Leaving Calvinism: Comments from Ex-Calvinists #4
Here is the next batch of ex-Calvinist testimonies (and those who never were Calvinists but who came face to face with it) from this post: X-Calvinist Corner. (It's an Arminian website, but I am not Arminian.) I am going to highlight some of the comments that stood out to me the most. If I add any comments of my own, it will be [blue and in brackets]. I made minor corrections for better grammar and punctuation. If you want to read everything that everyone said, click on the link above:
James Brown:
[On his journey out of Calvinism:] My mom was and is a true believer, and so, as a boy, I was required to read the Bible, and theology from the Calvinistic side. As I read the Bible and studied it to the best of my ability at the time, I found far too many Bible verses taught different than John Calvin. I went to see my [5-point Calvinist] pastor to discuss this with him. His exact words were “Who are you now? A Theologian?” When I brought up verses like Rev. 3:5 Exodus 32:32, Deut. 9:14, John 15:1-6, all he could do was to try to explain away the verses. I remember saying, “So John Calvin knows what he's talking about, but the Bible doesn’t?” He was upset so we ended the conversation.
Michael K:
I grew up with an Arminian background ... I was this way all the way until midway through college. I wasn’t even aware there was any other view until then. I had college friends challenge me with this new concept of Calvinism, and eventually I was convinced due to my lack of biblical expertise and ability to properly exegete at the time regarding this area. Even when I was “convinced”, it was still extremely hard for me to accept this because there were still so many loopholes remaining. I had such high respect for my extremely intelligent Godly friends who were Calvinists that I just figured they knew more what they were talking about than I did at the time.
I continued this way after college for the next 5 or 6 years, until the Holy Spirit brought me back to some key issues I’d been overlooking. For one thing, my passion for the lost had been nonchalant as I felt at the time that if someone was God’s Elect, there’s no reason why I needed to be concerned for the salvation of others. Nor should I worry too much about my personal witness. After all, I was Elect and the deal was done. I felt more self-centered than I had ever felt, and my purpose in life felt extremely vague....
... Calvinists like to take the few passages of Scripture referring to God hardening someone’s heart, or certain translations saying God created evil, and run with those verses. A deeper look at the meaning, original language of Scripture, and overall context of Scripture of these verses will show that the Calvinists are deeply in error.
Skandalon:
I became a Calvinist after reading a John MacArthur book while on a mission trip in Russia. I was 19 years old and had never dealt with the difficult passages surrounding this topic so I clung to the only viable answers I could find, which were provided by Calvinistic authors.... But after a while, I felt like I should really try and figure out why so many smart people (like John Wesley and CS Lewis) would reject what seemed to me to be so clearly taught in scripture. Thus my journey [away from Calvinism] began.
As I came across questions I didn’t know how to answer from the Calvinistic perspective, I would post them as arguments to my Calvinistic friends and their responses seemed lacking to me. This got me to really thinking and studying. For the first time in 10 years I was actually questioning these doctrines I had grown to love. I was in a Reformed church on staff and most of my best friends were Calvinistic, so this was no easy transition for me. [I understand. We had to give up our church of almost 20 years - the church we raised our kids in - because of the Calvinism that took it over.] I wanted desperately to find the answers I was seeking so I could remain a Calvinist. I could not.
Theresa:
[Getting into Calvinism:] Somehow I came across the Reformed teachings (I think through RC Sproul’s radio ministry) and began to open my ears.... I was convinced about predestination and was overjoyed that I was learning “deeper truths” of scripture I hadn’t learned before. I loved that Reformed theology made everything fit like a perfect puzzle and saw it as the truth because of that. I even easily swallowed contradictions as they just did not appear contradictory at all.
[Getting out of Calvinism:] I began thinking more about double predestination and what that really meant. The picture they were drawing of the Reformed God seemed dark, cold and very distant.... It seemed to me that God wanted to, in fact enjoyed, damning everyone and everything. I began to feel frightened of God and began searching desperately to disprove this horrifying ugliness. I won’t even go into all the details of the “hell on earth” I went through, to the point of being tempted to hate and curse God (Praise God He kept me from crossing that line!)....
This is why it is SO important to “watch your life and DOCTRINE closely” ....
My sister started staying away from me as she felt “There’s something dark and cold about that [Calvinist] teaching, Theresa”. In the process, I called the couple [a Calvinist couple from church] and told them I had to back away from all this before I had a nervous breakdown (they informed me at that time that the other two couples in the church were going through the same thing….that says A LOT!).
... [After leaving Calvinism:] I have been convinced (once again), that man can have free will and it really is not a threat to God’s sovereignty. God isn’t insecure, so he can allow his creatures freedom while He himself is still King over and above all and not the least bit threatened by free will.
... My eyes are opened to the circular thinking, contradictions, word plays and bait-and-switch games that Calvinism really is based on.... [God's] character is truly at stake here!!! Keep fighting for the truth!!!
