Scurrilous opponents of Calvinism sometimes try to tar Calvinism by associating Calvinism with the infamous Fred Phelps. But keep in mind that according to Calvinism, it's quite possible to profess the doctrines of grace without possessing the grace of the doctrines. So even if he were a professing Calvinist, that wouldn't mean his life is a reflection of his creed.
According to Calvinism, it's quite possible that God just might be fooling you into thinking you are of Christ, whether you are Fred Phelps or steve. What difference is there between the pea on the right and the one on the left but position within the same pod?
Since we cannot judge the state of another's soul (even though a few tribunals have tried and burned a few thinking they could) we pretty much have to go on what somebody professes to believe. Phelps strikes me as the kind of soul who would certainly have participated in the burning alive of Servetus, for example. Add that to his Calvinist doctrine and, well, you have a pretty consistent extreme Calvinist. What is steve complaining about?
0 comments:
Post a Comment