Calvinism vs Reality: Determinism and Probability

Calvinists often pit themselves against reality and science. They cling to divine determinism and resist theological change. Why? As a young Presbyterian, I thought I knew what it meant to be a reformed Christian. I learned a bit about Calvin, but when I encountered hardcore TULIP Calvinists later in life, I was confused. How could this possibly be the same faith as mine? Was I going to reject Calvinism or change my mind? I discovered that being reformed and Calvinist aren't the same thing and that the church has always had a troubled history with his theology. In this podcast, I will take you on my journey to discover what Calvin really said, what parts of his theology stand, and what parts were hijacked and then given the "Calvinist" label. Pastors and teachers like RC Sproul, John Piper, and Tim Keller have worked hard to yank us back into hard Calvinism without the Reform. I found three books very helpful in this journey, listed below. I will also discuss what the terms meticulous sovereignty and divine determinism mean, alongside the usual suspects of predestination, elect, and reprobate.

References: 
Roger E. Olsen, "Against Calvinism"
Michael Scott Horton, "For Calvinism"
Gabriel Gordon, "The Fundamentals of a Recovering Fundamentalist" 

#Calvinist #Reformedtheology #predestination #rcsproul #johnpiper #timkeller #theology #edmonds #edmondspres #pcusa

Calvinism is controlling. And the stupendous arrogance of RC Sproul in the statement: “If there is one single molecule in this universe running around loose, totally free of God’s sovereignty, then we have no guarantee that a single promise of God will ever be fulfilled.”