Calling All Calvinists: A Call To Repentance (Monica Dennington response)

Here is Monica Dennington, unleashing her diatribe against Calvinism and Calvinists on Tic Toc Ministries. Again, this is another example of people who have a belief system that whatever they say is scriptural and if you do not agree with them, you do not agree with God himself. Here is her video and a couple of video responses, one of which is by Dr. James White and the other by YouTube channel JoshnJesus.









It is evident by her very poor attempt to dismantle Reformed Theology (Calvinism) that she is ignorant of several things. She does not know church history at all and why we even have Christianity in the USA. She does not even know what the core doctrines are in scripture, that we who are reformed in our theology hold fast to. She did not mention one. Monica, also for some reason can't seem to get it in her head that just as Charles Spurgeon said "It is a nickname to call it Calvinism". Just as it is a nickname to call Monica's theology "Arminianism" No one is following John Calvin, just as Monica is not a follower of Arminius.

Again, these attempts to say that Calvinists follow Calvin and that are not saved are outlandish and ignorant. And what is even more outlandish is that Monica herself has a non-biblical view of the Trinity. Saying that the Holy Spirit is a girl and feminine in gender which is biblically in error and ridiculous.


She is not the first one to make these claims about Calvinism. I have even heard a very popular preacher in Midland, Michigan also make the similar claims that Calvinism is a "Damnable Doctrine" and that it will "Damn your soul". This was very, very disappointing to me!

So Monica is calling all Calvinists to Repent. Here are just a few of these Evil Calvinists, dead and alive. I guess the living ones better repent, because the dead ones must be burning in hell according to Monica's call to repentance.

Historical Preachers/Teachers that where Calvinists:

Augustine
A.W. Towzer
Richard Baxter
Thomas Boston
John Calvin (the devil himself who studied the text verse by verse/authored the Christian Institutes)
Jonathan Edwards (preached sinners in the hands of an angry God)
John Flavel
A.A. Hodge
John Knox
John Newton
A.W. Pink
John Bunyan (Author of Pilgrims Progress/10 years in prison for preaching the gospel)
John Owen
Charles Spurgeon (another "Evil" Calvinist who preached repentance and Christ Crucified)
Thomas Watson
John Gill
Martin Luther (started the protestant reformation)
C.S. Lewis - (quite the Calvinist when it comes to the mortification of sin)

Here are just a hand full of current "Evil" Calvinists:

Dr. R.C. Sproul - (several of his theological books are used in many churches today)
Dr. James White
Steve Camp
Dr. John Frame
Dr. Wayne Grudem - (wrote Grudem's Systematic Theology, used in many colleges and churches today, many do not know he is a "Reformed Charismatic" and they us his material.
Sinclair Ferguson
J.I. Packard
Dr. D. James Kennedy
Dr. Albert Mohler
Paul Washer
Dr. Thomas Ascol
Dr. John Piper
Matt Slick - Reformed Charismatic
Mark Kielar - Cross TV
Dr. John MacArthur
Kirk Camereon -(guilty by association)WOTM radio
Ray Comfort -(guilty by association) WOTM radio
Todd Friel -(host of Wretched Radio)
Del Tackett - the author\teacher of the "Truth Project" and founder of New Geneva Seminary.


I think that this goes to further prove how ridiculous Monica's claims are that these people need to repent or else. Folks need to study the scriptures/church history and stop taking everything the Dennington's and even a Midland, Michigan preacher's word as gospel truth!

We need to study the scriptures just as intently as the men listed above have done!

by His Grace alone,

Bill

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Dr. James White "The Best Closing Statement I Have Ever Heard In A Debate On Calvinism (Reformed Theology)"

Dr. James White's closing statement from his debate against George Bryson held at the Anaheim Vineyard in Southern California. The full debate is available from www.aomin.org.




By God's Grace Alone,

Bill

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Arminianism: The Root of "Christian" Liberalism?

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Christianity in Crisis Video of the Week - Mark T. Barclay vs. Charles H. Spurgeon

I decided to post this today instead of Monday and my goodness we are in trouble serious trouble in America when preachers say they are experts on Theology and have not a clue what they are talking about!

Here we have Mark T. Barclay (aka. The General) talking about the Damnable Doctrine of Calvinism. Take a look...



Boy, oh boy, oh boy... Where to start. We see here two startling different definitions of Calvinism. Barclay says "I met Jesus once, let's go get a beer" and Spurgeon says "Justification by Faith". Barclay implies Calvinism is basically "Once saved always saved". If Barclay would sit himself down and do even just a basic study on Calvinism (Historical Christianity), he would find that Calvinists believe in the "Perseverance of the Saints".

Perseverance of the Saints does not mean "once saved always saved". This corruption of the doctrine has been popular in recent years, as we see here with Barclay, but has never been a true representation of the doctrine. "Once saved always saved" is more keenly given the name "Perseverance of the sinner" instead of "the saint". For it teaches that man can be saved by Christ and then sin habitually, do whatever he wants, and then still "persevere to the end". Perseverance of the saints does not teach this. Perseverance of the saints teaches that once God has renewed the heart of a sinner through the application of the redemption wrought by Christ upon the cross, he will continue to be saved and show forth the fruits of that salvation. The sinner perseveres because of Christ, but he continually shows himself as one who has been changed by Christ. God has saved the individual and will sanctify him until the end when he is ultimately glorified, and in heaven. It does not mean man has a license to sin. Those who think they have a license to sin are not changed and saved by grace. They are still in sin. Those who are saved by grace and changed, desire to show forth the fruits of that salvation. God motions the heart to good work, and continues that good work to the end.

John 6:37-39, "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day."

Phil. 1:6, "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:"

1 Thess. 5:23-24, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it."

2 Tim. 4:18, "And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

1 Peter 1:23, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."

Romans 8:29, "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."

Ephesians 2:10, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them."


Lastly lets examine Barclay's statements "If you believe in the condemning, damnable doctrine of Calvinism". "That means it will damn your soul".

According to Barclay you will be damned to hell for believing in Calvinism (Historical Christianity). So, lets take a look at those who the General has condemned by his own lips. The names on here are staggering!!!

Historical Preachers/Teachers

John Calvin
John Owen
John Knox
Martin Luther
Jonathan Edwards
John Bunyan
A.W. Pink
A.W. Towzer
John Whitfield
John Gill
Augustine
The Puritans
The Dutch Reformed
The Disciples of Jesus (They preached Regeneration, Justification by Faith and Sanctification....The same doctrines Calvinists have preached for Centuries now)

According to "The General", Mark T. Barclay, preacher of righteousness, these believing Christian's are burning in hell today...There souls are damned!

Current Day Preachers/Teachers

Dr. R.C. Sproul
Dr. James White
Steve Camp
Dr. John Frame
Dr. Wayne Grudem
Sinclair Ferguson
J.I. Packard
Dr. D. James Kennedy
Dr. Albert Mohler
Paul Washer
Dr. Thomas Ascol
Dr. John Piper
Matt Slick


The lists for these could go on and on. There are so many I could keep listing for days. This really shows the absurdity of Barclay's condemning claim! The General needs to go back to the barracks and study the Bible and Historical Christianity before his next "Tour of Duty".


by His Grace alone,

Bill

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Dave Hunt why won't you debate James White?

Dave Hunt, you have debate everyone, even Shabir Ally, who you have no business debating. The debate, "Christianity vs. Islam", held back in February with Dave and Shabir was an embarrassment to the cause of Christ. The fact that Dave is 81 yrs old, doing 3 debates on different subjects with other debaters in 24 hours was utter foolishness. The lack of Dave Hunt studying Shabir Ally's position was very evident in this third of three debates. In fact "The Berean Call" (Dave's website) has yet to put this debate up on the site. I really doubt that they ever will.

Now, even though Dave Hunt plunges himself into several debates a year and in this case a 24 hour period, he continues to ignore Dr. James White's offers to debate Calvinism.. Dave is willing to debate Shabir Ally/Islam, which he knows nothing about and yet won't debate Calvinist James White, in which Dave Hunt admittedly has had little knowledge of the Reformers and six months later he knows more about Calvinism than most Calvinist's. In six months he became an expert.. Dave Hunt, please debate Dr. White. Quit ignoring him.

Folks, Dave studied the Reformers in six months...I have yet to study all of them and their writings in 5 years.




by His Grace alone,

Bill

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Uh Oh..... An elect people?

Praise God for Dr. White!!!








Plain and simple... Dr. Caner needs to study!!! For some reason, Caner did not want to continue in these debates. I wonder why?


by His Grace alone,

Bill

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Perseverance of the Saints

Here is the wonderful promise that our Lord Jesus Christ gives us. All true believers will be saved to the uttermost. In this article, John MacArthur share this great truth!

by His Grace alone,

Bill

(By John MacArthur)

John Murray in Redemption Accomplished and Applied wrote the following:

In order to place the doctrine of perseverance in proper light we need to know what it is not. It does not mean that every one who professes faith in Christ and who is accepted as a believer in the fellowship of the saints is secure for eternity and may entertain the assurance of eternal salvation. Our Lord himself warned his followers in the days of his flesh when he said to those Jews who believed on him, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye truly my disciples, and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31, 32). He set up a criterion by which true disciples might be distinguished, and that criterion is continuance in Jesus’ Word (pp. 151–52.)

The above explanation by Murray of the doctrine of perseverance is an elaboration of what Peter meant by his words “protected by the power of God” when he wrote his first epistle (1 Pet 1:5).

If any biblical character was ever prone to failure, it was Simon Peter. Judging from the biblical record, none of the Lord’s disciples—excluding Judas the betrayer—stumbled more often or more miserably than he. Peter was the disciple with the foot-shaped mouth. He seemed to have a knack for saying the worst possible thing at the most inappropriate time. He was impetuous, erratic, vacillating—sometimes cowardly, sometimes weak, sometimes hotheaded. On several occasions he merited strong rebukes from the Lord, none more severe than that recorded in Matt 16:23: “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” That occurred almost immediately after the high point in Peter’s experience with Christ, when Peter confessed, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt 16:16).

Peter’s life is proof that a true believer’s spiritual experience is often filled with ups and downs, but Peter illustrates another biblical truth, a more significant one: the keeping power of God. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He gave Peter an insight into the behind-the-scenes spiritual battle over Peter’s soul: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31–32, emphasis added).

Peter was confident of his willingness to stand with Jesus, whatever the cost. He told the Lord, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Yet Jesus knew the truth and sadly told Peter, “The cock will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me” (Luke 22:34).

Did Peter fail? Yes, miserably. Was his faith overthrown? Never. Jesus Himself was interceding on Peter’s behalf, and His prayers did not go unanswered.
The Lord intercedes for all genuine believers that way. John 17:11 gives a glimpse of how He prays for them: “I am no more in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to Thee. Holy Father, keep them in Thy name, the name which Thou has given Me, that they may be one, even as We are.”

He continues:

I do not ask Thee to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth. As Thou didst send Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in the truth. I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. And the glory which Thou has given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me (John 17:15–23).

Notice what the Lord was praying for: that believers would be kept from the power of evil; that they would be sanctified by the Word; that they would share His sanctification and glory; and that they would be perfected in their union with Christ and one another. He was praying that they would persevere in the faith.

Was the Lord praying for the eleven faithful disciples only? No. He explicitly includes every believer in all succeeding generations: “I do not ask in behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word” (v. 20). That includes all true Christians, even in the present day!

Moreover, the Lord Himself is continuing His intercessory ministry for believers right now. “He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb 7:25). The King James Version translates Heb 7:25 thus: “He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

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Defining Calvinism, Arminianism, and Hyper-Calvinism - By Bryan Lewis

Before I can give an honest explanation of what I believe about Calvinism, hyper-Calvinism, and Arminianism; I think it is important to define historically and theologically; the terms. Often these words are thrown around and used in any way one seems fit, which often leads to making them void and useless in real conversation. I think that it is important to look historically at Calvinism, hyper-Calvinism, and Arminianism. First, I would like to say, I do not believe John Calvin invented the system know as Calvinism; in fact, this discussion existed long before he was born. Calvinism was systematized by those that came after John Calvin. I do not believe John Calvin was the greatest systematizer of the teachings that came to be known as t.u.l.i.p (Calvinism).


Calvinism was systematized, as a result of the controversy surrounding the Synod of Dort in 1618 and 1619. The Synod of Dort was a National Synod held by the Dutch Reformed Church, in order to settle a serious controversy in the churches that came about because of the rise of Arminianism. First, I think it is important to note, that contrary to popular belief, when Calvin died in 1564; Jacob Arminius was only four years old. So they idea that Calvin and Arminius fought over these things is wrong and those who say such things often do not have the proper historical context. Jacob Arminius grew up to become a student of Theodore Beza who was the successor of John Calvin in Geneva. Jacob Arminius was given the responsible of preparing a defense of his teachers view on “Predestination” and in the process of preparing that defense; he became convinced of the opposite position. He went on to reject “unconditional election” and “predestination” and instead began to teach that God elects on the basis of his foreknowledge that people will exercise faith in Christ. By the time Arminius died in 1609 his views had been spread widely through out the Netherlands and after his death the debate began to intensify largely due to a group of Jacob Arminius followers known as the Remonstrants. The Remonstrants formed a series of statements that were their objections to Calvinism which became known as Arminianism.

Here is a quick summary of their statements:

1. God elects on the basis of foreseen faith (i.e. what he knows will happen).

2. Believes that Christ died for every man; though only believers will be saved.

3. Man is not so corrupted by sin that he cannot believe the gospel when in is put before him. (i.e. a denial of Total Depravity) . They believe man has the natural ability to believe the gospel when he hears it.

4. Believe that God’s saving grace can be resisted.

5. Believe that those in Christ can fall away from the truth.



After seven months of sessions, the Synod of Dort rejected the Remonstrant Articles and published their own views which became known as the five points of Calvinism.

Here is a quick summary of those:

1. Unconditional Election - Election is the unchangeable purpose of God whereby before the foundation of the world, by his mere grace, according to the sovereign good pleasure of his will, he chose in Christ to salvation a definite number of particular people out of the entire human race.

2. Limited Atonement - The death of Christ is of infinite worth and value abundantly sufficient for the sins of the whole world, but it extends only to the elect chosen from eternity.

3. Total Depravity - Man was originally created upright, but because of the fall all men are conceived in sin and by nature are children of wrath; thus, totally incapable of any saving good, prone to evil, dead in sin, and in bondage thereto, and without the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit they are neither able or willing to return to God on their own.

4. Irresistible Grace - Those whom God chose from eternity in Christ, he calls effectually in time and confers upon them the gifts of faith and repentance, rescues them from the powers of darkness and translates them into the kingdom of His own dear son. And this effectual call can not be resisted.

5. Perseverance of the Saints - Those whom God effectually calls do not fall from grace and though they might temporarily fall into backslidings they the will persevere until they end.


Recently, in my school forum the question was asked, “What is Calvinism for me?” I agree 100% with the published views from the synod of Dort and I reject the Remonstrant Articles. Yes I believe in Tulip; however, I think it is important to realize that the acronym and order of tulip was developed sometime long after the Synod of Dort’s final published views. That is the correct historical definition.

Concerning Hyper-Calvinism: A great evil is taking place in our day, many are confusing Calvinism with hyper-Calvinism. Personally, I have observed that most Arminians do not know the difference between Calvinism and hyper-Calvinism. As a result, those who do not understand Calvinism often mumble it together with hyper-Calvinism, thus they "generalize" in thinking that every Calvinist is like the one Hyper-Calvinist they met at sometime in their pass; they then presuppose that “all” Calvinist are like him. This is a great example of "generalizing"; I believe when this happens it often exposes just how unknowledgeable and un-focused they are about the subject. There is a danger of being so unfocused as to never get to the text of Scripture itself, or, worse, to only cite it in a surface level manner; this is normal these days.

What is Hyper-Calvinism? It is a perversion of true Calvinism. It starts at the same false presupposition basically as Arminianism. In that they believe that mans responsibility is not required. The Arminian will say we think that you believe; and I quote, “well since you’re going to be saved anyway you can live how you want”. Likewise the hyper-Calvinist really believes this rubbish. On the other hand, a true Calvinist believes God is sovereign and yet man is responsible. You will never see a hyper-Calvinist witnessing to or preaching on the duty of men to repent and calling men to Christ. In fact, the really extreme hyper-Calvinist will call you an unbeliever if you dare say "good morning" to an Arminian. (I.e., they ask you a simple question: "Can an Arminian be saved? Are Arminians Christians?") If you say, "Yes, Arminians can be saved" they will tell you, "then you are not saved, either." I believe this is also a perversion of true Calvinism. I do not know who the elect are and I do not know if one is regenerated or not, since regeneration is an invisible work of God.

However, I do believe that ones view of salvation is dependant upon proper teaching concerning it; if one is teaching from a free will or Armininian perspective then he is teaching an improper way of salvation which I believe ultimately leads to a false repentance and no understanding of ones depraved sinful state; many people today have nothing more than a false since of security because of this heresy. However, I do not know who the elect are and there are probably many elect in those free will churches which God will still bring to Himself; regeneration is an invisible work of God and tomorrow more men will repent and be converted.

So I reject the hyper-Calvinistic heresy, but, at the same time I reject the idea that those who hold false doctrines should be considered "Christians" based just on their profession. If a man goes to his grave trusting in some form of decisionalism that he made one night at an alter to save him and never came to sincere repentance because he never was able to see his depraved and sinful state; then I would be surprised to see him in eternity. God throughout eternity has made his prophets and preachers preach the truth, but now day’s men get to die after preaching false doctrine for 50+ years and still make it into heaven; interesting.

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