Calvi-cult 4: Calvinism vs. Extreme Cults

Some more preliminary notes for the "Calvi-cult" series.  See here for the previous posts in this "Calvi-cult's damage" series.  (I haven't been able to work on the rest of this series in a while, so it might be months before more of this series gets published.  And I'm starting to get really busy with the garden and spring chores, so I'm gonna start publishing posts every other week again for awhile.)

Cult-ish

Yes, I'm using the word "cult" to describe Calvinism.  

But let's keep in mind that there are other cults out there - dangerous, extreme cults - the kind that physically separate people from their families, friends, and society, and that control even their education, marriages, families, sexual behavior, what they read/watch, and that even convince people to kill others or themselves in obedience/loyalty to the cult.  Everyone - expect those who are in it - would recognize these as cults.  

And Calvinism is NOT at that level.

And so to be fair to people who were victims of truly dangerous, extreme cults, I prefer to think of Calvinism as "cult-lite, cult-ish."  But it's easier to just use the word "cult."  And I think it's technically accurate, because I do believe it falls somewhere on the "cult" spectrum, even though it's milder than some.  

Of course, there are some Calvinist churches and pastors that act more "cult-y" than others (I'll look at this in a future post) - and so some people would disagree with calling it merely "cult-lite, cult-ish."  Just like there are some who would disagree with calling it a cult at all.  (Like I said, "cult" is hard to definitively define.)    

And so I'm not trying to downplay the risks of Calvinism or the damage it does to people.  (I wouldn't be writing this series if I was.)  

But I also don't want to overplay it (or use the word "cult" as an insult or slur, as some people do).  I don't want to put it on the same level as the extreme cults that physically control every aspect of their members lives, such as those that physically isolate the members so they can brainwash them (Scientology), or that allow the leader/grown men to marry or sleep with children or multiple women (FLDS; NXIVM; David Koresh and the Branch Dividians), or that convince the members to kill others (Charles Manson) or kill themselves (Jim Jones, Marshall Applewhite) or to let themselves be slaughtered (David Koresh), etc.

Calvinism is not at that level.  Calvinism is more about trapping and controlling people's minds, hearts, and faith than about trapping and controlling their minds, hearts, faith, and physical bodies/environments as the more extreme cults do.  

Plus, as I said previously, Calvinists often mean well, have good hearts, love God and Jesus, and deeply cherish His Word, whereas extreme and dangerous cult leaders only really love themselves and care about their own power.  

And Calvinists (in general) really do intend to elevate/worship/glorify/put the focus on God, whereas extreme cult leaders really just want to elevate/worship/glorify/put the focus on themselves, often thinking of themselves as "God."  

And most Calvinists (pastors included) don't intend to be manipulative or deceptive - they really do care about us in the Church, and they think that they're being true to God's Word and being faithful to spread it, trying to get us to accept what they believe is biblical truth, whatever it takes - whereas extreme cult leaders don't care about truth or about the people but only about getting people to follow them, whatever it takes.  (To a degree, intentions do matter here.)  

And not to mention that many extreme, dangerous cult leaders are probably genuinely crazy, schizophrenic, paranoid, delusional, etc.  Whereas Calvinists, in general, are just good normal people doing their best to follow God's Word as they've interpreted it.  

So let's not go overboard in slamming Calvinists.  In fact, let's not slam Calvinists at all, just the Calvinism.  (However, unfortunately, when opposing Calvinism, Calvinists will get caught in the crossfire.  And that can't be helped.  It's just what happens when someone aligns themselves with an unbiblical theology.)  

We can be and should be harsh with the theology, bold in speaking truth, but let's be gentler about the people, more gracious.  After all, it's the people we're trying to save, to free from the bad theology that has a vice-grip on their minds.  And we can't rescue people if they feel like we're treating them as the enemy.  

[But I do believe we should be harsher with the Calvinist teachers than the garden-variety Calvinist in the pews, because teachers are held extra accountable for the bad theology they spread.  Plus, many Calvinist pastors are deceptive and stealthy about spreading their Calvinism, and I think those kinds of tactics and behaviors need to be called out more forcefully because it's not proper for people of God to act that way.  And so we shouldn't use kid gloves on those who spread the Calvinism, especially those who knowingly and deliberately trick and trap people into their beliefs, regardless of how good their hearts and intentions are.] 

The theology itself

Another difference between Calvinism and a more extreme cult is that there's usually one man who is the clear leader of an extreme cult - the authoritarian who makes all the rules, who demands loyalty, whose word is taken as truth, and who doesn't tolerate being questioned or opposed.  

But that's not how it is in Calvinism.  And so I am not really calling Calvinist pastors or theologians "cult leaders."  But I am claiming that the whole system is very cult-ish.  

The theology itself and the way it operates is the cult leader.  

Any theology that...

... claims that it alone is "the truth" and that it understands the "deeper truths and mysteries" of the Bible ("truths and mysteries" that actually aren't even in the Bible at all but were created by their own bad ideas; "truths and mysteries" which actually contradict a plain reading of the Bible),

... claims that we must go to them and their theology books to learn "the truth" because we can't learn it on our own from the Bible,

... claims that if we reach any other conclusions than theirs then we are wrong, unhumble, rejecting the Bible, dishonoring God, and possibly not even a Christian,

... is deceptive about their true beliefs (their deeper, most upsetting and controversial ones) and is stealthy in how they teach them and when they reveal them, hiding them underneath a biblical surface-layer and sugarcoating them with wording we all agree on, as long as possible, so that we're not aware of or alarmed by their true beliefs too early (not until they've had time to soften us up by strategically leading us from one idea to the next, until we're too deep in to get out, totally prepped to accept their more disturbing, controversial "hard truths" without resistance),

... relies on manipulation, shaming, flattery, gaslighting, false dichotomies, deflective non-answers, and other tactics to make us feel like we need to side with them and accept whatever they teach, simply ignoring all their contradictions and any alarm bells we have, and like we should look down on anyone who disagrees, doubting their humility, faith, and salvation, as if there's something wrong with them for questioning the theology instead of something wrong with the theology itself,

... any theological system that functions this way automatically deserves, I think, to be called a cult.  

Because that's how cults operate.

You know, it's one thing to claim that the Bible is truth for all people, that the gospel is for everyone, and that all people can understand the Bible, the gospel, and can find salvation through it.  That's not cult-like.  That's not hoarding the truth for yourself, limiting salvation to yourself, or twisting Scripture to fit/promote your views.  

But it's a completely different thing to claim that your "gospel" is not really for everyone but only for a few people (while deceptively appearing to offer it to everyone), that it's only meant to save a few preselected people while sealing the rest in their predestined damnation... and to claim that your debatable, contradictory interpretation of the Bible is "the truth," the only way to see it, and that we can't disagree with you but must simply accept whatever convoluted nonsense you teach, ignoring all the problems, contradictions, doubts, damage it does to God's character, and the commonsense understanding of Scripture that your theology contradicts or muddles... and to claim that anyone who disagrees with you is a prideful, God-fighting, Bible-rejecting (or biblically-illiterate) Christian, and maybe not even a Christian at all.     

This is what distinguishes mere Christianity from religious cults, from Calvinism.

Christianity is for everyone.  The gospel is for everyone.  Jesus is for everyone.  Salvation is for everyone.  And we don't need to be trained/brainwashed into seeing the truth or manipulated into accepting it.

But Calvinism is for... well... Calvinists.  And the Calvi-gospel, Calvi-Jesus, and Calvi-salvation is for the Calv-elect only.  And Calvinists need to be trained/brainwashed into reading the Bible in a Calvinist way and manipulated/gaslit/shamed into accepting it without pushback.

Does this sound like truth to you?  The gospel?  The way God intended it to be taught and spread? 

[Sadly, even Calvinist pastors and theologians themselves have been trapped into serving the cult leader "Calvinism," slaves to the whole system, just like those they lead into it.  So Calvinist pastors are not "the bad guys" here.  They are trapped just like everyone else.  Well-intentioned, but trapped.  But they will still be held extra accountable, and so we must be firm when we confront their errors.  Loving, but firm.  Flimsy, wishy-washy opposition to it and overly-gentle tolerance of it only confuses people and the issue more, making Calvinists feel like it's really "no big deal, just minor differences," making it easier for Calvinists to deceive themselves and for bad theology to take over the Church.]  

Why Calvinism is such a threat

The thing that makes Calvinism such a threat - running rampant in the evangelical Church today, hijacking many non-Calvinist churches, trapping many good, godly, intelligent, well-meaning Christians - is that it's an attack from the inside, not the outside.  It's destroying the Church from the inside out, through good, humble, well-meaning, God-loving Christians.  So insidious!  

Its errors are so subtle and well-woven that Calvinists can't even recognize it as error.  They truly believe it's the truth and that they're being good, humble, God-honoring, Bible-loving Christians to accept it and to train others to see it that way, too.

The thing is, I don't think it's the extreme cults or the obviously-false religions/movements that are the biggest threats to the Church in general, such as, say, Hinduism, Witchcraft, the Moonies, New Age, Scientology, etc.  Because most Christians can tell that there's a problem with those, that they obviously contradict or reject the Bible.  And so there's little risk of trapping discerning Christians into it.  

[Have you read Leah Remini's book Troublemaker?  So good!  It makes me really like her and respect her.  And I totally have to give her credit not only for getting out of Scientology, but also for being willing to take the risks that come with exposing such a dangerous, powerful cult.  She is a very strong, brave person.  Well done, Leah!  I'm really sorry you had to go through that experience, but thank you for honestly sharing your story.]  

But I think the bigger threat to the Church are the theologies that appear so close to biblical truth that we can barely tell the difference at first, that we can't tell what's wrong with it unless and until we put in a lot of time and effort to research it deeply and to learn what God's Word really says in context for ourselves so that we can compare the two to see the difference.  

And because most people don't put that much time and effort into it (and they've been trained to read the Bible through Calvinist lenses, convinced it's "what Scripture plainly teaches," and so they don't even suspect that they should doubt and doublecheck it), these "cult-lites/false gospels" take over easily, with little resistance.

That is what I am examining in this series: How a false, twisted gospel like Calvinism has been able to infiltrate and hijack the Church over the years - many good, well-meaning, Jesus-loving Christians - with very little resistance, despite the fact that it teaches something very different from the commonsense understanding of God's Word when taken at face-value, something very destructive to His character and to people's hearts, minds, and faith.

There's a quote from Calvinist Charles Spurgeon that I actually think is very insightful: "Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong.  It is knowing the difference between right and almost right."  

I agree with him on that.  But even better (in relation to Calvinism) is this: "Spiritual discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong.  It is knowing the difference between right and wrong-disguised-as-right."  

To spot the errors of a theology that uses all the same biblical words, concepts, and verses but in a subtly-twisted-but-barely-noticeable way (when you don't know what to look for), in a reversed, out-of-context, misinterpreted, misapplied way... a theology that constantly calls itself "biblical Christianity; clearly taught in Scripture; the true gospel; the high view of God/Scripture; what humble Christians believe, etc."... a theology that deceptively presents a biblical surface-level of beliefs that we can all agree on while hiding a deeper unique level that actually contradicts, changes, or negates the surface-level... a theology which preconditions us to want to agree with them and to look down on anyone who disagrees... well, to spot the errors of that kind of theology, seeing past the manipulation and gaslighting, is real discernment.  A discernment few Christians have nowadays, particularly in the evangelical church. 

And why are there so few?

I think many people side with Calvinism and are ignorant of its errors and the fact that they should doubt it because we really do want to be humble and God-honoring and Bible-affirming - and this is how Calvinists paint those who share their views.

And we're too trusting of education, of those who went to seminary, as if their word is "gospel truth" and they can't possibly be wrong.  (You know who else was highly educated?  The Pharisees.)  

Plus, they have many of the "great" theologians of history on their side and many of the Big Name theologians and pastors of today, making it seem like it's the right theology to hold - as if the majority must be right, as if what's most popular is most correct.  (But we know what 2 Timothy 4:3-5 warns about a "great number of teachers.")  

And it feels good to be part of that elite group of supposedly highly-spiritual, highly-educated, highly-God-honoring people, to align ourselves with them, like: "Well, MacArthur says... I love what Sproul says... As Grudem taught... I love Piper's huge 700-page book... Luther, Augustine, and Edwards were such great men of God... As The Westminster Confession says... blah, blah, blah."

We want to be part of the "in group," too, the group that "gets it," that supposedly understands the deeper mysteries of the Bible in ways no one else does.

[In C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters, chapter 24, the demon Screwtape advises his nephew - a junior demon in charge of corrupting a Christian man - to make the man feel like he is part of a special, elite version of Christians, a Christian unlike others and better than others (my wording).  

And Screwtape says that some Christian theories can be used to do this: "What you want is to keep a sly self-congratulation mixing with all his thoughts and never allow him to raise the question 'What, precisely, am I congratulating myself  about?'  The idea of belonging to an inner ring, of being in a secret, is very sweet to him.  Play on that nerve... Some theories which he may meet in modern Christian circles may here prove helpful: theories, I mean, that place the hope of society in some inner ring of 'clerks,' some trained minority of theocrats... the great thing is to make Christianity a mystery religion in which he feels himself one of the initiates." 

Doesn't this sound just like Calvinism, with Calvinists believing that they've got some sort of hidden wisdom that others must come to them to get?  Making you feel like you're in the upper elite crowd of spiritual geniuses?  (I mean, heck, they even call their theologians "the giants of the faith" and things like that.)  But Lewis says it's a trap.  And I think these are indications that it's not biblical, that it's a cultish heresy that only seems biblical at first, on the surface, if you don't dare to question it.]

And on top of all that, we're just too busy to take the time to really study the Bible for ourselves - and so we outsource our spiritual education and critical thinking to our pastors and to the Systematic Theology books they recommend which connect the dots for us.  

And when we don't know what we don't know, we don't know enough to doubt them, to disagree with them.    

Plus, if we did disagree with our Calvinist pastor and those around us who seem to side with him, then we risk being viewed as a bad Christian (which is how the pastor preconditions people to view those who disagree with him), causing trouble/division, upsetting people's faith, offending our friends, fracturing our friendships, possibly being put under church discipline, and possibly eventually losing our church.  

And we don't want to take that risk.  It's easier to shut up, ignore our nagging questions and concerns, and simply fall in line.

How do you think Calvinism has spread like it has?

When everyone's keeping their mouths shut - and so it seems like no one else has a problem with what's being taught - then we convince ourselves that we shouldn't have a problem with it either, that we should keep our mouth shut too.  

After all, "If I have a problem with what's being taught but no one else seems to, then maybe the problem is me.  Maybe there's something wrong with my faith, my ability to understand the Bible, my heart attitude and level of humility."  

Right?

And so we keep quiet... and the Calvinism spreads.  

I've seen it happen.  We lost our church this way.

(On a similar note, see "Why is it so hard for Calvinists to get free from Calvinism?")