The Dangers of Hyper-Calvinism

"Calvinism" is one of those words that causes both grins and grimaces.

Those who understand the depth of man's sin, the height of God's holiness and the "mighty gulf that God did span" in sending His Son to be the propitiation for our sins have an appreciation for the term. They understand the great courage it took for the Reformers to stand up against the heretical tyranny of Rome. To them Luther's brave words "Here I stand, I can do no other, God help me" are far more important that the patriot Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death."

On the other hand, many Christians have been taught that Calvinism is a deviant form of Christian theology that portrays God as a tyrant who arbitrarily chooses one human being over another, who delights in His wrath, who is unjust and unfair and who casts infants headlong into hell. To such people Calvinism is anti-evangelistic and anti-missions because God will save only those he chooses, no one else has a choice and thus men are "mind-numbed robots."

The major reason for such a dichotomy is confusion between true Calvinism and what has become known as "Hyper-Calvinism." Phil Johnson, director of Grace to You and writer for Pyromaniacs wrote an excellent paper on this subject some years ago. He says:

History teaches us that hyper-Calvinism is as much a threat to true Calvinism as Arminianism is. Virtually every revival of true Calvinism since the Puritan era has been hijacked, crippled, or ultimately killed by hyper-Calvinist influences. Modern Calvinists would do well to be on guard against the influence of these deadly trends.

Johnson's article is helpful in clarifying the differences between a biblical view of the doctrine of election and those teachings that make assumptions that go far past the test of divine Scripture and the various levels of Hyper-Calvinism.

Click here to read A Primer on Hyper-Calvinism.

Soli Deo Gloria!