Comments on: The Choice, The Treasure: Calvinism and the Language of Believing http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-choice-the-treasure-calvinism-and-the-language-of-believing ...dispatches from the post-evangelical wilderness Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:47:17 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 By: Michael Spencer http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-choice-the-treasure-calvinism-and-the-language-of-believing/comment-page-1#comment-77613 Michael Spencer Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:42:58 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-choice-the-treasure-calvinism-and-the-language-of-believing#comment-77613 Pink was the major influence on these folks. Interesting. Pink was the major influence on these folks. Interesting.

]]> By: jmanning http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-choice-the-treasure-calvinism-and-the-language-of-believing/comment-page-1#comment-77612 jmanning Mon, 02 Apr 2007 20:41:14 +0000 http://www.internetmonk.com/archive/the-choice-the-treasure-calvinism-and-the-language-of-believing#comment-77612 I think A.W. Pink did some wonderful things for many Baptists...good books that made many reconsider their beliefs on the sovereignty and aseity of God. However, many people I know who have read Pink, spout the same kind of things you were just talking about. After all this talk of God being sovereign, and immutable, then they start acting like God can't use this or that method. These anti-methods Calvinists do look sideways at anyone saved under any "strange" methods. I can't quite say I'm as thankful for Pink's influence in this area. (I haven't really read much of him though) Baptists have ruined the idea of discipleship by making it "decisionship". Instead of abiding under Jesus' teachings, we are taught to decide this or that for God. It makes us buzz around from spiritual conquest to spiritual conquest like ants. If you aren't deciding to do something for Jesus, you aren't doing anything, etc. Europe had a similar problem early last century, where preachers and theologians emphasized "abandonment" to Christ. You had to abandone with reckless surrender certain things that would keep you from Christ. Problem was, a lot of people abandoned things that were good but not best, instead of sowing into them godly means and reaping from them what they had sown. I think any method that pushes the will besides the mind is not in line with biblical thinking. Look at various passages at how we are saved/renewed. The mind is important. Yet a pastor also has to know how to get his "heady" over-educated flock to move it from their minds to their feet (i.e. Paul with the Galatians). So it seems a mixture of invitations/"METHODS" for exhortation would be biblical. I think A.W. Pink did some wonderful things for many Baptists…good books that made many reconsider their beliefs on the sovereignty and aseity of God. However, many people I know who have read Pink, spout the same kind of things you were just talking about. After all this talk of God being sovereign, and immutable, then they start acting like God can’t use this or that method. These anti-methods Calvinists do look sideways at anyone saved under any “strange” methods. I can’t quite say I’m as thankful for Pink’s influence in this area. (I haven’t really read much of him though)

Baptists have ruined the idea of discipleship by making it “decisionship”. Instead of abiding under Jesus’ teachings, we are taught to decide this or that for God. It makes us buzz around from spiritual conquest to spiritual conquest like ants. If you aren’t deciding to do something for Jesus, you aren’t doing anything, etc.

Europe had a similar problem early last century, where preachers and theologians emphasized “abandonment” to Christ. You had to abandone with reckless surrender certain things that would keep you from Christ. Problem was, a lot of people abandoned things that were good but not best, instead of sowing into them godly means and reaping from them what they had sown.

I think any method that pushes the will besides the mind is not in line with biblical thinking. Look at various passages at how we are saved/renewed. The mind is important. Yet a pastor also has to know how to get his “heady” over-educated flock to move it from their minds to their feet (i.e. Paul with the Galatians). So it seems a mixture of invitations/”METHODS” for exhortation would be biblical.

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