“Reformed”

Recently, a very close friend of mine became a Calvinist. It was to be expected though, since he immersed himself with MacArthur and Piper and did absolutely no comparative research…none, nada, zilch. I challenged him to cite just 1 book that he read which cross examines Calvinist theology, and he had nothing to offer but excuses. He then had the nerve to tell me that he has now been “enlightened,” and now embraces the label: “Reformed.” It’s really disappointing and, unfortunately, it’s also how many Christians end up turning to Calvinism, and then have the audacity to say that they “used to be Arminians,” and “know what they teach” because they used to be one. The reality, however, is that they were never Arminians, but just ignorant on the subject entirely and then sucked up the dogmatic teachings of Calvinists like a Hoover vacuum cleaner. They were no match for the well-trained Calvinists and, having done virtually no comparative research, were easy pickings. (This is also how people end up becoming Jehovah’s Witnesses.)

At any rate, my complaint is with the label “Reformed.” When Calvinist Tommy Nelson of the Denton Bible College declared that the Reformation was a “reforming of Pauline thought as articulated by Augustine,” I was blown away by the revisionism that declares the entire Reformation as essentially a referendum on Calvinism. Nevertheless, what bothers me even more is how Calvinists (like my close friend) use the “Reformed” label as a way to “one up” other Christians. Attached is a PDF which explains my gripe about this type of one-upmanship: Link/attachment.