Saturday, March 16, 2013

Feigning fraternal love and respect

Calvinist leader Justin Taylor has published on his blog a great post that really captures the attitude and approach of the Society of Evangelical Arminians (SEA) regarding Calvinists and Arminians receiving one another as brothers and sisters in Christ and treating one another with love and respect despite our sharp disagreements.


Let’s compare this sentiment with how SEA actually approaches Calvinists. Here’s another recent post at SEA:


A humble and hungry disciple is a wonderful thing in God’s kingdom…But these same qualities can also make them a target for demonic deception. Satan is a master manipulator, and as natural children are easy to manipulate in their innocence and ignorance, so are spiritual children. Zeal can make them hasty, and humility can make them naïve.

The Calvinist’s testimony, whether he knows it or not, has been used to accuse and manipulate his brother in Christ…With this sincere commitment his fate is sealed. The error of Calvinism has taken hold of his conscience, and it will not easily loosen its grip.

Calvinism comes to deceive and manipulate the sincere devotion of the spiritual children in God’s kingdom…Calvinism is like a manipulative elder brother influencing his little brother into a sinful action. The elder brother doesn’t have to say, “Steal that CD or I will hit you.” He has a more foolproof way of getting his little brother to do his dirty work. Instead of direct intimidation he uses simple psychology. He says, “You are too little to be here with us big boys. Go home!” To this the younger brother predictably replies, “I am big!” “Ok,” the elder brother continues, “then steal that CD to prove it. But I know you will not do it. You’re a chicken! You’re too small to do it!” It is not hard to guess what happens next. The little brother promptly steals the CD…This is the strategy of Calvinism’s irresistible error.

1 comment:

  1. Battling "superiority" by being superior. Very loving indeed.

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