The Anti-Calvinist Rant

Here's a comment from a reader called Concerned Christian (see this post on my comment blog): Hello. I am new to this site and hope I follow the comment rules appropriately.  I was saved (believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and the Blood atonement for my sins) a few years ago.  Finally got the courage to attend a Baptist church and even did my research to make sure it was not a reformed or calvinist church.  Nothing on the website points to calvinism.  After a year of attending this church I can not deny my convictions.  The pastor is constantly giving quotes from popular calvinist preachers of today and names former calvinist theologians without ever using the term "calvinist".  The pastor preaches from the KJV but a very telling sign for me is that every single piece of literature, (tracts, pamphlets) on display are from Crossway publishing and provides a website to the ESV site and is authored by known Calvinist preachers.  Everyone at the church se...

Here's a comment from Mike R. in this post on my comment blog : Hello my name is Mike.  I live in Seabrook Tx.  I have been attending a large church in the Houston area for about a year or so.  I have visited other churches but quickly realized they were reformed or Calvinistic.  I have been reading and listening intently to the new pastor and other speakers since visiting this new church to determine their views and beliefs on Calvinism but have not been able to hear any catch phrases that would be a dead giveaway.  It's almost as though they are riding the fence on that topic.  I hear the gospel preached.  I see people respond but still not certain.  Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.  Mike  ps this is my first post. And here's my reply (the longer version I tried to email him, not the shorter one on my comment blog, but I added a few extra notes here and updated it a bit): Hi Mike, Thank you for your comment and questi...

Okay, so here are the first two footnotes (my additional comments) on the John MacArthur sermon I quoted in  part 4   of this series inspired by a comment from a Calvinist reader called Only.me80.   [Click here for  part 1  and  part 2  and  part 3  and part 5 of this series .] *1  MacArthur said:  "[An unlimited atonement and the free-will ability of humans to choose to believe in Jesus] is not what the church has historically believed ,  but that is what the present version of the superficial church believes" Notice the m anipulative-shaming, the accusation of "You're a 'superficial' Christian if you believe that Jesus died for all people and that we choose to accept or reject the gift of eternal life." (paraphrase)   Which is, apparently,  "most people in the church."   According to special, unique, high-and-mighty MacArthur, most of us Christians are "superficial" because most of us Christians beli...