Super-Short Version of "How to Tell if a Church, Pastor, or Website is Calvinist"
(This is the super-duper short, "just the facts, ma'am" version of my post "How to Tell if a Church, Pastor, or Website is Calvinist." It's as short as I could make it. For the extended version of this post, click here. For the simplified version, click here. FYI: I added a note to the bottom of this post on May 5, 2021.)
We just left our church of almost 20 years because of the dogmatic Calvinist pastor who recently came on board. And I was thinking about how I would avoid ending up in another Calvinist church. What signs would I look for? And I decided to post my ideas and opinions 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 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 this article: The Bible vs. Calvinism: An Overview by Patrick Myers, one of the best overviews to read about Calvinism and its errors.]
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. 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".
1. Find out what Calvinism really teaches first, so that you can learn to notice the signs. 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 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," or "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 "Jesus died for His people, for those who will believe" and "The door of salvation is open to all who believe in Him." NO! Jesus died for all people, the door of salvation is open to all people, but we choose to believe or not, to accept it or reject it. It is not a slip of the tongue when they limit His death to His people, to those who believe. And their "those who believe" doesn't even mean we actually have a choice about it anyway. In Calvinism, God decides for us. 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]. [Calvinist churches 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." ["Total depravity" doesn't just mean that man is fallen and separated from God, but that man is so fallen that we can't even think about/want/seek God on our own, and so God has to cause "the elect" (those predestined for heaven) to do it by giving them - and only them - the Holy Spirit to cause them to seek Him and to believe in Him. And everyone else is out of luck, predestined for hell!]
... 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 fallen man is under the influence of sin and Satan. It means that depraved, unregenerate people (ultimately meaning those predestined to hell) are incapable of seeking God or believing in God or choosing to do anything good. They can only always want to sin and choose to sin because they are under the control of their Calvi-god-given, unregenerated, totally-depraved nature. And if they aren't one of the elect whom Calvi-god will regenerate with the Holy Spirit, they are destined to remain that way.]
... "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 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 "believing in Jesus" (which, according to them, is something we can't do on our own anyway because of our "total depravity", which is why Calvi-god has to cause the elect to believe).]
... "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.]
... "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 putting our faith in Jesus, or accepting Jesus, or choosing to believe in Jesus. Because remember that they don't think we can do those things on our own.]
... "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. 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" [It's NOT that God calls all sinful men of the world to repent and become part of the Church, but it's that Calvi-god has called and chosen certain, specific people from the whole human race to be part of the Church. Big difference!]
Also pay attention to any "historic confessions" 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 wonderful, unconditional, generous, saving grace - is only for the elect, for them. Lucky, special people!)
Does he talk about Romans a lot, especially Romans 9? (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?")
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. (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.)
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. (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! Sometimes, 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: "making God famous" (which he said is God's greatest goal) and telling people to "repent". But there was nothing about sharing God's love for us or about God desiring a relationship with us.
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: "making God famous" (which he said is God's greatest goal) and telling people to "repent". But there was nothing about sharing God's love for us or about God desiring a relationship with us.
[The thing is, Calvinist are not about God loving people or wanting a relationship with people. Because that would be too "glorifying" for humans, as if it would reduce the glory God gets. And so they shrink humans so low that God doesn't really love us or care about us, for our sakes. He only cares about using us to get more glory for Himself, even if it's by (as Calvinists believe) causing our sins, causing someone to abuse us, causing us to reject Him and go to hell, etc. It's sick. Truly sick. And yet they think they are honoring God to think like this. (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. Calvinists 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 reject the clearly wrong one and to choose the Calvinist one. And it's to make you 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. But it's manipulation because they start with wrong definitions (of things like sovereign, control, spiritually dead, ordains, etc.) and they left out the biblical option.
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/most of the elders Calvinists too?
And which books or training programs does the pastor require the elders to go through? If it's something from the authors listed above, 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.]
[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.]
9. Which Bible does the pastor use?
A major “red flag” is an ESV, especially the ESV Study Bible. [Wayne Grudem and J.I. Packer were contributing editors on the ESV Study Bible. 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. Also see Calvinism and the NIV. (D.A. Carson is the general editor of the NIV Zondervan Study Bible.)]
A major “red flag” is an ESV, especially the ESV Study Bible. [Wayne Grudem and J.I. Packer were contributing editors on the ESV Study Bible. 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. Also see Calvinism and the NIV. (D.A. Carson is the general editor of the NIV Zondervan Study Bible.)]
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?
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.
[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.")]
"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."
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.]
[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.]
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 or question about God’s sovereignty or grace, 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!
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
16. Are they listed in church-finders at Gospel Coalition, Acts 29, 9Marks, or in a Calvinist church-finder?
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.)
Avoiding Calvinist Websites:
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?
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?
For the record, most of the top websites that pop up when you type in a theological question online are Calvinist.
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:
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 (Stand 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)
[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.]
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!)
(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!)
And another one we just found: "The Candid Calvinist" (a great 6-minute "satire" video)
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!
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!
ADDED NOTE, 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 anti-Calvinist websites I listed at the beginning of this post 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?
