Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Hyper Calvinism

Best line of the day: "There are more pro-life, stay-at-home moms involved in Planned Parenthood than Hyper-Calvinists in the SBC."

If you're one of those who think that the SBC (and the broader Reformed movement) contain a bunch of "hyper-Calvinists," you'll want to read Nathan Finn's post.

Remember, two cardinal rules to debating Calvinism: first, while some Arminians are Armenians and some Armenians are Arminians, Armenians and Arminians are two very different groups. Second, while it's true that some Calvinists can be a bit hyper, that doesn't make them Hyper-Calvinists.

For a good introduction to Hyper-Calvinism--what it is and isn't--check out Spurgeon Vs Hyper Calvinism: The Battle for Gospel Preaching by Iain H. Murray. Finn's post also contains a helpful summary by Timothy George.

And if you hear professors referring to the evangelical Reformed movement as "hyper-Calvinism," you can be sure that they are either operating in ignorance or taking cheap shots. Hyper-Calvinism is real--but it's an ugly doctrine that distorts the gospel, and it's not being promoted by today's Reformed teachers.

(HT: Michael Haykin)