Starting today August 7th, 2024, in order to post in the Married Couples, Courting Couples, or Singles forums, you will not be allowed to post if you have your Marital status designated as private. Announcements will be made in the respective forums as well but please note that if yours is currently listed as Private, you will need to submit a ticket in the Support Area to have yours changed.
But, interestingly, I've yet to meet a Calvinist who hadn't already concluded that s/he was somehow among the fortunate few to be so chosen.
But, interestingly, I've yet to meet a Calvinist who hadn't already concluded that s/he was somehow among the fortunate few to be so chosen.
We'll see you again soon, Bryan!
Do Calvinist's think that they are the only elect? And do they believe in the 144,000 or something as being the only chosen few?
Do Calvinist's think that they are the only elect? And do they believe in the 144,000 or something as being the only chosen few?
But, in all the discussions of Calvinism vs Arminianism I had in the UMC, that statement never came up. It was always explained as "they think the elect are saved no matter what, and the rest of doomed no matter what".
CF's congregational sub-forums tend to keep people from having cross-theological conversations, but all it would have taken is for a Calvinists to not argue against Wesley-Arminian understandings and just tell us that the no longer believed in the doctrine of election as it had once been taught and explain their new understanding. I don't recall that anyone ever did.
Unfortunately GraceSeeker I've run across more militant Calvinist than Arminians. So I sort of appreciate that the CF Congregational forums keep the more radical Calvinists from junking up our threads with arguments about Calvinism.
I think a good healthy discussion could be had if everyone would just be polite. But it is way to easy for some branch or other of Christianity to argue as if only their branch is right, or worse, only their branch is of the "elect." (to use a Calvinist term.)
I agree with CR that Calvinists are more militant on faith issues than Arminians. One of my deciding factors to leaving the UMC to become Presbyterian was because that says more about Arminians than Calvinists.
But, in just a few weeks, I've learned that they do have the three forms of grace and that the non-elect aren't standing outside of Jesus' Circle of Friends pleading to be let in while he and his Elect stand inside laughing at them for their bad luck.
Can you explain what you mean by the above?
Do note that it is not the same as prevenient grace. This can be seen in the article.
The UMC is not a confessing church. I felt the need to move to place with strong and fixed beliefs. It is a need that I felt, based on my own experiences, and I do not advocate it for anyone unless they feel a similar discomfort.
True. But its a far cry from the commonly held belief that Calvinism does not believe in grace for the non-elect. That was the point that I was making.
As for it being "new", I've heard several pastors in church (including my Sunday school teacher) commenting on how he prefers to use "Reforming" over "Reformed" since we are not a finished work.
Also Bryan, it is up to you, but you never quite answered what you meant by the first statement above that they lack of Arminians being on the attack about Arminianism caused you to move to Calvinism. At least that's how it read to me.
If you don't want to clarify that's up to you. But it seemed unusual.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?