Alana L. on how to recognize (and defeat) Calvinism (links and memes)
Update: I redid this post. Instead of providing all the writing here, I'll simply share the description of each point and give links to the separate posts I wrote for each point. Then I don't have to make corrections in multiple places if there's something I want to change.
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.]
Alana L. Series: Introduction
Point #1:
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.
For the 1A/1B post, click here: Alana L.: 1A (inability), 1B (belief is a work)
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."
For the 1C/1D post, click here: Alana L.: 1C (faith/salvation), 1D (seeking 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.
For the 2E post, click here: Alana L.: 2E (sufficient/efficient)
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).
For the 2F post, click here: Alana L: 2F (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.
For the 3G post, click here: Alana L.: 3G (surprised God saves ANYONE)
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...
For the 3H post, click here: Alana L.: 3H (bad analogies)
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?"
For the 4I post, click here: Alana L.: 4I (Why me?)
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.
For the 4J post, click here: Alana L.: 4J (active belief; "anyone")
Point #5 (a series about God's sovereignty):
Alana L. 5L (misunderstood sovereignty)
Alana L.: 5M (conflations: cause vs allow)
Alana L. 5N (conflations: foreknow vs foreplan)
Alana L. 5O (author vs author)
Alana L. 5P (conflations: natural vs moral)
Future posts: R-Z (I'll add them as they get published.)
All the posts in this series will be under the "Alana L." label.
