Leaving Calvinism: Brenda's Journey Into Calvinism
This one is a MUST READ. It's a very in-depth (19 pages) look at Brenda's journey into and out of Calvinism, giving a very good picture of what Calvinism is, where it goes wrong, the suffocating, vice-like grip Calvinism has on people (essentially making them slaves to its theology), and the damage it does to someone's heart and faith:
Brenda's Testimony: My Journey Into Calvinism
The great thing with this testimony is that, even though it's long, it reads like a story. It's quick and easy to read and understand. So don't let the length of it scare you off.
If you pay attention, you'll notice that in most "How I got into Calvinism" stories, like Brenda's, the people got into Calvinism by listening to Calvinist preachers and theologians. They did not find Calvinism in the Bible all on their own. They had to be taught it, taught to read verses in a Calvinist way. This should be alarming! It's cult-like behavior.
And they trusted their pastors, thinking that they must know what they are talking about, that they must be preaching truth because they are educated and went to seminary. But so many seminaries are being taken over by Calvinists. And there are so many Big Name Theologians who are Calvinists, who are writing all the stuff they study in seminary.
It's time for the Bereans to rise up, for common men and women to study Scripture for themselves, to test what the preachers say against the Bible.
"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the messages with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11)
If they did that with Paul - if they double-checked what he taught them - why aren't we doing that with today's preachers who are so much farther away from Jesus' time?
We have put too much of our faith in men. We are letting them tell us how to understand the Bible. We shut off our critical-thinking skills when these pastors tell us, "I am preaching straight from the Word." And when little red flags do pop up in our minds, we brush them aside and think, "Oh, but they are pastors, so they must know what they are talking about. So it must be me who's wrong or who can't understand."
And we all fall into a pit together!
Contrary to what Calvinism tells you, you can understand God's Word on your own. The Gospel is a simple, good message, not lofty, contradictory nonsense that takes years of intensive study to understand. God wrote it for the common-man. You don't need a Calvinist theologian to tell you what they think God meant to say when He wrote His Word.
And unlike the Calvinist god who plays word games and makes up double meanings and twists verses and deceives people, the God of the Bible meant what He said and said what He meant. And that's why He can be trusted!
Brenda's Testimony: My Journey Into Calvinism
The great thing with this testimony is that, even though it's long, it reads like a story. It's quick and easy to read and understand. So don't let the length of it scare you off.
If you pay attention, you'll notice that in most "How I got into Calvinism" stories, like Brenda's, the people got into Calvinism by listening to Calvinist preachers and theologians. They did not find Calvinism in the Bible all on their own. They had to be taught it, taught to read verses in a Calvinist way. This should be alarming! It's cult-like behavior.
And they trusted their pastors, thinking that they must know what they are talking about, that they must be preaching truth because they are educated and went to seminary. But so many seminaries are being taken over by Calvinists. And there are so many Big Name Theologians who are Calvinists, who are writing all the stuff they study in seminary.
It's time for the Bereans to rise up, for common men and women to study Scripture for themselves, to test what the preachers say against the Bible.
"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the messages with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." (Acts 17:11)
If they did that with Paul - if they double-checked what he taught them - why aren't we doing that with today's preachers who are so much farther away from Jesus' time?
We have put too much of our faith in men. We are letting them tell us how to understand the Bible. We shut off our critical-thinking skills when these pastors tell us, "I am preaching straight from the Word." And when little red flags do pop up in our minds, we brush them aside and think, "Oh, but they are pastors, so they must know what they are talking about. So it must be me who's wrong or who can't understand."
And we all fall into a pit together!
Contrary to what Calvinism tells you, you can understand God's Word on your own. The Gospel is a simple, good message, not lofty, contradictory nonsense that takes years of intensive study to understand. God wrote it for the common-man. You don't need a Calvinist theologian to tell you what they think God meant to say when He wrote His Word.
And unlike the Calvinist god who plays word games and makes up double meanings and twists verses and deceives people, the God of the Bible meant what He said and said what He meant. And that's why He can be trusted!
