Calvin Declined

I have, for many years, been convinced of a particular set of doctrines that differ slightly from a large segment of Christianity. These are known by some as "the Doctrines of Grace", by others as "Reformed Theology" (although that category includes other things of which I'm not necessarily convinced), by others as "TULIP", and by most as "Calvinism". Now, I've always fought off that last term. When I first came to the conclusion that these doctrines were true, I was convinced not by John Calvin, but by Scripture. It wasn't Calvin's Institutes that led me to these places, but the Word of God. Indeed, it wasn't until the last couple of months that I ever read anything (beyond a passing quote or two) from John Calvin. So, to me, I wasn't a "Calvinist" simply because I knew nearly nothing about Calvin or what he believed.

Last week I was at the Ligonier Conference in Orlando. Because 2009 is the 500th anniversary of the birth of Calvin, it seemed that John Calvin was a constant theme in this particular conference. The pre-conference took an entire day to review the glories of Calvin. Nearly every speaker referenced him. It was a running joke that if you didn't quote him at some point in your talk you wouldn't be invited back to speak at a later conference. And I had to admit, the whole thing left me ... uncomfortable.

Now, to be clear, during one of the Question and Answer sessions the question was asked, "How do you come to Reformed Theology?" and the entire panel agreed, "By reading the Bible." Good. Thank you. That would be my answer. Still, only one of the speakers seemed to avoid using Calvin as something of a "proof text". The rest seemed to assume that if Calvin said it, it was true.

As for me, I believe the Bible. If Calvin (or R.C. Sproul or John MacArthur or C.S. Lewis or the Archbishop of Canterbury or ...) sees in Scripture what I see, I'm delighted. If historical, orthodox Christianity sees in the Bible what I see, I'm very happy. And certainly many of these men, both alive and in history, had insight from which I can learn. I tend to respect some more than others, so I might pay closer attention to what they say. Many of them say things well and are worth quoting. But I have yet to meet a single human being with whom I am in 100% agreement. If that human being is Jesus Christ, as I discover my differences I will attempt to realign my thinking. If that human being is another man (or woman) like me, I'll consider their views as compared with Scripture and come to the best conclusion I can. What I will not do is place John Calvin (or any of the rest) at a level on par with Scripture. In that, then, I am not a Calvinist.