Stuff Calvinists Like

#18 John Piper

admin — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 23:27:17 +0000

Piper is one of those people blessed with great ability as a communicator, great passion, and solid theology. He has had a surge of popularity over the last five to ten years but his impact goes back a good bit before that. His most highly regarded book, Desiring God, was actually written in 1986. He is the Pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis and regularly preaches. He has through the years taken sabbaticals and breaks to focus on study and writing and that has given us enough books to fill several shelves on almost any sized bookshelf.

He has the patience to preach on a subject until he feels he has adquitly covered the finer points without ever losing passion. His run on Romans went an astounding 224 sermons from 1998-2006. The organization that releases his books, sermons and additional resources, Desiring God, has helped get his materials into the hands of people both in the US and Worldwide for great prices. He offers almost every book he has ever written for free in digital format as well.

Piper's accomplishments could fill a large book but he is among the most humble preachers around to have risen to his level of popularity in Calvinist circles and elsewhere.

Have something else to share on Piper? Add it to the comments on facebook.

Here's an example of one of the many videos available online of Piper preaching.

Some Piper resources:
http://www.desiringgod.org/
http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/authors/john-piper
http://twitter.com/johnpiper

#17 Systematic Theology

admin — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 00:08:43 +0000

With all the books available on theology and all the commentaries out there it can be hard to tell what they are all about easily. With a good systematic theology book you just go to a subject and read the view. It's like an encyclopedia of theological points. Want to know about angels, the atonement, common grace and church government all in one place, besides the Bible, then you can use a systematic theology book to find a bit about them all.

There are several famous systematic theology books from old to almost brand new. Our generations are probably most familiar with Wayne Grudem's, Charles Hodge's and a few others but there are many out there.

A quick example and except from Grudem's work:

Chapter 34 - Regeneration
What does it mean to be born again?

Explanation and Scriptural Basis
We may define regeneration as follows: Regeneration is a secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us. This is sometimes called "being born again" (Using language from John 3:3-8)

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#16 Parenting

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:57:57 +0000

Yes, we already covered homeschooling but Calvinist take it a step further. Whether their kids are homeschooled, go to public school, or are pre-school, one thing most Calvinist do is parent.

Those children slapping their parents and still learning how to use a broom at 14 could use a dose of this trait. Parenting is not for the weary, but neither is almost anything in life. So, why do Calvinist tend to lean towards parenting more often than letting their kids grow up in the back yard with the family pet? It could probably be attributed to several things but one of the main ones is that it is commanded. Yep, there is actually a command to parent. You are actually called to love your child AND train and discipline them.

It may seem odd but most Calvinist best friends are older than 18. Makeing friends with kids is fine but Calvinist tend to lean towards children looking up to adults and adults instructing and loving the children. A big proponent in these circles for parenting has to be Paul Tripp. He has several books on the subject so if this is the first time you have ever heard of parenting please check him out.

#8 Homeschooling

Comments

admin — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 19:02:23 +0000

Comments have been temporarily disabled due to spamming. I am working on a solution.

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#15 Heidelberg Catechism

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 23:35:00 +0000

The Heidelberg Catechism is a teaching tool that much of Reformed Theology relies upon when attempting to clarify its theology. Think of a Catechism as a FAQ for teaching doctrine.

http://reformedarsenal.tumblr.com
St Paul, Minnesota

#14 The Westminster Confession of Faith

admin — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 00:19:54 +0000

The WCF or Westminster Standards is an unofficial subordinate doctrinal standard that underpines much of Presbyterianism, Reformed Theology as a whole, and is still officially a subordinate standard for the Church of Scotland.

http://reformedarsenal.tumblr.com
St Paul, MN

#13 T.U.L.I.P.

admin — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:32:11 +0000

This easy acronym helps Calvinists to remember the primary tenants of Calvinist Theology. Each letter stands for a significant teaching of Calvin or his immediate followers. Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. Often you'll hear someone say "I'm a 5 point Calvinist," meaning that they ascent to all 5 points of the TULIP acronym. You also commonly find 4 point Calvinists who object to Limited Atonement (the idea that Christ only died for the elect).

Tony Arsenal
http://reformedarsenal.tumblr.com

St Paul, Minnesota

SCL additions:

The historical information below should be taken into account for those who are not familiar with the five points or T.U.L.I.P. in general. It should be clear that Calvin himself never used T.U.L.I.P. or the five points as they were not formed before his death.

Historical Information
(From BBC's Article, "What We Believe About the Five Points of Calvinism")

John Calvin, the famous theologian and pastor of Geneva, died in 1564. Along with Martin Luther in Germany, he was the most influential force of the Protestant Reformation. His Commentaries and Institutes of the Christian Religion are still exerting tremendous influence on the Christian Church worldwide.

The churches which have inherited the teachings of Calvin are usually called Reformed as opposed to the Lutheran or Episcopalian branches of the Reformation. While not all Baptist churches hold to a reformed theology, there is a significant Baptist tradition which grew out of and still cherishes the central doctrines inherited from the reformed branch of the Reformation.

The controversy between Arminianism and Calvinism arose in Holland in the early 1600's. The founder of the Arminian party was Jacob Arminius (1560-1609). He studied under the strict Calvinist Theodore Beza at Geneva and became a professor of theology at the University of Leyden in 1603.

Gradually Arminius came to reject certain Calvinist teachings. The controversy spread all over Holland, where the Reformed Church was the overwhelming majority. The Arminians drew up their creed in Five Articles (written by Uytenbogaert), and laid them before the state authorities of Holland in 1610 under the name Remonstrance, signed by forty-six ministers. (These Five Articles can be read in Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, vol. 3, pp. 545-547.)

The Calvinists responded with a Counter-Remonstrance. But the official Calvinistic response came from the Synod of Dort which was held to consider the Five Articles from November 13, 1618 to May 9, 1619. There were eighty-four members and eighteen secular commissioners. The Synod wrote what has come to be known as the Canons of Dort. These are still part of the church confession of the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church. They state the Five Points of Calvinism in response to the Five Articles of the Arminian Remonstrants. (See Schaff, vol. 3, pp. 581-596).

So the so-called Five Points were not chosen by the Calvinists as a summary of their teaching. They emerged as a response to the Arminians who chose these five points to oppose.

It is more important to give a positive Biblical position on the five points than to know the exact form of the original controversy. These five points are still at the heart of Biblical theology. They are not unimportant. Where we stand on these things deeply affects our view of God, man, salvation, the atonement, regeneration, assurance, worship, and missions.

Somewhere along the way the five points came to be summarized under the acronym TULIP.

T-Total depravity.
U-Unconditional election
L-Limited atonement
I-Irresistible grace
P-Perseverance of the saint

We have found, however, that people grasp these points more easily if we follow a presentation based on the order in which we experience them.

We experience first our depravity and need of salvation.

Then we experience the irresistible grace of God leading us toward faith.

Then we trust the sufficiency of the atoning death of Christ for our sins.

Then we discover that behind the work of God to atone for our sins and bring us to faith was the unconditional election of God.

And finally we rest in his electing grace to give us the strength and will to persevere to the end in faith.This is the order we will follow in our presentation.

We would like to spell out what we believe the Scripture teaches on these five points. Our great desire is to honor God by understanding and believing his truth revealed in Scripture. We are open to changing any of our ideas which can be shown to contradict the truth of Scripture. We do not have any vested interest in John Calvin himself, and we find some of what he taught to be wrong. But in general we are willing to let ourselves be called Calvinists on the five points, because we find the Calvinist position to be Biblical.

We share the sentiments of Jonathan Edwards who said in the Preface to his great book on THE FREEDOM OF THE WILL, "I should not take it at all amiss, to be called a Calvinist, for distinction's sake: though I utterly disclaim a dependence on Calvin, or believing the doctrines which I hold, because he believed and taught them; and cannot justly be charged with believing in every thing just as he taught."

The best book I have found that easily and fully explains T.U.L.I.P. "Tulip: The Five Points of Calvinism in the Light of Scripture" by Duane Spencer.

Click here to buy it now from Amazon.com (Usually less than $10)

It is only 96 pages and I have given away/loaned out several copies of this book to others interested in the subject. It is written by a former Arminian as he searched the scriptures to see if he could see these things in the Bible. It is simple, short and to the point.

Additional Resources:

TULIP - The Pursuit of God’s Glory in Salvation ~ A Seminar for The Bethlehem Institute (PDF)
Five Points of Calvinism ~ Helpful Chart from 10th Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Summary of the Sovereignty of God in Salvation ~ John Piper - The "Five Points" of Calvinism

Please submit your comments on this subject, other resources and books, and your stories related to TULIP.

#12 Pilgrim’s Progress

admin — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 03:05:51 +0000

Next to the Bible, the book I value most is John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress. --Charles Spurgeon

Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of a Christian's journey (here represented by a character called 'Christian') from the "City of Destruction" to the "Celestial City". Along the way he visits such locations as the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, the Doubting Castle, and the Valley of the Shadow of Death.

Bunyan, the author, had very little formal education and a humble background. Nonetheless Pilgrim's Progress is considered one of the masterpieces of English literature, and is required reading for Christians who are on the spritual path in a world of temptations.*

Pilgrim's Progress is a right of passage for Calvinist. If you are going to try to make it on to Owen, Luther and others you should master Bunyan first. It is not argued that he loves the lord any less than these men but he leaves behind the technical nature of their writings and gives us a story easy enough to call a children's book but so well crafted it can be studied for years by adults. The original language can be cumbersome to us now and yet amazingly poetic.

It may not be uncommon to see it in original form, modern English and potentially even the children's concise version on a Calvinist shelf. It makes a great stocking stuffer of birthday gift and is less forward than Ryken and Boice's, The Doctrines of Grace.

This book is also a Sunday school teacher's dream. It can be studied for the many aspects of the Christian walk it portrays or simply acted out. A good Calvinist drama production of The Pilgrim's Progress is bound to entertain... and educate.

Here is a map of Christian's Journey

Read or listen to the entire book online here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bunyan/pilgrim.html

*Source: http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/bunyan/index.htm

#16 Parenting

#11 Al Mohler

admin — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 02:30:48 +0000

Albert Mohler is a modern reformer in many ways and is quite popular in Calvinist circles. His ability to say exactly what he thinks in the face of adversity and his regular speaking have made him a household name. His story leading up to, becoming, and his service as the president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky has almost a sense of folklore to it. He has a regular blog and radio program and it is always easy to find new material that he has created.

Southern, the seminary he presides over is seen by many as a leader in the reformed church movement with it's graduates taking a leading role in reforming our churches. Al has been a big inspiration to these people and towards the direction of the seminary as a whole.

He is also buddies with many other modern reformers and has spoken many times with his peers at conferences. He is also one of the few go to Reformed pastors for TV and other media interviews. He also has his own bobble head.

The stories of his library also tug at the heartstrings of Calvinist who think they to might have a proper library one day.

http://www.albertmohler.com/

Here is a video tour of Al's study...

Al Mohler - Study Tour from Together for the Gospel (T4G) on Vimeo.

Just a reminder. Please feel free to comment on any post you feel you could add to in either addition, correction, or simply comedic banter. Thanks for reading!

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#10 Latin

admin — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:35:34 +0000

Even John Calvin himself published his greatest work, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, in Latin five years before publishing it in his native French. Calvinist ideas are much older than graphic design and thus were unable to be recognized as easily as, for instance , recycling is recognized by the triangle of arrows. What were Calvinist to do? Latin was the most universal language at the time of the reformation and for some years after. The Five Solas are five Latin phrases that emerged during the Protestant Reformation and summarize the Reformers' basic theological beliefs in contradistinction to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church of the day.

If you name you blog using a Latin title you also may receive Calvinist bonus points.

Though Latin has ceased to be a spoken language, it is now used to represent ideas that are bigger than even the words themselves. Something that can be hard to do using common languages. This does not mean that Calvinist deem Latin of some particular importance above the words but they can convey common ideas such as "by scripture alone" in a way that is singularly focused in meaning by using the Latin, "Sola scriptura."

#13 T.U.L.I.P.