My Crazy Faith

Here is an almost hour-long  "Testimonies of Former Calvinists"  video from  Soteriology 101 .  This is a website I highly recommend and one that my family and I have learned from immensely.  (I haven't finished this video yet, but I wanted to link to it anyway before time gets away from me.  If I have comments to add to this post after watching it, I'll add them later.)  

Here is the short, simple  testimony of a former Calvinist  from Australia, Steven Hitchcock, author of  Recanting Calvinism .  I have not read his book, but there are some really good, concise points in this post. Such as when he talks about the problems with Calvinism's view that God has a hidden Will which undermines and contradicts His revealed Will.   As he points out, if we accept the idea that God has a secret Will that can override what He says in the Bible, then no one can know anything for certain.   If Calvinism is true that God can say one thing but mean another - such as saying He loves all people and wants all people to be saved but He really hates most people and predestines them to hell - then why can't He say (as Calvinists believe) that He elects some people to salvation ... but He's really elected  no one  at all?  If He can't be trusted to say what He means and mean what He says in the Bible, how can Calvinists...

Another long look into Calvinism from a former Calvinist.  But a very good one with lots of biblical points that throw Calvinism into doubt. Calvinism Critiqued By A Former Calvinist I really appreciate people taking the time to write out their stories.  We can learn a lot from them and find encouragement through them. I like this, but do not agree with the "II. Unconditional Election" point.  I do believe that God did indeed foreknow those who would choose Him, and He chose those whom He knew would choose Him.   It's similar to how God chose a remnant in  Romans 11:4-5  when He says that in the past He chose seven thousand people who did not bow the knee to Baal, and that He likewise chose a remnant at the present time.  The people made their choice about worshipping Baal or not, and then God chose those who did not turn to false gods.  He chose those who chose Him.  (But what did He choose the 7000 for?  If you go to  1 K...

As I've said before, I'm not Arminian, but there are a lot of good "leaving Calvinism" testimonies here at  X-Calvinist Corner .  I particularly liked Daniel Gracely's.

"Calvinist Pastor Turns From Calvinism to Arminianism After 20 Years as a Calvinist and Intensive Study" This is another good testimony of what sucks people into Calvinism and what helps get them out of it.  (Although I am not an Arminian, I do think they are closer to the truth than Calvinism, except mainly for their view that you can lose your salvation.)   It took a lot of guts - after 20 years of being a Calvinist - to begin asking himself if there was another way to read the Bible than the Calvinist way he was taught, and to admit to himself, "Whatever it cost me (and I knew it could cost me everything!), I want to know the truth!" Trust us, we understand.  It cost us our church of 20 years, our friendships from that church, our children's friendships, and our reputation. But some things are worth it!  And God's reputation, good character, and the Gospel Truth are worth the sacrifice!

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 truste...

Leighton Flowers is a former 5-point Calvinist who now writes extensively against Calvinism at  Soteriology 101 .  His writing is very concise, polite, and easy-to-understand.  I've visited his site a lot since experiencing Calvinism in our church, and it's one of the top ones I recommend.  My husband and 17-year-old son listen to him all the time.  Here's his YouTube channel and his Facebook page .   Here is his story of leaving Calvinism:  The 5 Points That Led Me To Leave Calvinism

Free to Decide: Confessions of a Former Calvinist   by Brandon Cox This pastor tells us honestly how he was influenced into Calvinism, how it affected his ministry and pride, and how he came out of Calvinism.   He also shows us how all the points of Calvinism hinge on each other, making it stable in itself but fragile if any one of those points should be disproven.  (Calvinism, I believe, hinges on Total Depravity and a wrong view of God's sovereignty.  And therefore, they will guard these doctrines with all they've got, which is what gives rise to all their word games, mind games, twisted verses, double meanings, etc..) I appreciate that he took the time to share his story of how Calvinism gets entrenched, as well as how people can come out of it.  (I still have hope for those at my ex-church.) I think this line says a lot:  "Formerly I had sought proof of Calvinism, now I simply wanted God's answers to my deepest questions." If more Calvinists a...

Since I am going through my own story of Calvinism taking over our church, I am going to post some links to the testimonies of former Calvinists or those who left their church because of Calvinism.  It's always interesting to hear what sucked people into Calvinism, what their Calvinist church was like, and what made them leave their church or Calvinism itself. And I will start with a link to this post I did last year:   "Review of 'Once an Insider, Now Without a Church Home' - A Look at How Churches Go Wrong".    It's a book review I did for a woman who left her church after watching Calvinism take it over.  You would have to read her book to get the whole story, but I do address some of what she went through and how similar it is to what we went through.