Comments on: Defining the "Cage Stage" of Calvinism http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/ Walking in the freedom and simplicity of God's love! Sat, 21 Jan 2012 10:31:35 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: The Problem of Evil (Yes, it IS a Problem) | eChurchWebsites Christian Blog covering the news, politics, media, law, religion, science, medical, education, internet, technology, Israel and more for the Church http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-662 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 13:41:57 +0000 http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-662 [...] these young men (who have recently discovered the doctrines of grace and are evidently still in the cage stage) have been writing me to dispute that point. “There is no ‘problem of [...]

]]> By: Til v. Eulenspiegelvoordt, DVD, CDRom http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-661 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 05:59:37 +0000 http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-661 “Assume everyone is chosen. If you happen to minister to someone who isn’t, I’m sure God will forgive you.”

… Unless, of course, you’re the illogical (but self-assured) ministering Calvinist who hasn’t been chosen.

]]> By: Robert A. Johnson http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-660 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:31:52 +0000 http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-660 Let’s face it “Calvinist” is a swear word.

Those who consider themselves free-willer’s, & know why, have only one point of theology, “God loves everyone”: therefore how could a loving God ever condemn anyone to hell or, to put it another way, “Jacob I loved & Esau I hated”, or “saved not by the will of man but the will of God”, or Eph 1, …, or “…”. They, as I once, make themselves more righteous than God Himself (Job 4:17 KJV) while claiming the theology of Luther, Calvin, …, Crisp, Owen, Bunyan, …, Gill, Toplady, Hervey, …, Spurgeon, …, Pink,…, makes God a “monster”,…,”capricious”: the latter characteristic stated by a preacher of the church I left but my wife still attends. And us (swear word) Calvinists “unloving” and rejoicing as we express “O goody!! they are being thrown into …”.

Free-willism is simply the result of a universal application of their premise “God loves everyone”, to literally everyone, to get “God of the hook” for some unpleasant Biblical doctrine – they simply will not believe the truth unless God Himself causes them, me once, to believe; until such a time they make God in their own image. The real swear word is “free-will”; well OK IMHO.

Post Script: I have been a NC since the very early ’70′s when I first read Bondage of the Will.

]]> By: The Thin Edge - Why I no longer celebrate Christmas :: Part 1 http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-659 Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:09:49 +0000 http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-659 [...] ago I began the nightmarish transition through the dreaded cage stage, moving from a dispassionate, atheological, Southern Baptist inerrantist to a tulip-loving, [...]

]]> By: Bill Lollar http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-658 Thu, 13 Dec 2007 09:31:06 +0000 http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-658 Sorry, Greg, but you’re one of the more serious cases I wrote about in my post. You must be nice for much longer than 24 hours to get out for the Christ-mass celebration. Just thinkin’of things like national security, since you do live quite close to a large military installation. ;)

]]> By: Greg Alford http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-657 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:35:58 +0000 http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-657 Pete,

“Assume everyone is chosen. If you happen to minister to someone who isn’t, I’m sure God will forgive you.” That is the best quote I have heard in a long time! Thanks….

Bill,

See I have been a nice Calvinist for 24 hours… can I please have the keys to my cage so I can get out for Christmass? :-)

]]> By: Bill Lollar http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-656 Mon, 10 Dec 2007 06:38:22 +0000 http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-656 Pete: Thanks for commenting! Yes, I became a Calvinist in the early 80′s while attending seminary, and many of my friends over the years have been of the same theological persuasion. It’s a wonderful worldview and I like the high view of Scripture and of God, even though some might feel like it’s a bit over the top in many respects.

Love the quote!

]]> By: Pistol Pete http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-655 Sun, 09 Dec 2007 18:48:46 +0000 http://thin-edge.org/2007/12/09/defining-the-cage-stage-of-calvinism/#comment-655 Personally, I would describe myself as a “Compassionate Calvinist”. We don’t so much receive Christ as Christ receives us. Yes, Bill, God has chosen people. It’s just we don’t know who they are and to presume to know is something less than Christian (even Calvinistic Christian). I like what one Scottish pastor said – “Assume everyone is chosen. If you happen to minister to someone who isn’t, I’m sure God will forgive you.” Thanks for the post.

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