Five Points

I would guess most of my friends think I've gone off the deep end by now. I listen to Christian radio. I attend an Evangelical church. I'm becoming involved in church work. I support para-church ministries. Yeah, I know, it does sound petty that people would question my theology based on those things, but such is life in this Calvinist no-man's zone. So let's go over the five points and see how I measure up, compared to what is taught around here, or rather inferred coz you'll never get them to commit themselves.

Total Depravity--Well, if I didn't believe this before, I sure as heck do now. The depraved way in which church & seminary leadership treat people makes it obvious that the heart of man is deceitful above all else, and desperately wicked. As opposed to what is inferred by many which is basically, Evangelicals are depraved but we have the corner on truth.

Unconditional Election--Yep. (and repeat what I said at the beginning of the last point) I have come to rely on this as I've struggled over leaving "The Church." The struggle comes from the inference made often in the Calvinist churches around here that to be outside one of their churches is to be unsaved. The biggest condition they place on election however is that you must have your theology perfect, which means in accordance with their theology. Anything less is Christ-less.

Limited Atonement--As with 'U' I would say that the churches here believe the atonement is extremely limited...to only those who agree with them.

Irresistible Grace--Similar to 'U' for me. But the Calvinistic churches around here use this as an excuse to offend anyone. Then, when the person leaves their church they say, "See, he wasn't saved. Otherwise he would have stayed in a "true" church."

Perseverance of the Saints--For all intents and purposes, what happened to my family in the last two Calvinistic churches we attended is the stuff the stories of ex-church goers are made of. You hear them all the time. "Yeah, I went to church, but I learned quick that Christians are just a bunch of self-righteous hypocrites." But here we are. Hoping and praying that the church we are at now will be "the one." The one that isn't judgmental. The one that isn't cruel and crass. The one that will help us. The one that will care enough to help our children. We know that ultimately our salvation has nothing to do with the church. It has nothing to do with other Christians. And we can see that the church and other Christians sometimes have nothing to do with Christ. But around here, unless you stay with a true church you were never saved to begin with. 

In reference to staying with a true church, I once heard a pastor of a Calvinist church say that you should stay regardless of the behavior of those in the church. That you, as a Christian, are bound to the church and there should be nothing, not even abuse apparently (and I learned later that this pastor was rather abusive), that should make you leave it.