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Christianity, Worship, Theology, Sanctification, reformed, charismatic, new calvinism, grunge, hippies
[The movement known as New Calvinism is dangerous on many levels, and I dare say they all cannot be covered adequately in a single post. However, if you shine the light on a snake’s head, it’s best to assume it’s attached to a body very much alive.
Some comments left here on 5ptsalt are worthy posts in themselves. Here’s one of them by ‘William” who shines a light for us…. ]
Satan has just now updated himself, and put on the cloak of the Puritans and “reformed” for this generation.
“My firm belief is that New Calvinism is like the New Christianity of the rebellious 1960s, an external, popular but worldly Christianity, false Christianity, loose Christianity…Satan has just now updated himself, and put on the cloak of the Puritans and “reformed” for this generation, which began to look to history for better churches and beliefs (which is needed). It’s almost as if Satan launched a counter-reformation, from within the church (by men who “crept in unawares”), as others were seeking to restore Calvinistic doctrine and practice.
Satan is inoculating sound doctrine with neo-Calvinism (tainted doctrine and practice, suitable to worldliness; thus it hates sanctification and the law which condemns sin)
But what we are seeing is really just a repeat of what happened in the 60′s, but tailored for and against historic doctrine. It’s just another Blue-jeans Christianity, without the bell bottoms. They use “grunge” instead. This is exactly like the Hippy Christianity of the 1960s and why true Calvinistic doctrine, with genuine conversion, real sanctification to holiness, consistent with God’s law (for the gospel vindicates the law), cannot be tolerated, and must be amended (as New Calvinism does)! It is marked by claiming to be “reformed” but practicing “will-worship” (even Paul Washer has endorsed “Christian rap”.
It was in the 60s that youth groups and rock music entered the formerly conservative churches). Those of us older than 50 can more readily recognize it from experience (the similarity is striking to our younger years), and why we mock it, as much as the reviving of the world “cool” (such an old fashioned word, from the stupidest era in American history). Truly, there is “nothing new under the sun”. But this is deadly serious, not a laughing matter, because it effects souls. It’s turning the “grace of God into lasciviousness”…while ‘the doctrines of grace’ are mentioned much, superficially.
If Christianity is “cool” it’s unchristian, because the world will never love real Christianity, but hate it, as Jesus said
Satan is inoculating sound doctrine with neo-Calvinism (tainted doctrine and practice, suitable to worldliness; thus it hates sanctification and the law which condemns sin) as a Broadway Christianity to impugn the Narrow by its majority power (which will make it politically-correct eventually). If Christianity is “cool” it’s unchristian, because the world will never love real Christianity, but hate it, as Jesus said (“the world hates you, because it hated me”). Now if you were an enemy, wouldn’t that be just the perfect way to deceive “even the elect, if possible”? Anti-Christ is said in the Bible to do just that, almost deceive “even the elect”.
It talks “reformed-speak”, but shows little change in reality, and never enters in the Narrow Gate.
The New Antichristian church will not be Catholic, it will be Ecumenical and “reformed” in name and word (unregulated in worship, just like Rome and the 60s), and Popular, but like the Man of Sin (spiritual, political leader), “Lawless” (antinomian–New Covenant Theology), maybe even with “signs and wonders” (charismatic alliance) to “deceive many”. It’s really the perfect deception to fool the most “conservative”, who are like Talkative in Pilgrim’s Progress. It talks “reformed-speak”, but shows little change in reality, and never enters in the Narrow Gate.
That is why New Calvinism is so dangerous and pernicious, and its elements are not just exclusive to the celebrity pastors being named either. The same elements can be found in most reformed churches in practice, while they even hold the orthodox Calvinistic doctrines more soundly.”
- “William”
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When I read this article, 2 Timothy 3:1-7 came to mind.
This is simply way over the mark to my mind, indeed Reformational and Reformed Theology has always been a “Theology” subject itself to the Holy Scripture! And too, the Reformational inference of the so-called, “Semper Reformada” (always reforming). And of course this is always done in “spirit & truth”! I am myself not a ‘New Calvinist’, but a classic Anglican priest/presbyter, who is also Reformed, as is the classic essence of the Anglican Communion, both “catholic” & “reformed”, the Church of the via-media.
I would recommend some of the new works today on the Union with Christ, both J. Todd Billings work therein, as also Robert Letham. And Julie Canlis’s book: Calvin’s Ladder, A Spiritual Theology Of Ascent And Ascension. Let’s not give Satan too much credit here!
Note, And am well over 50 myself, and have been around! I was theologically educated in England, and hold both the D. Phil. and Th.D. But I am certainly a conservative biblically and even politically.
Btw, this is a friendly approach and statement, I am myself always an Augustinian, and close to the top-tier Reformers, Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, etc. I would also recommend reading Blaise Pascal, for the pastor-teacher, perhaps first his grand: The Provincial Letters, then of course his “Pensees”. No need to moderate, just being friendly mate! Yeah I am an Irish Brit, who is right now in the US.
Fr. Robert,
Semper Reformada? In what way? Please be specific. How does SR relate to the “faith once delivered to the saints”?
Also, what are the historical roots of the SR claim. Who first coined the phrase, and where can i find the citation?
Paul: The first to use this phrase or idea was Luther: ‘Ecclesia semper reformada est.’ But perhaps the first to use this in the Reformed Church in a fuller ecclesiastical way, was Jodocus van Lodenstein, a man from the Dutch Reformed pietism, a movement known btw, as the Dutch Second Reformation.
http://wscal.edu/resource-center/resource/semper-reformada Here is a link and piece from the WS Calif.
Neo Calvinism is simply a faux “intellectual” movement within Christianity that results in exactly the same thing the seekers gave us in the 80′s.
There is nothing “false” with a Abraham Kuyper, Herman Bavnick, Cornelius Plantinga, etc. And perhaps we could put John Frame here also. And in reality people like Piper, Mohler, Discoll are the real Neo-Puritans today.
Oh yes, Richard Mouw is Neo-Calvinist also, certainly.
I was born in 1955. All I have to do is look at the picture and I know what is wrong with ‘New Calvinism’. It is tailored to reach out to the grungy, spaced out, dropped out, goofballs I grew up with and their kids – the acorns not falling far from the trees.
Truly a picture is worth a thousand words.
(Now call me a judgmental bigot)
