# is Robert Anthony Schuller reformed?



## cupotea (Oct 25, 2008)

In this link:

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Please watch the video from round 18th minute on.

Robert Anthony Schuller preached in a State Church in Beijing China
recently, and he claimed he was reformed, saying Calvinism "has been
and is the basis of our theology".

Any comments? Anyway I feel strange.


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## DMcFadden (Oct 25, 2008)

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Very interesting. During our Fuller days, he was not particularly known for his Calvinism. And, did you notice the references to books by Peale and his dad in the bulletin? But, since he understands Calvinism as meaning that God takes care of all of the electing and saving, it frees Schuller up to skip the proclaiming the Gospel part and to devote his time to "loving all people" and encouraging them to reach their potential through possibility thinking. I didn't get to the end of the sermon, did he change his message during the last few minutes?


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## cupotea (Oct 25, 2008)

I noticed that and know quite something about his father, so I feel strange.

He didn't change his message, at the end is "you can do it".


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## turmeric (Oct 25, 2008)

THAT ain't Calvinist!


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## Ivan (Oct 25, 2008)

If he's Calvinist, I'm John Calvin.


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## R. Scott Clark (Oct 25, 2008)

Daniel,

That has been his Father's message for decades but, in his case anyway, it has not been true.

The elder Robert Schuller is not meaningfully Reformed. He might be the epitome of "dead orthodoxy." He professes Reformed convictions but they do not manifest themselves in any way. He does not preach Christ. He is a moralist and a therapist. He does not preach the law really. He preaches self-improvement, which is a sort of law, an insidious law that says, "You can keep this law if you really will." This is not Calvinism. It is Pelagianism. 

Mike Horton confronted the elder Bob Schuller, live, on the air on the White Horse Inn many years ago. When confronted with his own words and asked to explain how they relate to Scripture and the Reformed confession, Schuller stormed out of the studio -- on the air! He returned a moment later saying that he thought the show was over. 

I've not seen his son often. I try not to watch, but I've seen him enough to see that he's a pale imitation of his positive-thinking father.


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## DMcFadden (Oct 25, 2008)

R. Scott Clark said:


> The elder Robert Schuller is not meaningfully Reformed . . . He professes Reformed convictions but they do not manifest themselves in any way. He does not preach Christ. He is a moralist and a therapist . . . This is not Calvinism. It is Pelagianism.
> 
> I've not seen his son often. I try not to watch, but I've seen him enough to see that he's a pale imitation of his positive-thinking father.





The elder Schuller claimed to have done some kind of senior thesis in seminary (?) on Calvin's _Institutes_.

Here is some of the transcript of the program you cited:



> HORTON: You write that "the essence of sin is not thinking you're good enough" and that the reason unsaved people reject the gospel is that they "believe they're an unworthy sinner." Again you state that "the unsaved person cannot perceive himself as worthy of divine grace and hence rejects it." But how can a person deserve "undeserved favor"?
> SCHULLER: No I never said that....I didn't say that the essence of sin is not thinking you're good enough." I never said that. I know my words. Someone read what I said, re-wrote it, put these words together very carelessly. One adjective placed or misplaced tips the meaning....
> HORTON: How about the next phrase...
> SCHULLER: I never said that see....so I really don't think the rest of the paragraph deserves the time and attention. Thank you.
> ...


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