New Calvinist Calvin Wannabes and How Their Polity Is Modeled After Geneva: Part 2
My association with John Immel has been a real eye opener. For someone who has been of the Reformed mindset for more than twenty years and served as a Reformed pastor, discussions about who owns man, the very discussion in the arena of ideas itself, feels like being at a strip club. For the Reformed mind, this is an outrageous concept, the idea that man is a free agent, or in other words, owns himself.
Immel, for the most part, has pointed me in the right direction, and what I have discovered by my own study has brought about a significant transformation of thinking. New Calvinism is old Calvinism to a “T.” Hear me and hear me well: New Calvinists will do what the old Calvinists did; i.e., study the history of Calvin’s Geneva theocracy.
What we are seeing today in the churches, this spiritual abuse tsunami, is a direct result from the resurgence of authentic Calvinism in our day. The present abuses are all about the control Reformed elders think they should have via the Reformed tradition. The present control abuses are merely cheap substitutes for the implementation of government to enforce church doctrine enjoyed by the Reformers in medieval times. How does that play out today? What has taken the place of the burning stake, the dungeon, the guillotine, and the gallows?
1. Brain washing. Communication techniques employed by New Calvinist elders are vast, and most certainly, a book could be written on that topic alone. Some blogs like Under Much Grace explore some of these techniques in significant details.
2. Accountability structures. This has become very easy to detect in New Calvinist churches if you are looking for it. When you visit initially, you will be befriended by a member and probably taken out to lunch and immediately invited to several functions. The purpose is to ascertain your ability to think for yourself and ability to discern doctrine. Such are a threat to the control structure. If you are foolish enough to join after attending a “church membership class” and signing a covenant which you probably didn’t read, you will be assigned an elder which also oversees the small group that you are ASSIGNED to. As in Calvin’s Geneva, periodic home visits/inspections by elders to determine the “spiritual wellbeing” of the family are becoming more prevalent in New Calvinist churches.
3. Per New Calvinists protocol, there will be a refusal to discuss/debate doctrine in the arena of truth/ideas. New Calvinist elders see their authority as absolute and a binding on earth as it is in heaven.
4. New Calvinist elders teach that God will in fact condemn a person to eternal separation based on their declaration. In other words, they hold your very eternal security in their hands.
5. Where church discipline fits into all of this is rather self-explanatory. Reformed elders believe that they have the authority to bring any individual under church discipline for any reason, and at any time.
6. Read the fine print on membership covenants: you can be brought up on church discipline for leaving a church for “unbiblical reasons.” One of these unbiblical reasons is departure for doctrinal disagreements. Just ask the former co-founder of SGM. My wife Susan was also told by a pastor that she couldn’t leave the church where she was a member.
7. Church discipline doesn’t end with “if he SAYS ‘I repent,’” but rather a decision by fruit inspecting elders.
8. Fact: this ministry counsels people from time to time on how to leave New Calvinist churches without stress/conflict/tension. In extreme cases, people are counseled to temporarily take a job well beyond a feasible driving distance from said church. Moving to accept employment elsewhere is hard to argue with. At least two families that I know of have done so and not left forwarding addresses, emails, or phone numbers. You smile, hug, kiss, wave, enjoy the cake at your farewell party put on by the elders for appearance sake, and then disappear. Keep in mind that New Calvinist elders believe they can condemn you to hell via church discipline even if you are no longer a member; ie, if you contact present members after you leave.
I was asked for advice by one couple who were leaving a New Calvinist church for two reasons: mission work for an upstart church, and doctrine. I pleaded with them to only mention the former, and they heeded my advice. When they only stated the one reason to the elders, one elder remarked, “We would never prevent you from leaving for that reason.” Even with that, the elders told the congregation that the couple was leaving to start a new ministry that was an extension of their church. They also had the audacity to do this before the couple even left. In fact, their farewell party was a supposed celebration regarding the new upstart ministry supposedly started by them. I counseled them to just keep their mouth shut and play along. This is the extremes that people have to go through in order to leave these churches in peace.
paul
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
“For the Reformed mind, this is an outrageous concept, the idea that man is a free agent, or in other words, owns himself.”
I cracked up when I read this because I had the same reaction. But I have been doing some serious study on creation and the OT,etc, and I am coming to the conclusion that if we took “owning ourselves” more seriously things would actually be better. As in God created us to be free beings and as free beings we would commune with Him. The Fall changed that BUT teh Resurrection made it possible again NOW.
Now, I read a comment from a Calvinist on a blog the other day where he was stating the enlightenment lead to horrors like the French Revolution because of man man thinking he was free. Yes! Horrors! We all know the French king was appointed by God, right? Could it be both were wrong?
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Lin, There has never been a nation ever like the United States, and it was a product of the enlightenment. The founding fathers of the US led extraordinary lives as eleven-year-old ambassadors, eight-year-old soldiers, and 14-year-old graduates of Ivy League schools. Primarily, The founders sought to protect the common people from church enforcement of religion with the force of the state and government armies. Hence, that was their primary concern for the separation of church and state. This is why many liberals fear the religious right’s involvement in government, and Christian political parties in general. Colonial Calvinism was drowned in the mentality of the American Revolution and the mindset of our founding fathers.
paul
> —–Original Message—– >
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Pay, Under Much Grace is a great blog. I have learned quite a deal. She has highly recommended a great book call The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse, which a must read for all – especially those who are in the midst of this abuse or coming out of it.
Great post!
.
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Sorry I meant to say Paul ..
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Paul,
This is an excellent post.
My thinking,too, has been radically changed thanks in large part to John Immel’s writing. He is a more important man with a more important message than I think even he realizes.
I have said this to him before: because of what I have learned from him, I am a much free-er Christian; and that means that I am a much better, more content Christian.
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Argo, Not only that, his apt prism has enabled me to follow the money.So,2+2=4;ie, the New Calvinists must be trying in some way to get in bed with the government because that is what their daddy believed and he believed it because their grandaddy Auggie taught it to their daddy. Yep, I don’t have time to develop all of it, but there are people who have been developing this info for years. I am working on a couple of them for next years conference. At this point, I am not going to name names, but all I have to say is if we can get them, and get John back for another year as well, it should make for an extremely interesting conference.
> —–Original Message—– >
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Paul, I got to thinking about this issue about America and the Enlightenment. ONe reason is I am stunned at some of the comments on blogs from Calvinists about how evil the enlightenment was. (Elevated man over God) As if having freedom was the worst thing to happen to man. Gues that is for the few who can rule.
But anyway, I was thinking of their idols, the Puritans and how much they laud them. Anyone notice how the PUritans died out? Why? Because Calvinism in freer environments either dies out or goes liberal. Think about it, their idols, Puritans, Calvin, etc, were tyrants. Teh Puritans wiped out Native Americans and burned witches.
I was reading an exchange on a blog tonight where a Calvinist made the statement that Servetus deserved it. Why? He broke the law and sound men found him guilty. I kid you not. I am seeing so much bizarre anti free thinking around me from both liberals and conservatives it is freaking me out.
I also appreciate John immensely. CAvlinism and even fundy relgions do not want man to think he is responsible for his actions but responsible to obey man.
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Lin,
Absolutely. Here is where Immel has pointed me: doctrinal arguments fall on deaf ears when
the underlying assumption is a Platonistic worldview. Christianity is better off when
society is more influenced by the Nihilism that dominated pre-Socrates than the idea that
truth can only be known by the spiritually enlightened. The argument that truth can be
known is a great opener for the gospel, but if you are talking to people who think truth
can be known–just not by them in particular, that’s a problem, especially when the
enightened ones are telling them that you are full of it.
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Lin you are absolutely right.
As much as the Calvinists would hate to hear this connected to their movement it is true – they have idols and are idolizing Calvinism. All that comprises Calvinism: from Augustine, Calvin, A.W. Pink to Piper consists of the making of idols- the idol of man made doctrine to fit their “idea” of who God is and His dealings with mankind.
We have the Word of God given to us; we have the Holy Spirit to illuminate us in ALL TRUTH through His Word. Thank God for the Enlightenment for men were free from the shackles of religion to think on their own; and yes many chose to not accept this gift of salvation in Christ Jesus, but men were free to choose.
One just has to read about the history of Catholicism to know that Christianity was being forced down peoples throats- when the barbarians would not accept it because they were too attached to their idols the Catholic church adapted and included their idols into the church and this is where the veneration of the saints, such as Mary and others have come from. The church always lose when they force their own form of “doctrine” upon the people. They also lose the ability to have a close and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
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I would also say fear and insecurity in your standing with God plays a big part in religion. When men are not secure in their relationship with God they will either fall to enforcing others to conform to their fear or they will follow those who enforce. You have enforcers and followers- always.
This is what was so unique about this country- the founding fathers were from all different stripes and yet were able to come up with a Constitution that celebrated the rights of individuals to choose- unheard of! Unfortunately now we have a huge amount of people who are fearful and insecure who either want to enforce or follow a man made system or religion and these religions are ANYTHING that places man above God and His Word: from Calvinism, Catholicism, to Communism.
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I don’t know if you guys are reading any of the threads over at SBCToday but a huge discussion on Calvinism vs Traditional biblical thinking is going on and it is such an eye opener about Calvinism. The threads go back to late may when a statement was released from some “Traditional” or non Calvinist baptists. The calvinists are going nuts calling them heretics, etc. But as the Trads are holding their ground and not backing down from the insults it is gettinf very interesting as it wears on. The only real arguement the Calvinists are left with is that they don’t believe God or they don’t think God is Sovereign and things like that. More folks should take them on and rrefuse to back down. One reason this is happening is because scholars who are not using the Augustine/Calvin lens to interpret are really taking them on in a nice way. And all the Calvinst have are proof texts using their paradigm which really boils down to Romans when you get right down to it.
Here is one thread
http://sbctoday.com/2012/07/05/i-never-ate-the-applea-defense-of-inherited-sinful-nature-without-inherited-guilt/
The first one back in may has over 600 comments and boy are the Calvinistas mad.
The Calvinists are demanding that “inherited guilt” is part of original sin. We are guilty for Adam eating the apple, too. Instead of us just being guilty for our own sin. So as you can imagine the thing about babies who die is big here. ‘
But it is an interesting look at how Calvinists deal with people who won’t back down from their insults and demands.
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Reblogged this on Clearcreek Chapel Watch .
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