The New Calvinism

I like Reformed theology. At this point, it's obviously not a secret. It wasn't until about 9 months ago that God slowly began to give me true revelation while reading his word. As an Undergrad at Teen Mania's Honor Academy last year, I'm very thankful for the discipline of daily quiet times made as an Honor Academy rule. But as I'd read my Bible...I couldn't help but wonder about how literal the words on the page actually were. (Previous to becoming an HA intern....I never had quiet times, never prayed, didn't have a passion for God's word, and I'm convinced I wasn't actually saved by God's grace until coming to Teen Mania.)

But God in his sovereignty still gave me a passion to pursuing God and his plan for my life, which led me to the Honor Academy. I came to campus with two main goals: to get a grip on this whole Christianity thing..... and figuring out what to do for the rest of my life.

That was back in August of 07. Almost 2 years later, I now know I'll never get a full grip...as I'm a fallen creature who won't be fully redeemed until I enter God's Kingdom. And I strongly believe God's call for my life is to be a Pastor.

I'm a young man who's been given grace by a good and merciful God. I believe Christ is my Saviour. I believe in prayer. I believe in the Bible, and take every word of it literally as "God-breathed" truth - 2 Tim 3:16

The Bible has shown me some amazing truths that completely contradict everything my flesh wants to believe.

But I believe the Bible is true. There really is a literal Heaven and Hell. God is in complete control over the entire universe...even Satan. I am totally depraved. God's grace is unconditional. God has a limited atonement. God's grace is irresistible. And all true Christians will persevere until the end.

Below is a blog originally posted by Pastor Jim McClarty from Grace Christian Assembly Church in Smyrna, Tennessee. This post by Pastor McClarty brings me a lot of encouragement, seeing that I'm not alone in my Biblical convictions. It brings me great joy to see that young and old alike are turning back to the theologians of Spurgeon, Tozer, Ravenill, Edwards, Piper, and today's Paul Washer. Let me know what you think.

grace and peace,

-josh

The New Calvinism

I know sometimes we Reformed folk feel very alone. I get email all the time from folk asking "Is there a church like GCA in my area?" We all want to fellowship with like-minded people, just so we don't feel so isolated from the church world at large. Worse, I receive regular correspondence from people -- especially young people -- who are ostracized or rejected by their church leaders and families because they have embraced Calvinism. Words like "cult" get tossed around and the critics insist that Calvinism divides churches and ruins fellowship.

Well, this past March TIME magazine published a series entitled "10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now." Number 3 on the list is: The New Calvinism. And they do a pretty good job of describing it.

So the next time that someone tells you that you're involved in some fringe group or that what you believe as a Calvinist is unbiblical, schismatic, or just plain "made up," point them to the TIME article and help them understand that Calvinism was once the bedrock of early American thought and politics. In fact, the author of this article closes by mentioning the fact that Calvinistic Theology represents the God of this country's infancy.

Here's the link:

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1884779_1884782_1884760,00.html

It's interesting that Calvinistic theology is making such inroads into modern thought and culture that even a secular magazine like TIME has recognized it. And that fact give me hope for the future of Christianity in America.