Calvinism Refuted

[pipermac]

I am thankful that our salvation isn't dependent of us and our "right doctrine", because if it was, heaven would likely be quite empty. God is gracious, in spite of our weaknesses. He is my only hope of salvation, not my own knowledge and performance.

I am naked and unashamed in Christ!

Steve

[natman]

T - Total depravity
U - Unconditional election
L - Limited atonement
I - Irresistible grace
P - Perseverance of the Saints.

I have issues with the first four items personally. Reading Roger Olsen's "Against Calvinism", however, softened my view against Total Depravity as he presented a softer definition than many I've read.

To me, Unconditional Election is a polar opposite free will. On the other hand, I've heard many stories of people who are not at all connected with a church (atheist, communist, etc) with no other religious influences and Jesus appeared to them.

To me, limited atonement is directly opposed to the inclusive nature of scripture like John 3:16 and 2 Cor 5:11-19 for just 2 examples.

Like unconditional election, Irresistable Grace seems to be a polar opposite of free will.

Maybe the issue is we (humans) have cooked up our theology to describe the way God works in our lives. Since, however, he is a much bigger God than even our greatest thinkers, maybe he doesn't just work in one way in particular. This may be the tension we see between theological views.

I had similar difficulties with all of these concepts until I read "Chosen by God" by Dr. RC Sproul. Then I completely changed my mind.

One thing also to consider is that the acrostic "TULIP" covers only the highlights of Calvinism or those things which might make it stand out from some other denominations, not Calvinism in it's entirety.