"A little learning is a dangerous thing.
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring;
There shallow droughts intoxicate the brain;
And drinking largely sobers us again."
-Alexander Pope
I heard a lot of sermons during the 9 years I was in prison. And every now and then the speaker would decide to rail against Calvinism. As one who has been a Calvinist for close to 30 years I would always pay close attention to what was said. And what was said was almost always untrue.
These men have read books and filled their minds with false information about Calvinism, and then they come into the prisons and jails and pass that false information on to others, who, possibly will pass that false information on to still others one day.
Today I want to set the record straight. I cannot guarantee you that the following links will persuade you to become a Calvinist. But I can assure you that it will at least give you solid information so that the next time a person tries to snow you about what Calvinists believe (or don't believe!), you can say: "That's not accurate. I'm not a Calvinist, but please don't insult my intelligence by trying to convince with with false information."
Requirements to enter the "School of Calvinism:"
1. "Ye must be born again." (John 3:3). I Corinthians 2:14 says: "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to them; neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned."
2. You must be a man or woman (or boy or girl) of prayer: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not. But let him ask in faith, not wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord." James 1:5,6
3. You must be a student of the Bible: "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily whether such things were so." - Acts 17:11
Calvinism 101
They're No Puritans: Profiles in the New Calvinism, by Pastor Ralph Ovadal
Calvinism 201
The Synod of Dort, Part I, by Joe Morecraft III
The Synod of Dort, Part II, by Joe Morecraft III
Calvinism 301
(Sermons by Rev. Paul Den Butter)
Calvinism 401
(Sermons by Rev. Cornelis Pronk; for more sermons by Rev. Pronk, go to Sermonaudio)
Graduate work in the study of Calvinism
(From the book The Forgotten Spurgeon, by Iain H. Murray)
Recommended Reading (Extra credit):
The Five Points Of Calvinism, by Herman Hanko, Homer Hoeksema, and Gise J Van Baren
Meet the Puritans, by Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones
The Pursuit of Godliness, The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life, by J. I. Packer
Killing Calvinism, by Kevin Boling (Interview with Greg Dutcher)
The Verse that Scares Calvinists: Whosoever Will May Come, by W. J. Mencarow
