New Calvinist Hoplessness
When the doctor comes to us and says, “I’m sorry, there is nothing we can do,” that is interpreted as hopelessness with a capital “H.” But somehow, among Christians, the idea that we can’t do anything supposedly gives hope. No wonder that the world will not come to us for answers to life’s deepest problems. Somehow, we think the world will believe that God can save a soul when He can’t even teach His children to save a marriage. In fact, the church is indifferent to solutions because after all, “God has preordained it.” No wonder churches are dying. True, there are confused ones that believe God hasn’t preordained hopelessness, but still say there is nothing we can do. That is where New Calvinists offer a more doctrinally sound hopelessness.
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
The amazing thing is that even secularists can offer more hope for solving the problems of living than these New Calvinists can. I was just reading a blog called “the cleanslate” (or something like that) and it is devoted to helping people with serious drug/alchohol problems while simultaneously exposing the lies of AA (i.e. addiction is a disease, people are powerless over it, one an alcoholic always an alcoholic, eternal sobriety is the only answer, etc.). Such lies actually FUEL people’s “addictions” (which the author of the blog simply calls harmful “life choices”). He has helped countless people overcome addiction without the aid of any of psychological treatment, AA meetings, or anything other than their own choices. Really, it seems to boil down to: 1) convince them that they are not powerless over their situation. 2) convince them that there is a far more rewarding life to be lived when not abusing drugs or alcohol. 3) encourage them to focus on long term goals and delayed gratification, rather than the immediate gratification of getting high/drunk. 4) get to work at achieving them.
Now, the guy who runs the blog is an atheist (or maybe agnostic?) and he does not encourage people to change for God-honoring reasons. But if I had a serious problem with drugs or booze, I’d go to him for council before any new calvinist! Even unbelievers see that people are not, after all, wholly powerless!
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