Which Type of Calvinist are You?
The "Hyper-Calvinist"
The "Horny-Calvinist"
The "Harassing-Calvinist"
posted by T.B. Vick | 11:05 PM
About Me
- Name: T.B. Vick
- Location: Texas, United States
This site is devoted to theological and philosophical investigations of the spiritual meanings of life, current events, music, spiritual growth, nature, and learning to be attuned to listening to the 'language of God.' The name of this blog comes from one of Jonathan Edwards's journals which he called 'Shadows of Divine Things,' and later renamed 'Images of Divine Things.' As a Christian I am continously on a spiritual journey to grow more into the image of Christ, to understand what it means to be crucified with Christ. To seek the truths of the Christian Faith is of upmost importance, and to know that any truths that are found outside of Christianity are present there because they ultimately point to God. I have an M.A. in theology and apologetics and I completed one year of graduate studies in Philosophy at Marquette University.
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- Wright on the Pelagian Heresy
- Kant: The One Possible Basis (Part 3 & Conclusion)
- "Don’t Waste Your Cancer" by John Piper
- A Bit of My Background (Conclusion)
- Kant: The One Possible Basis (Part 3)
- When it Rains It Pours
- General Wisdom - E.J. Carnell
- Kant and the ‘One Possible Way’ (Part 2)
- Wow! I'm Famous!
- A Protestant View of Tradition (Introduction)
- Quod Ubique, Quod Semper, Quod ad Omnibus: A Protestant View of Tradition, Part One
- Probatur ex Scriptura aut Probatur ex Traditione: A Protestant View of Tradition, Part Two
- A Protestant View of Tradition, Part Three: Conclusion (Some Final Thoughts)
- Johannes Calvinus (A Brief Bio)
- John Calvin's Calvinism
- N.T. Wright on Justification in Paul's Letter to the Galatians (Introduction)
- N.T. Wright on Justification in Paul's Letter to the Galatians (Part 1)
- N.T. Wright on Justification in Paul's Letter to the Galatians (Part 2)
- N.T. Wright on Justification in Paul's Letter to the Galatians (Part 3)
- N.T. Wright on Justification in Paul's Letter to the Galatians (After Thoughts)
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Monday, February 20, 2006
9 Comments:
I think I've actually met a few of those six-pointers! ;-)
Me too! Scary, huh? 8-)
The most offensive calvinists are the recent converts. A Russian Orthodox friend of mine complained to me about a young man who had recently converted to calvinism and was making a big noise among his Orthodox friends. I said that this new calvinist could only see the problems with Orthodoxy, give him some time and he will discover the problems with calvinism.
When I converted to calvinism from theistic humanism I almost immediately encountered major problems and these problems have remained unresolved for three decades.
When I glance over a page or two of John Piper I get cold chills. However, I still think Calvin himself had a good grasp of the NT though he was a product of his historical setting like all of us.
Clay
Clay,
You bring up an interesting point, "When I converted to calvinism from theistic humanism I almost immediately encountered major problems and these problems have remained unresolved for three decades."
I too have had certain difficulties with [contemporary] Calvinism, if you do not mind me asking, what are some of the problems you have encountered?
So many different types to choose from...ooops a hole in my argument already.
T.B. asked:
"... what are some of the problems you have encountered?"
Well, the real show stopper was the problem of evil. But it is unfair to pin this one on Calvin, since the teachings of Luther and Jacobus Arminius also raise the same problem. Your doctrine of God has to be outright heretical (e.g. "open theism") before you can circumvent the problem of evil.
My first reader for my thesis was only a year older than me and he was writing his dissertation on the problem of evil for a Ph.D. in Philosophy at U of Chicago at the time I knew him. Ten years later I read his book and was unmoved. In a similar manner A.Plantinga's treatment of the topic left me out in the cold. I read all of Jonathan Edwards major works as well as many minor ones. His "Freedom of the Will" is a masterpiece but I cannot even remember how or even if he treated the problem of evil. (Its been 30 years!).
If you read C.S. Lewis' "The problem of Pain" you must also read "A Grief Observed."
The problem of evil isn't just an academic puzzle to be solved by clever folks with lucid logical minds. The question is raised by authors such as Virginia Woolf (To the Lighthouse), E.Hemingway (The Sun Also Rises), T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, ...
Even before WWI, J.Conrad in Heart of Darkness raises the question.
Thirty-five years ago a brilliant colleague of mine raised the question "Is God good?" and for her it was not an academic question. I think an observation of the cosmos will lead one to the conclusion that there is a creator. I would agree with those who think that theism is "basic", and in that sense presuppositionalism is valid. However, there is a long distance between theism and the the notion of a "Loving God".
Clay
I moved Mike's comments here since they were placed in the Moltmann comment are but pertain to these cartoons.
Mike Spreng said...
That's funny. You probably knew that you would be harassed to give up the source of these cartoons.
10:38 PM, February 21, 2006
__________________________
Mike, the first one I cannot remember where I found it, I have had it for many months now. The second one I actually found at Tulp Girl's blog (www.tulipgirl.blogspot.com) I think that is her url.
The last one I just did a search on google and landed on it - I put in "Calvinism Cartoons."
Is that the 6th point? I thought it was double-predestination. Burning heretics is actually point 8.
Hi T.B.,
Seeing my cartoon posted on your site is the reason I started my own! Thanks brother! Check it out when you get the opportunity...
http://calvinisticcartoons.blogspot.com/
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