Alana L. on how to recognize (and defeat) Calvinism (link)
Update: I redid this post.
And instead of providing all the writing here (then I don't have to make corrections in multiple places), I'll simply share the description of each point and the main link to the series. All the posts, as they get published, will be added to the "Alana L." label.
(I would provide links to each individual post, but I don't know if I'll remember to add the links as the posts get published over the next several months.)
Part of the introduction:
Here's a great new video from Alana L.: 5 Signs Your Loved One is Becoming a Calvinist
I've been wanting someone to make a video like this for awhile now - to help people recognize Calvinism when they hear it, to help them realize it's a big deal that they should take seriously and research, and to help them know why it's wrong and how it spreads.
And so thank you, Alana, for making a video like this! It's much needed and appreciated, and I hope you do more like it.
“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what [their pastor] said was true.” (Acts 17:11, slightly modified😉)
Okay, so now, in a series of posts, I'm gonna go through each of Alana's points and add a bunch of additional notes of my own to fill it out even more. (Watch her video first though; it's good, concise, and full of information. And she gets even more in-depth about getting out of Calvinism in this 54-minute video: "5 Years out of CALVINISM".)
In this post, I'll provide descriptions of each of her points and links to the individual posts I wrote about each point.
[About the numbering/lettering of each post: The number refers to which point Alana is on, and the letter is which post it is in my series, one letter per post, A-Z, but some of Alana's points get more letters/posts than others. So just follow the alphabet if you want to read all the posts in order.]
The posts in this series are:
(Click here to find them all, as they get published.)
Alana L. Series: Introduction
A. Alana pointed out how Calvinists say "I could never choose God. I would never choose God. I can't even want God or seek God, so He had to choose me."
B. Alana pointed out how Calvinists say that belief is a work, as though we were working for our salvation or "saved ourselves," something Calvinists accuse us of if we believe God gave us the free-will to choose Jesus.
C. Alana said that, according to the Bible, faith comes by hearing and believing the Word.
D. Alana correctly notes that the section in Romans 3 about no one seeking God, no one understanding, is taken from Psalms about "the fool who says in his heart that there is no God."
[Also, here's a "must watch" 4-minute satirical video: Hitler and Calvinism. Awesome!]
E. Alana then pointed out how Calvinists say that Jesus's work on the cross was "sufficient for all of humanity, but it's not efficient [for all]." It's only "efficient" for some, for the elect.
F. Alana noted how Calvinists say that they were chosen before the foundation of the world (that their names - the names of "the elect" - were written in the Book of Life before the foundation of the world).
Point #3:
G. Alana talked about how Calvinists claim to be "surprised" (happy, thrilled, thankful) that God has enough grace to save anyone at all, because we're all so bad and deserve hell.
H. Along with the Calvinist idea of "it's fair and just for everyone to go to hell anyway, so we should be thankful that God saves anyone at all," Alana shares two analogies about salvation...
Point #4:
I. Alana notes that Calvinists will often ask "What makes me so special? Why did I choose God but my friend or neighbor did not? Obviously that means God chose me. Because why would I choose God, and not them?"
J. Alana states the obvious, simple, biblical truth that "We are made in God's image, and we have the capacity to think and determine things." We have the ability to decide how we will respond to the gospel call. We decide whether to reject/ignore it or to believe it. And when we believe, we are saved.
Point #5 (a series about God's sovereignty):
K: "sovereign"
L: misunderstood sovereignty
M: conflations: cause vs allow
N: conflations: foreknow vs foreplan
O: author vs author
P: conflations: natural vs moral
Q: robots
R: No freedom needed!
S: Calvinism's "free-will"/"dismantle"
T: "You don't understand Calvinism"
U: Hell and God's glory/"justice"
V: The twisted ESV
W: Educated into Calvinism/Calvinism's success
X: final notes on sovereignty
Point #6
Y: "I'm so depraved"
Z: Conclusion
Once again, all the posts in this series will be under the "Alana L." label.
