Much of what is wrong with the debate between “Arminians” and “Calvinists” is the use of terms. To understand rightly what “Calvinists” are trying to say, one must understand what Reformed churches are and what their confessions teach. The Canons of Dort are organized according to the five heads of doctrine, which emcompass most of what the “five points of Calvinism” state. Not only do the Reformed Confessions – the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dort – have a greater context in which to understand what the “five points” are saying but the Canons of Dort themselves, have context which is ignored by “Calvinists.” For example, some who would call themselves “Calvinsts” ignore head one, article seventeen “on the children of believers who die in infancy,” which assumes a doctrine of the covenant many, such as Baptists, deny. This lecture is an appeal to understand what Reformed churches believe the Bible teaches in context.
Oct 17, 2006
Calvinism: Truth or Fiction?
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4 comments so far
Oct 17, 2006L P Cruz #
indeed, sir.
I consider the Calvinistic Baptist not really reformed because they do not really subscribe to the Reformed confessions of faith. Most Baptistic Calvinist claim the label Calvinist where in fact they just susbcribe to the TULIP they understand it to be, they are not really Reformed for they do not subscribe to the 3 confessions.
Sorry to say,
L. P. Cruz
Feb 17, 2007Matt #
Hi,
You don’t consider the 2nd London confession 1689 as reformed? It is almost identical to the westminister confession. Most Reformed baptist will hold to covenant theology, the Canons of Dort and the LBC? I fail to see how they are not considered reformed, infact they view themselves as more reformed, Because they reformed the practice of baptism to be credo which has both scriptual support and early church support.
Matt
Feb 19, 2007Rev. Tom Morrison #
Matt,
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Thank you for your question. I think this is a very important issue.
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No, we would not consider the 2nd London Baptist Confession of 1689 to be Reformed. It is, after all, a Baptist confession as the name states. Simply because the LBC of 1689 is similar to the Westminster Confession of Faith (a Presbyterian confession), it is not Reformed any more than it is Presbyterian.
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Even though there is some common ground between and among the WCF, the LBC of 1689, and the Three Forms of Unity, their significant theological differences require an accurate label for each.  For example, the TFU have a distinctive approach to ecclesiology and the sacraments not found in the WCF or LBC of 1689.  So it is, even, with the different types of Baptists.  There are General Baptists and Particular Baptists. The adjectives describing each arise from the significant differences in theologies.The true spirit of ecumenism, what Jesus calls His followers to display in John 17, is reflected in being honest about our major differences.  One way we should do this is to use precise labels.
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It seems that perhaps your question is more about the implications of not considering a Baptist church “Reformed,” or about our view of the sacrament of baptism in particular, or about our view of groups that do not practice infant baptism. Â I know the Sinners & Saints guys have been thinking about doing a series addressing some of those very ideas, so I invite you to interact with those shows, with me and them, when they appear.
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Again, thanks very much for your feedback.
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Rev. Tom Morrison
Jul 7, 2008Larry Green #
In my limited experience, as a follower of Christ. I have been members of both Presbyterian and Dutch Reformed churches. In the Presbyterian churches I have found “high textual criticism†where using some devious methods they believe that the Bible is not really historically accurate, but they still teach the Bible. This leaves me entirely confused! If you do not believe something, why are you involved in it? Also, the Presbyterian churches have a degree of “legalism and judgmentâ€. Both of these were not found in the Dutch Reformed churches I attended. I much prefer the TFU churches.
Larry