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Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The mirror behind the mirror


Again, I want to be careful not to bind Reformed theology – and still less all those who accept it as truth – to the personal flaws of Willie Fisher. But I do have to ask: considering their insistence that total depravity of the will, monergism, and unconditional election actually highlight our need for humility, why is it that the popular stereotype of those who are the most committed to Reformed theology as being insufferably arrogant seems to find so many matches in the real world?


I quote this because it typifies a malicious meme that’s frequent in the blogosphere. Have you ever noticed how often non-Calvinists stereotype Calvinists the same way non-Christians stereotype Christians? The parallel is startling. If non-Calvinists routinely depict Calvinists as mean, arrogant, and intolerant, non-Christians (or the religious left) routinely depict evangelicals, “fundamentalists,” and Southern Baptists as mean, arrogant, and intolerant. While the non-Calvinist is wagging an angry, accusatorial finger at the Calvinist, an unbeliever is standing right behind the non-Calvinist, wagging at angry, accusatorial finger at all Christians.

Perhaps it would behoove the non-Calvinist to take his eyes off the Calvinist, turn around, and see how the rest of the world views him. 

1 comment:

  1. The non-Calvinist could say that's an ad hominem tu quoque fallacy, then resume wagging the finger.

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