Comments on: Calvinism and mental health: have you been exposed?

By: Dr. James Willingham

Dr. James Willingham — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 02:44:52 +0000

We do need to laugh at ourselves. The folks that can appreciate the mental health area are the sovereign grace believers, if they get their theology right. After all, many of the categories of mental illness/behavioral/cognitive/affective/etc problems surely are symptoms of the real issue of depravity. Mistreatment of one another is also a symptom, and there are those who believe in sovereign grace who do seem bent on using billy clubs, etc. Some are just as sick as are some of other theological persuasions. Theology alone does not answer all questions. God is a great deep, the greatest in fact. The Bible has anticipated the pschotherapies and then some. I think it is the ultimate therapy, but not in the way many seem to use it, namely, as confrontational only. Granted it does involve confrontation in many cases, but it also involves other approaches. God in the Bible is like a great parent holding a traumatized child and loving on that child while the child strikes at Him. The manifestation of this will become more clear in the Third Great Awakening. God speed the day.

By: Ramon A.

Ramon A. — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 04:18:43 +0000

You are so right about Trinity Baptist Church – Montville, NJ headed by Al Martin. I was a member there for almost 20 years and am thankful that God delivered me out of that destructive place and from that destructive man. That evil man has single-handedly destroyed marriage after marriage. And why? All because one spouse dared to differ from Al Martin and his church policy. The standard procedure is this:

When one spouse starts to bring up issues about the “church” to the other spouse and starts to question the elder/pastor or church doctrine, the other spouse immediately reports back to the “leaders” about this issue (initially perhaps under the phony guise of “asking for prayer”). But really, that IS the first step of the crap hitting the fan. The “elders” are furious about this. Special instructions are given to the “obedient” and “faithful” spouse to report back immediately of any increased “disaffection”. Close monitoring is now implemented. Spies are sent out; any incoming mail must be screened by the “obedient” spouse. Talk of “separation” is now introduced to deal with and punish the offender.

But when this doesn’t work……when the “unsubmissive” and “unruly” spouse increases in their true understanding of the Scriptures and begins to grow even the more in seeing unbiblical authoritarianism for what it truly is, then, that’s the end. The “leaders” cannot and will not put up with this “leaven”. When all else fails, divorce is the only option. And all the while along the way, the other spouse, that “faithful”, “God-fearing recognizer of their duly-authorized leader”, was being primed and counseled as to the rightness and scripturalness of this “sad” decision, and is all-to-happy and eager to comply!

It truly is a sad day in which we live today.
Ramon

By: Bill Lollar

Bill Lollar — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:58:04 +0000

Nelson: Thanks for adding your confession to the growing list of former lunatics. One of my daughtersâ€”who grew up under my legalistic ministry as a teenagerâ€”commented to my wife online the other day, "Wow, Dad's really gone soft over the past couple of years!" I was thrilled at the compliment! Shows I am making progress, I think.

By: Nelson Thompson

Nelson Thompson — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:09:57 +0000

Thanks,
For someone who has been in the RB [Reformed Baptist] movement since 1981â€”and since had a break down in part because of itâ€”your comments are spot on. We are enjoying our new friends at Acts 29 and as a RB church (Liberal) we are working hard at worshipping privately and hence coporately so the overflow from the inside out will renew us thru new revelational from Scripture (on being missional) and repenting of self-centredness invidually and hence corporately as a Church. What a mouthful!

Yours from Down Under (Oztralia)
Nelson Thompson

By: The Thin Edge of the Wedge » Blog Archive » Is there life after Calvinism?

Sat, 19 May 2007 11:51:44 +0000

[...] I had found the Pearl of Great Price, or so I thought, until my church history professor warned me that Calvinism came with a health warning. Not physical health. Not mental health, although I have reconsidered this one in a previous blog article. He told me about the “glass ceiling” that had been “installed” by the power brokers within the SBCâ€”the deacon boards, the associational leaders, and othersâ€”to prevent Calvinists from taking over the denomination. He said, “If you continue to pursue this [referring to Reformed theology], you’ll never pastor a First Baptist Church in a county seat town. You will be misunderstood, perhaps even hated, for teaching these things from the pulpit.” He was right! I mean, the man spoke like a true prophet of God who could see the future of my ministry, but do you think that slowed me down one bit? Not on your life. If anything, it made me more determined to sell everything so that I could afford “my precious” pearl. [...]

By: Robert Fisher

Robert Fisher — Wed, 16 May 2007 20:31:08 +0000

Hey, are you implying Fred Phelps is a nutcase?!

By: Mike Cheek

Mike Cheek — Wed, 16 May 2007 17:08:55 +0000

As someone from the outside looking in on all this Calvinism stuff and still a bit shell shocked with it all, I am glad that there is someone out there who can have a bit of a sense of humor about things and about themselves. My own impression is that with certain blogs and certain organizations what we have are fight clubs or dueling clubs. A couple hundred years ago dueling was a real bad problem in many European countries, and somewhat in America as well. (Remember Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton’s famous duel.) Dueling has been outlawed, but that same spirit has re-expressed itself in some of these blogs and other “clubs”. Or so it seems to me. – Mike Cheek

By: Greg Alford

Greg Alford — Tue, 15 May 2007 16:56:56 +0000

Bill,

What are we ever going to do with you? I think your time across the â€œpondâ€ has been good for you

I put a link to this post on my Blog last nightâ€¦

Grace to all,

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 15 May 2007 15:31:10 +0000

Thanks to Scott (at Acts 29) for reminding me that Jesus is in charge of this looney bin; and for UberGoober’s willingness to stoop down with the rest of us for a rip-snorting laugh at our predicament; and iMonk for blowing my blog stats through the roof with his humble post at Boar’s Head. As for Lynn’s suggestion of sainthood, I have already received that honor, since being adopted into this crazy family. Special thanks to Father who gives us our sense of humor, as I wonder if a thunderous guffaw roared through heaven when I hit the “publish” button on this one.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Tue, 15 May 2007 15:19:27 +0000

Oh, you should be sainted…this was hysterical. In my discourses with Catholics I get, “You protestants have a gazillion denominations. What do you make of that?!”

Your post is the reply I’ve been groping for.