; and others if they will take my advice, will do well to abstain from it."
Never mind the fact that Calvin just said he is "unwilling" to use the term "free-will" - that he wills himself to not believe in free-will (ha ha ha, what a joke!) - but this contradicts what he said about us obeying God voluntarily (of our own free-will choice). (And ... just wondering ... but how can he reason with people to not believe in free-will when he believes that God makes all of our choices for us? Talk about nonsense!)
Another example: In Book 1, Chapter 17, Section 5, Calvin says this about wicked people: "I deny that they serve the will of God." He says that we CANNOT say that "he who has been carried away by a wicked mind are performing service on the order of God" because the evil person is "only following his own malignant desires," not acting in obedience.
And yet ... just a couple sections later, as we see above ... he says that all the ungodly are held in the hand of God so tightly that they cannot even conceive a thought unless God commands it. And a chapter earlier, he said that everything happens according to God's decree (according to how God planned it to happen), that God controls our wills in order to move us in exactly the course He predestined us to go in.
But now ... in this section ... he dares to say that wicked men are acting on their own, outside of God's control, that God doesn't cause them to do the wicked things they do!?!
And a chapter later, in Chapter 18, section 2, Calvin says, "The sum of the whole is this, - since the will of God is said to be the cause of all things, all the counsels and actions of men must be held to be governed by his providence; so that he not only exerts his power in the elect, who are guided by the Holy Spirit, but also forces the reprobate to do him service."
So ... he denies that wicked men serve the will of God and he says that they are "not performing service on the order of God" ... but then he says that "the reprobate do him service"!?!
Which is it, Calvin!?! Make up your mind!!!
Is Calvi-god in control of evil or not!?! Does he control everything or not!?! Do we have free-will or not!?!
Do not trust what a Calvinist says in one place ... because they will say the opposite somewhere else or simply be hiding what they really believe! And they usually do this to hide the fact that Calvi-god is the cause of evil. They try to say he controls everything and that there's no free-will, but then they struggle with how to hide the fact that this makes him responsible for evil. For more on this, see "Do Calvinists Really Believe God Causes Sin? Let Them Speak For Themselves!"]
6. Speaking of manipulation, listen especially for manipulative phrases such as “My view is what the Bible says. I am teaching right from Scripture. Humble Christians will accept what I’m saying. It's normal to have trouble accepting what I'm saying; I struggle with these things too. (They're saying the problem is with your willingness to accept "the truth," not with what they're teaching.) You only have three choices about what I'm teaching: ignore it, get angry about it, or accept it. You don't have to like it, but you do have to accept it because it's what the Bible says. Who are you to talk back to God anyway? God’s ways and understanding are far above us, so who are we to think we can or should fully understand Him anyway? God alone holds the 'secret things' that He doesn’t want us to know, His mysteries, and so who are we to try to peer into these “secret things/mysteries” of God? Don’t ask ‘Why would God send anyone to hell,’ but instead ask ‘Why would God choose to save anyone when we all deserve death?’ Are you going to claim credit for your salvation, as though you saved yourself or earned your salvation!?!” (For more on this see “Predestination Manipulation”.)
7. Who does the pastor quote in his sermons? Which authors or theologians does he like and recommend? Try to find a list of blogs or books the pastor recommends, either on the church website or the church blog. Or simply ask the pastor which blogs, authors, and websites he likes best.
If you see several of these names (learn them, remember them), sit up and take notice because it’s a good clue your pastor might be a Calvinist. From what I can tell, these are all Calvinists:
Danny Akin
Randy Alcorn
Sam Allberry
Jason K. Allen
Wendy Alsup
Thabiti Anyabwile
Aaron Armstrong
Tom Ascol
Augustine (whom Calvin based his theology on)
Matt Barrett
Voddie Baucham
Herman Bavinck
Joel Beeke
Alistair Begg
Jon Bloom
Loraine Boettner
Matt Boswell
James Pettigru Boyse
Anthony Bradley
Jerry Bridges
Josh Buice
Mike Bullmore
Wade Burleson
Rosaria Butterfield
John Calvin (of course)
William Carey
D.A. Carson
Anthony Carter
Matt Carter
Tim Challies
Francis Chan (commonly referred to as “Calvinist Light”)
Matt Chandler
Bryan Chapell
Vincent Cheung
Ray Comfort
Tim Conway
Brian Croft
Leonce Crump
Robert Dabney
Mark Dever
Kevin DeYoung
[*See note below this list]
Mark Driscoll
Ligon Duncan
Jeff Durbin (Apologia Church)
Jonathan Edwards
Carl Ellis
Zack Eswine
Sinclair Ferguson
Elyse Fitzpatrick
John Frame
Todd Friel
Gloria Furman
Timothy George
Louie Giglio
Greg Gilbert
John Gill
Graeme Goldsworthy
J.D. Greear
Wayne Grudem
Collin Hansen
Joshua Harris
Darrell Harrison
Susan Heck
Costi Hinn (he says it himself)
Mark Hitchcock (According to Br.d., from the comment section of a Soteriology 101 post, Mark is basically a Closet Calvinist. I don't know about this because I only just now heard about him, but I'm including his name for you to research yourself. But I did find this video where he basically says that sinners need to get the Holy Spirit in order to believe and that faith is a gift given to us by God, which is definitely Calvinistic. Start at the 3:50 minute mark. And if you're interested, see my post "Is Faith a Gift God Gives (forces on) Us?")
Justin Holcomb
Michael Horton
Gabriel Hughes
W. Bingham Hunter
Tim Hurd
Phil Johnson
Ken Jones
Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones
Timothy Paul Jones
Tim Keller
D. James Kennedy
Ted Kluck
John Knox
Greg Koukl
Melissa Kruger
Abraham Kuyper
Steve Lawson
Mike Leake
Jonathan Leeman
Shai Linne
Martin Lloyd-Jones (didn't know if this went under "L" or "J" so I did both)
Crawford Loritts
Martin Luther (wasn't a follower of Calvin, but had similar beliefs)
Erwin Lutzer
Gabe Lyons (Q conferences and website, Qideas)
John MacArthur
CJ Mahaney
Debi Martin
Eric Mason
Conrad Mbewe
Al Mohler
Daniel Montgomery
Douglas Moo
Russell Moore
Robert Morey
Patrick Morley ? (He doesn't seem to say much about it on his blog, but from what I can tell, he graduated from Reformed Theological Seminary and says, in the statement of faith on his "Man in the Mirror" blog, that for lost people to be saved, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. See the note below this list for more on that.)
Iain Murray
Tommy Nelson (Denton Bible Church)
Tom Nettles
Trillia Newbell
Steve Nichols
Dane Ortlund
Ray Ortlund
John Owen
J.I. Packer
Darrin Patrick
Ben Peays
Jackie Hill Perry (most likely)
Justin Peters
Arthur Pink
John Piper
David Platt
David Powlison
Elizabeth Prata
Andrew Rappaport
Eric Raymond
Eric Redmond
Tony Reinke
Ron Rhodes (Reasoning From The Scriptures)
J.C. Ryle
Scott Sauls
Tom Schreiner
David Schrock
Luci Shaw
Sunny Shell
Matt Slick
Matt Smethurst
James K.A. Smith
Scotty Smith
R.C. Sproul
R.C. Sproul Jr.
Charles Spurgeon
Sam Storms
Owen Strachan
Allie Beth Stuckey
Joni Eareckson Tada
Justin Taylor
Tullian Tchividjian
Steve Timmis
Derek Thomas
Joe Thorn
Bob Thune
Paul Tripp
Ted Tripp
Carl Trueman
Jeff Vanderstelt
Kevin Vanhoozer
Bruce Ware
B.B. Warfield
Rick Warren
Paul Washer
Trevin Wax
James White
George Whitefield
Don Whitney
Warren Wiersbe
Jen Wilkin
Jared C. Wilson
Doug Wilson (Blog & Mablog)
Herschel York (I don't know who this is but found his name on someone else's list of Calvinists)
[*NOTE, UPDATE: I removed James Dobson's name because I have no other indication so far that he could be Calvinist other than a statement on his website that in order for lost people to be saved, they need to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
A statement like this could be Calvinist or not. Calvinists would mean that the Holy Spirit regenerates SINNERS (specific, preselected sinners, before they believe) to make them believers. But non-Calvinists (and I believe this is the biblical meaning) would say that He regenerates BELIEVERS, that if we choose to believe in Jesus (and anyone can) then the Spirit regenerates us, transforming us into a "born-again, new creation," sealing us for the day of redemption and helping us grow in faith.
And so both Calvinists and non-Calvinists would say that regeneration by the Spirit is necessary for salvation. But what makes all the difference is when you think it happens.
If you think you were predestined to be saved first, and then you are given the Holy Spirit so that He can regenerate you (make you born-again) before you believe, to cause you to believe in Jesus, then you are Calvinist. In Calvinism, regeneration/being born-again happens before and leads to belief (for prechosen people only).
But if you think that God makes salvation available to all, that anyone can believe, and that when/after we choose to believe in Jesus, then we get the Holy Spirit who regenerates us and makes us born-again, then you are not a Calvinist. In the Bible, belief comes before and leads to regeneration/being born-again (and anyone can believe).
Titus 3:5 tells us that we are saved through the "rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit," so regeneration is critical to being truly saved. (If you never truly believed in Jesus, then you were never truly born-again by the Spirit, which means you aren't truly saved.) But these verses clearly show that belief comes before getting the Holy Spirit, that we get the Holy Spirit after/as a response to our decision to believe in Jesus:
Acts 2:38: "... Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
John 7:39: "By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive..."
Ephesians 1:13-14: "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of His glory."
And who are God's possession, who are his children?
John 1:12-13: "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children not born of natural descent... but born of God."
You get the right to be "born of God" after you believe. You will be born-again (regenerated by the Spirit) after and as a response to your decision to believe in Jesus.
And so a phrase like "in order to be saved, sinners need to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit" is not clear enough to identify if someone is Calvinist or not. (A better, more accurate wording would be that the Holy Spirit regenerates "believers," making them born-again, not just "sinners," which sounds like He causes certain sinners to believe.) And so what you need to find out is what they believe comes first: regeneration or belief in Jesus. (Thank you to Howard for helping me clarify this.)]
(Check out this post for some examples of Calvinist theologians and authors and groups and websites: Is J.D. Greear a Calvinist?. And here is Wikipedia's list of well-known Calvinists.)
[With a list of Calvinists this big, who's left? you might be wondering. Well, here is a link to a list of people who don't support/preach Calvinism (names are at the bottom of the post). From this list, I really like Greg Laurie and Billy Graham. {While I don't think Greg Laurie is a Calvinist, his Harvest church says, under the "salvation" heading, "Before Creation, God chose those who would be saved." It sounds Calvinist but I wonder if it's meant in a "God chooses anyone who chooses Him" way, that salvation is open to all but only those who willingly choose Jesus are chosen to be saved, which is something I heard Greg preach once. But it's worth being discerning about, since Calvinism is creeping in everywhere.} I also like Charles Stanley (not his son, Andy Stanley, who I think challenges the integrity/authority of the Bible). And I would add to the list Ralph "Yankee" Arnold, a pastor I haven't watched but my husband recommends his videos against Calvinism. And Dr. Tony Evans, the pastor we watch every Sunday as a family. He doesn't preach directly against Calvinism per se; he just preaches Scriptural truth as it was meant to be understood and in a practical way. And Scriptural truth understood correctly will always contradict Calvinism. Also, a friend of mine who left her EFCA church because Calvinism took it over prefers Dr. Andy Woods, who also preaches against Calvinism.]
8. Are all the elders Calvinists too? The pastor may not tell you if he's a Calvinist, but you might be able to find out if the elders are. If most or all of them are, then it's likely the pastor is too.
Also ask which books or training programs the pastor requires the elders to go through. If it's something from the authors listed above (or google the author if you're not sure), you can pretty much know they are being put through “Calvinist Indoctrination" (he won't call it that, of course), such as Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology or Arthur Pink's The Sovereignty of God or R.C. Sproul's The Holiness of God and Chosen By God.
[For a list of popular Calvinist theologians and authors, see American Calvinist and Reformed Theologians and My List of Reformed Theologians and Famous Calvinists (from a Calvinist website that basically calls Billy Graham a heretic!). And here are some books (from a very Calvinist website) that Calvinists often recommend: Best Resources For Reformed Theology.]
Also, try to ascertain if the elders are "yes men," if they all agree with the pastor's view on theology. Does the pastor allow other views on debatable subjects (which Calvinism most definitely is, even if dogmatic Calvinists won't admit it)? I'm not sure how you can find this out ... but where there's a will, there's a way.
9. Which Bible does the pastor use?
A major “red flag” is an ESV, especially the ESV Study Bible. It appears that many Calvinists prefer the ESV. And there's got to be a reason why. [Wayne Grudem and J.I. Packer were contributing editors on the ESV Study Bible. And several Calvinists were on the translation oversight committee for the basic ESV - at least, from what I can tell, Packer, Grudem, Hughes, Poythress, Ryken. Plus, if you look at the reviews for the ESV, there are many Calvinists who give it a glowing review - at least, and from what I can tell, Piper, Sproul, Chandler, Mohler, Platt, Anyabwile, DeYoung, Chappell, Schreiner, Lutzer, etc. This is telling. I'm not saying the ESV itself, apart from the Study Bible, is a bad translation, just that many Calvinists worked on it, many sing its praises, and many hold it up over all the others. So be discerning. For a little more on this, see "A Random Verse That Destroys Calvinism (And "Is The ESV a Calvinist Bible?")]
Also watch out for the Macarthur Study Bible (as in John MacArthur, Calvinist hero to many) and the HCSB, which has been updated to the CSB.
[Lifeway Christian Resources is the publisher of the CSB, and Lifeway is a Calvinist group. See their Beliefs here, note the one on election. Also see "Is Lifeway Pushing Calvinism Through The Gospel Project?" and "Calvinism at Lifeway - New Curriculum Alert". I am not saying that I know what to think of all this, but I am sharing it for you to consider for yourself. And while most of us grew up with the NIV, there is some concern about this translation being more Calvinist than others. See Calvinism and the NIV. D.A. Carson is the general editor of the NIV Zondervan Study Bible.]
(Yes, I've looked at this issue from many angles. And sadly, the more you look into it, the deeper this rabbit-hole goes!)
10. What seminary did the pastor go to? Ask him or find it on the "about us" page of the church's website, and then google the school to see if it's one that heavily promotes Calvinism. (Also see List of Calvinist Educational Institutes in North America)
11. Ask them if their church is elder-ruled or congregation-ruled? What is the role of the elders? How do they lead? Are they responsible for making all the decisions? What say does the congregation get in matters? Who do the elders and the pastor answer to? (If even just asking these questions causes them to react harshly or defensively, I'd be very concerned.)
This might be a hard one to figure out and to be discerning about. (I myself am just learning about this.) But it seems that Calvinist churches (at least the more dogmatic, legalistic ones) tend to be elder-ruled. They believe that they are in authority over you, and that no one is in authority over them. And so they don't take kindly to being questioned or challenged.
And these churches may end up putting more and more power into the hands of fewer and fewer elders, until only a few Calvinist men are in power over all.
[If you hear talk about changing by-laws, or if they recently changed the by-laws, sit up and take notice, and find out what they changed or what they want to change, and why. They may be slowly, subtly implementing more aggressive complementarian policies (I will look at this soon), shifting power into the hands of the elders, or concentrating the power into the hands of less elders. When all the power is in the hands of less people, with no one to oversee them, it opens up to the door to potential spiritual abuse and dogmatic legalism.]
And if you want to, ask how many times they've disciplined members and what they will discipline members for. If you notice that they are pretty aggressive with their discipline and that they discipline for lots of "smaller" things, I would be concerned. (Do they have a clear idea of the things they discipline for, or do they wing it? Winging it opens the door to over-discipline - doing it whenever they feel like, whenever they don't like something, whenever they feel threatened.)
[For your consideration:
"Elder Rule increasing in Baptist life, and so is controversy over the role" (The Southern Baptist Church is having trouble with Calvinist take-over: How Calvinism is Dividing the Southern Baptist Convention)
SBC Insurrection: Calvinists Go for the Crown, JD Greear, David Platt, et all
Calvinism and the Cultural Spoon-Feeding of Control and Tyranny (A must-read if you want to know why Calvinists are so controlling of their churches. Be sure to read the article he links to in the first paragraph, written by 9Marks. Also see his "New Calvinism and Hotel California.")]
12. What studies do they use in the church? Do the Sunday Schools use resources from Lifeway or The Gospel Coalition or Crossway? (I found lots of Calvinist authors/articles on the Crossway site. Not all of them are, but lots of them. So be discerning.) How about The Gospel Project (see "The Subtle Secrets of The Gospel Project")? MacArthur Bible Studies? (Ask them which Bible studies, Bible resources, or programs they use, or try to find them on the church website. And then google them.)
13. Do they believe in complementarianism and Wayne Grudem’s Biblical Manhood and Womanhood? (This, of course, isn't a conclusive sign that they are Calvinist, but it seems that legalistic Calvinist churches tend to support the complementarian view of gender roles, a stricter view of "men lead and women follow." And, of course, Wayne Grudem is a huge Calvinist.
For your consideration:
Is there a Calvinist-Complementarian Connection?
Calvinism and Complementarianism: A Response to Kevin DeYoung
The Actual 4 Dangers of Complementarianism: A Response to the Gospel Coalition
Click here for an interesting look at Calvinism, complementarianism, and the ESV. Not sure what to think about it, but it's here for you to consider.
And here is a book review I did for a woman who saw first-hand the damage that complementarianism can do: "A Review of 'Once an Insider, Now Without a Home Church' - A Look At How Churches Go Wrong."
14. Ask what conferences the church or pastors attend or support? Look up those conferences and speakers online.
[I have barely looked into what conferences are out there, but you can assume they are getting a heavy dose of Calvinism if they go to conferences by or associated with The Gospel Coalition, 9Marks, Acts 29, G3, T4G (Together for the Gospel), Kuyper, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Ligonier, Weekender (Grace Community Church, led by John MacArthur), Founders, Cross, and Q conferences. And be discerning about any that are sponsored by Lifeway or Crossway. But google them for yourself to see. Of course, these aren't the only Calvinist conferences out there. And a conference can host a whole bunch of different pastors from different theological views, so just because there are a few Calvinist speakers there doesn't mean the whole thing is Calvinist.
And on a different note, Campus Outreach appears to be strongly Calvinist. See this post for one person's experience with and thoughts on this group.]
15. Email the pastor or ask him directly if he is a Calvinist. If you don’t get a straight “yes” or “no,” but instead get some round-about answer about God’s sovereignty or grace, turn and run. (Or ask him to answer in a "yes" or "no." And then if he still won't do it, turn and run.) Do not keep asking questions. Do not let them manipulate you into agreeing with them. (That's how they get people, reeling them in bit by bit.) If they don't answer you directly (and they won't, if they suspect you are critical of Calvinism), then you can assume they are Calvinist but trying to hide it. (Or ask him "How many points of T.U.L.I.P. do you agree with?" And see what he says.)
Recovering From Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Apparently, the original article on this topic that I linked to was removed, so I will link to this one instead. And here's another one: "John Piper's Advice for Women in the Workforce.")
Is there a Calvinist-Complementarian Connection?
Calvinism and Complementarianism: A Response to Kevin DeYoung
The Actual 4 Dangers of Complementarianism: A Response to the Gospel Coalition
Click here for an interesting look at Calvinism, complementarianism, and the ESV. Not sure what to think about it, but it's here for you to consider.
And here is a book review I did for a woman who saw first-hand the damage that complementarianism can do: "A Review of 'Once an Insider, Now Without a Home Church' - A Look At How Churches Go Wrong."
14. Ask what conferences the church or pastors attend or support? Look up those conferences and speakers online.
[I have barely looked into what conferences are out there, but you can assume they are getting a heavy dose of Calvinism if they go to conferences by or associated with The Gospel Coalition, 9Marks, Acts 29, G3, T4G (Together for the Gospel), Kuyper, Sovereign Grace Ministries, Ligonier, Weekender (Grace Community Church, led by John MacArthur), Founders, Cross, and Q conferences. And be discerning about any that are sponsored by Lifeway or Crossway. But google them for yourself to see. Of course, these aren't the only Calvinist conferences out there. And a conference can host a whole bunch of different pastors from different theological views, so just because there are a few Calvinist speakers there doesn't mean the whole thing is Calvinist.
And on a different note, Campus Outreach appears to be strongly Calvinist. See this post for one person's experience with and thoughts on this group.]
15. Email the pastor or ask him directly if he is a Calvinist. If you don’t get a straight “yes” or “no,” but instead get some round-about answer about God’s sovereignty or grace, turn and run. (Or ask him to answer in a "yes" or "no." And then if he still won't do it, turn and run.) Do not keep asking questions. Do not let them manipulate you into agreeing with them. (That's how they get people, reeling them in bit by bit.) If they don't answer you directly (and they won't, if they suspect you are critical of Calvinism), then you can assume they are Calvinist but trying to hide it. (Or ask him "How many points of T.U.L.I.P. do you agree with?" And see what he says.)
Click here for my post about a 7-point Calvinist pastor who basically admits that he outright lied, by omission and deflection, about if he was a Calvinist ... after he was asked directly if he was a Calvinist and was told that he wouldn’t be hired if he was. He ought to be ashamed of himself! So dishonest! And he knew that he was doing it!
And here is an article from a Calvinist website, basically teaching Calvinist pastors how to hide their Calvinism: Saying What You Believe Is Clearer Than Saying "Calvinist"
Also worth reading:
Churches Beware: Calvinism on the Sly (Notice the pastor's deceptive use of "Jesus died for the sins of His people," which most people would hear as "Jesus died for all people" ... when what the pastor is really saying is that Jesus died ONLY for the sins of His PRE-CHOSEN people.)
A Guide for Determining a Pastoral Candidate's Level of Commitment to Calvinism
Also worth reading:
Churches Beware: Calvinism on the Sly (Notice the pastor's deceptive use of "Jesus died for the sins of His people," which most people would hear as "Jesus died for all people" ... when what the pastor is really saying is that Jesus died ONLY for the sins of His PRE-CHOSEN people.)
A Guide for Determining a Pastoral Candidate's Level of Commitment to Calvinism
16. Are they listed in church-finders at Gospel Coalition, Acts 29, 9Marks, or in a Calvinist church-finder? (When we left our church May 2019, I saw that our church had been listed with The Gospel Coalition, which I don't remember them informing the congregation about or voting on. And a year later, I saw they were listed with 9marks too. Good thing we got out when we did! I don't think the congregation has any idea what's in store for them.)
https://www.churchangel.com/denominations/Calvinist
https://www.9marks.org/church-search/
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/churches/
https://www.acts29.com/find-churches/
http://reformed-churches.find-near-me.info/
https://www.9marks.org/church-search/
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/churches/
https://www.acts29.com/find-churches/
http://reformed-churches.find-near-me.info/
Additional note about 9Marks and Acts 29 churches:
I am sure this is not representative of all 9Marks and Acts 29 churches, but it seems that not only are these Calvinist churches (along with those listed with The Gospel Coalition), but they are Calvinist churches with legalistic, control issues.
For your consideration:
9Marks Church Authority Over Church Members
9marks Spiritual Abuse and How Church Members Can Fall Through the Cracks
Why Are 9marks Churches So Unhealthy?
Problems of Abuse at 9Marks Churches
Christmas Letter from Hell
Do Acts 29 Churches Share the DNA of the Mothership, Matt Chandler's The Village Church?
FBC Sapulpa Mails 9Marks Church Discipline Letters
Thoughtful Pastor: Is Acts 29 a Cult? Why Do They Marry So Young?
New Calvinism’s Dirty Little Secret: How They Practice "Redemptive" Church Discipline
9marks Category at The Wartburg Watch
Acts 29 Category at The Wartburg Watch
The Gospel Coalition Category at The Wartburg Watch
https://gbfsvchurchabuse.org/tag/the-gospel-coalition/
https://gbfsvchurchabuse.org/tag/9-marks/
https://gbfsvchurchabuse.org/tag/acts-29/
Church Membership Covenants - Legal Contracts that are NOT Biblical
Further Proof You Are Signing A Legal Contract Not A Membership Covenant: Courtesy of The Gospel Coalition
How to resign from a church whether or not you are under church discipline
(For a disturbing example of church discipline gone wrong in one of these churches, click here and follow the links.)
A little more about The Gospel Coalition, behind its "Christian" front (for your discernment, to tuck in the back of your mind):
I never realized how politically "left" The Gospel Coalition is (our ex-church was listed with their 'church search,' probably because of our new Calvinist pastor), until this article: TGC Doesn't Want You To Vote For Trump. WE GET IT!
And so I looked a little harder ... and found these (I'm sure I would've found more, but I only looked for a few minutes):
Evangelical Leaders: Tell Us to Vote for Clinton [Personally, I think "But look what kind of a person Trump is, so we have to vote for Hilary" is a pathetic excuse Christians use to rationalize their desire to vote for someone who would clearly drag our country down even more into immorality and godlessness. That's my own opinion. And I'm allowed to have it. But what in the world is a supposedly godly organization like TGC doing making political endorsements like this!?! I'm beginning to think they aren't as Christian as I assumed they were. Here is someone's well-written opinion on the TGC's opposition to Trump: The Gospel Coalition vs. Donald Trump. You know what? I'm praying that Trump gets in again in the next election, that God would bless Trump with another 4 years in office simply so that, in part, God can show people (like the liberal left, the rabid feminists, and people like the "Christians" in the so-called "Gospel" Coalition) that He can thwart their plans, no matter how much they rage against Him or how powerful they think they are.]
Obama Staffer Now Writing For The Gospel Coalition, Pushing Liberalism
Tim Keller's Subversive Social Justice Takeover of the Evangelical Church
Liberals May Win Control of Largest U.S. Protestant Denomination
Be wary! Be discerning about where you get your "Gospel" from!
And now onto "How to avoid Calvinist blogs and websites" ...
Did you ever wonder about the websites that pop up when you type a religious question into a browser? Who are they? Are they reliable? Is the advice you're getting biblical and accurate? What is their theological view?
Be careful about who you get your theological answers from. Do not just trust the website because they're "Christian," but research them a bit before putting stock in their answers. (And for the record, it seems that most of the websites that pop up at the top of an online search of theological issues are Calvinist. So be discerning.)
1. If they have one, look at their statements of faith. Or look in the "about us" site to see if they identify themselves as "reformed" or "Calvinist." And look for the things I mentioned for the churches. (Or do they call anyone a Pelagian or semi-Pelagian? Calvinists love to accuse people of this.)
2. Do a search on their site for "predestination" or "election" or "Calvinism" or "reformed theology" to see what their view on these issues are.
3. Google the name of the site, along with the words "Calvinist" or "reformed" and see if anyone else has identified them as a Calvinist site.
4. Find a tab on their site that shows you what resources they recommend or authors they like. Look for the things I warned you about for the church websites.
5. Look up Calvinist websites to see which blogs or websites they recommend. Calvinists tend to stick together.
6. Google to find lists of reformed/Calvinist sites, such as:
Known Calvinist Sites:
These are the websites (not including video/YouTube websites) that, in my estimation, either definitely are or most likely are Calvinist (based on their statements of faith, the views they present, the Calvinists they promote, etc.) And just because a website or person denies that they are Calvinist doesn't mean they are not Calvinist. Look at what they teach and not at what they call themselves. Many Calvinists will not admit it because it might scare us off or because it exposes what their theology really is by name, allowing us to research it and evaluate it. They want you to think that what they are teaching is merely "Scripture" so that we let our guard down and trustingly accept what they teach. (Many of the websites that pop up on the first page of search results in any online theological search are Calvinist. Be careful!):
The Gospel Coalition
Acts 29
9 Marks
White Horse Inn
Lifeway
Desiring God
Founders
Ligonier
Wayne Grudem
Got Questions
Christianity.com (Found plenty of Calvinist articles and authors here)
Theopedia (as clearly seen in their post on free-will)
gty.org (John MacArthur's Grace To You, a.k.a. "Grace To Few")
Focus on the Family (It's veiled and not emphasized, but I do believe Calvinism is evident on this site, especially in the fact that they refer you to known Calvinist sites about theological matters in their articles.)
Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (I believe their "Standards of Doctrine" totally shows that they are Calvinist, especially their point on regeneration.)
Albert Mohler
Reformation 21
Tim Keller blog
aomin.org (Alpha and Omega Ministries, James White, FYI: Apologia Studios is listed as related to aomin)
Greenbaggins.wordpress blog
Monergism blog
Challies.com (Tim Challies)
Reclaiming the Mind
Ligon Duncan's blog
The Cripplegate
The Resurgence (I found this in a list, not sure what the actual name of the blog is. The Resurgence Report?)
Pyromaniacs (Phillip Johnson)
Josh Harris (joshharris.com)
tullian.net (Tullian Tchividian)
Reformed Theology
Ed Stetzer (I'm not sure if he is or not. Look it up yourself.)
Adrian Warnock (he writes at patheos.com)
Bible.org
dougwils.com (Blog & Mablog, Douglas Wilson)
Crossway.org
carm.org (Matt Slick)
J.D. Greear
Truth for Life (Alistair Begg)
compellingtruth.org
michellelesley.com
Abandoned to Christ (sunnyshell.org)
strivingforeternity.org (Andrew Rappaport)
Grace Online Library
The Aquila Report
biblereasons.com
heidelblog.net
moodymedia.org (Erwin Lutzer)
theocast.org
apuritansmind.com
reasonabletheology.org
str.org (Stnad to Reason)
Naomi's Table Bible Studies
enCourage
Women with the Master
Solid Food Resources
The Bible Thumping Wingnut
The End Time
Sheologians
Relatable
Tulips & Honey
The Verity Fellowship
Women Under Grace
servantsofgrace.org
bloggingtheologically.com
Delivered by Grace
Wretched
Just Thinking
The Publicans
WWUTT/pastorgabe
wordofhisgrace.org
Proverbs 9:10 Ministries
forthegospel.org
whatchristianswanttoknow.com (After looking up "predestination" and "election" on this site and reading some of the articles, it appears that some are not-too-Calvinist and some are quite Calvinist, but in a "softened" way. Just my opinion. I would call it a "soft Calvinist" site. So be discerning.)
Reformed.org and almost anything else with "reformed" in the title
Almost anything with Calvinist in the title (unless it's a site against Calvinism)
Blogs listed with Calvinist site, The Gospel Coalition:
Between Two Worlds and Evangelical History (Justin Taylor)Christ is Deeper Still (Ray Ortlund)
DeYoung, Restless, and Reformed (Kevin DeYoung)
Pure Church (Thabiti Anyabwile)
Wit's End (Melissa Kruger)
Kingdom People (Trevin Wax)
Heavenward (Scotty Smith)
The Gospel-Driven Church (Jared C. Wilson)
Ordinary Pastor (Erik Raymond)
For the Love of God (D.A. Carson)
Other Calvinist (or potentially Calvinist) Ministries, Groups, or Conferences:
Anything by The Gospel Coalition, 9Marks, Acts 29, Ligonier Ministries
Kuyper conferences
G3 Conferences for pastors and leaders (some big name Calvinist speakers there like Tim Challies, James White, Paul Washer. And some Calvinist ministry partners like The Gospel Project, Founders, Grace to You, 9Marks.)
Sovereign Grace Churches (formerly Sovereign Grace Ministries. I'm not sure if these guys provide programs or resources for churches, but I'll include them anyway because they are a big name. )
Shepherd's Conference (a ministry of Grace Community Church, pastored by John MacArthur)
Weekender Conference (hosted by 9Marks)
Founders Conferences
Cross Conferences
Q conferences
t4g.org (Together for the Gospel conferences, sponsored by Lifeway and Crossway. A celebration of all things Calvinist, with dogmatic Calvinist speakers like John Piper, John MacArthur, Ligon Duncan, Albert Mohler, Kevin DeYoung, Matt Chandler, Mark Dever, Thabiti Anyabwile, and more. Oh my goodness! It doesn't get more Calvinist than this! It should be called "Together for Calvinism"!)
The Gospel Project (see this link for more on this, or google "The Gospel Project and Calvinism")
And A Bunch More Links That Are Worth Reading:
Churches Infected With Calvinism
[Danger!] 6 Massive Warning Signs of Spiritual Abuse
Church Takeover Success Using Strategies from the Calvinista Playbook
A Calvinist Pastor Was Challenged By Members Who Read the Bad Internet, So Why Aren't They Reading the Calvinist Blogs (This is a response to a post from 9Marks - Calvinist Pastors and Non-Calvinist Churches, Candidating, Pastoring and Moving On. The 9Marks article is trying to make it sound like anti-Calvinists have been led astray by the internet, and it seems to give tips for Calvinists on how to "buddy up" to the congregation to get them to better accept your theology: )
Is Calvinism or Reformed Doctrine Taking Over Your Church?
My Journey into Calvinism (pdf)
Testimony of a Former 5-Point Calvinist
Who Are The New Calvinists, Part 1 and Part 2 (A Reformed website, but it's a useful article because it identifies a lot of today's Calvinists)
The Troubling Trends in America's Calvinist Revival
Who is "Got Questions?"
Covert Calvinists
Calvinist Rhetoric: The Series
Where'd All These Calvinists Come From (from the Calvinist website, 9Marks, but it gives a suggestion for how Calvinism became as prominent as it is)
Impossible Questions to ask a Calvinist, Part 1 (This has links to the other parts in the series)
Hitler and Calvinism - (4 minutes long) Love it! Love it! Love it!
Greg Boyd - Calvinism Refuted in 10 Minutes - Excellent! MUST WATCH!!! And he makes a great point about how Calvi-god is basically worse than the devil because at least the devil is honest about who he is, and so you know what you're getting with him! But not so with Calvi-god!)
One final tip for avoiding a Calvinist church:
Pray! Pray that God guides you to the right church and blocks the doors to any wrong ones. Pray that He grants you the wisdom and gives you the information you need to make a wise decision. And then keep your eyes open. I believe this is a prayer God will always answer!
[Danger!] 6 Massive Warning Signs of Spiritual Abuse
Church Takeover Success Using Strategies from the Calvinista Playbook
A Calvinist Pastor Was Challenged By Members Who Read the Bad Internet, So Why Aren't They Reading the Calvinist Blogs (This is a response to a post from 9Marks - Calvinist Pastors and Non-Calvinist Churches, Candidating, Pastoring and Moving On. The 9Marks article is trying to make it sound like anti-Calvinists have been led astray by the internet, and it seems to give tips for Calvinists on how to "buddy up" to the congregation to get them to better accept your theology: )
Is Calvinism or Reformed Doctrine Taking Over Your Church?
My Journey into Calvinism (pdf)
Testimony of a Former 5-Point Calvinist
Who Are The New Calvinists, Part 1 and Part 2 (A Reformed website, but it's a useful article because it identifies a lot of today's Calvinists)
The Troubling Trends in America's Calvinist Revival
Who is "Got Questions?"
Covert Calvinists
Calvinist Rhetoric: The Series
Where'd All These Calvinists Come From (from the Calvinist website, 9Marks, but it gives a suggestion for how Calvinism became as prominent as it is)
Impossible Questions to ask a Calvinist, Part 1 (This has links to the other parts in the series)
More "Questions to ask a Calvinist"
A Question that Calvinists cannot answer - because it's a paradox
Caution: Children and Predestination (A sad look at what Calvinism's theology does to a child's heart! I wonder if Calvinism is responsible for so much of the atheism out there today. I wonder if people who reject God are really just rejecting the god of Calvinism. They just don't know that there's a difference.)
A Question that Calvinists cannot answer - because it's a paradox
Caution: Children and Predestination (A sad look at what Calvinism's theology does to a child's heart! I wonder if Calvinism is responsible for so much of the atheism out there today. I wonder if people who reject God are really just rejecting the god of Calvinism. They just don't know that there's a difference.)
Four more of my posts: "Why is Calvinism So Dangerous?" and "If Calvinism is true, then God is a Liar." and "Why is it so hard for Calvinists to get free from Calvinism?" and Links to Other Anti-Calvinism Posts
[A recommendation to pastors about how to live out the 5 Points of Calvinism in your church on Sundays, from the Calvinist giant, 9Marks. If this sounds similar to how your Sunday mornings go, you may be in a heavily-Calvinist church.]
(And here are two videos I love:
Greg Boyd - Calvinism Refuted in 10 Minutes - Excellent! MUST WATCH!!! And he makes a great point about how Calvi-god is basically worse than the devil because at least the devil is honest about who he is, and so you know what you're getting with him! But not so with Calvi-god!)
(Also here is a great 6-minute "satire" video we just found: "The Candid Calvinist", giving you a good idea of what Calvinists say vs. what they really mean.)
One final tip for avoiding a Calvinist church:
Pray! Pray that God guides you to the right church and blocks the doors to any wrong ones. Pray that He grants you the wisdom and gives you the information you need to make a wise decision. And then keep your eyes open. I believe this is a prayer God will always answer!
