# Act 3 John Armstrong has confirmed what I thought about Him



## PuritanCovenanter (Mar 31, 2009)

John H Armstrong : The New Calvinism



> March 31, 2009
> The New Calvinism
> 
> TIMEA recent TIME (March 21, 2009) magazine cover story caught a lot of attention, especially among evangelical Christians. Right alongside of ideas like "Ecological Intelligence," "Africa: Open for Business" and "Reinventing the Highway" was "The New Calvinism." This short article, written by David Van Biema, the senior religion editor for TIME, is both insightful and simplistic. It is insightful because he tracks a movement that is gaining a measure of momentum. It is simplistic because the brevity of the piece doesn't allow for any serious interaction with the "ideas" that are explored. Biema writes:
> ...



I just had to post the whole thing.... I am amazed and saddened.


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## toddpedlar (Mar 31, 2009)

Ever since about 2002, John Armstrong has been aligning more and more closely with the NPP and FV. He's been on the trajectory a LONG time, and I stopped listening to much that he's said at around that time. Pity, too, because he was someone who contributed much to the cause of making known Reformed theology.


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## Jimmy the Greek (Mar 31, 2009)

Sad.  I did not know he had gone off in that direction. I haven't kept up with him in several years.


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## ww (Mar 31, 2009)




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## PuritanCovenanter (Mar 31, 2009)

I read this somewhere else.....



> 'The Coming Evangelical Crisis'. His introduction to the book is titled, 'Two Vital Truths'. There he says that the vital truths of Evangelicalism are Sola Scriptura and Sola Fide. Apparently he has fallen victim of the Evangelical Crisis that he warned against.



Dr. Clark and I both commented on the blog. I am disturbed by his reference to Neo Calvinism and Neo Puritanism. It sounds like he is using them in a derogatory way. He is using those terms to discredit instead of explain. His view of understanding the place of the Confession of faith in matters of faith and practice are lacking also. And I thought he understood the place of the confession of faith in community and practice since he participated in it for so many years. Just look at his comments in the blog comment section...

I will post a portion of a comment John made here.




> Nick, I agree with your first paragraph and not your second. While Horton and Clark are not neo-Puritans, and in this I agree with them, they are "strict subscriptionists" and this do not welcome the biblical narrative as the guiding principle in exegesis but rather use human confessions and employ a method I reject for reasons of biblical theology. ....
> 
> Posted by: John H. Armstrong | March 31, 2009 at 07:57 PM



Does it sound like he understands? I don't think so.


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## ww (Mar 31, 2009)

Well at least he's honest that he is Unconfessional.


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## PresbyDane (Apr 1, 2009)




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## cpomann (Apr 1, 2009)

I am not an avid reader. And due to some hereditary, envionmental, and medical problems probably not the sharpest tack in the box. I have not read, and do not anticipate reading any of the mentioned literature. Therefore, I have great difficulty in making much of the article. I do think the word "neo" is overused and negative in most of it's applications. I will, however, not be upset at being called a neo-Calvinist if its use indicates that I believe, teach, and live what is referred to as the five points of calvinism. That appears initially to be a step up from being labeled hyper for those beliefs. Most in my area who claim the sovereign grace title will confidently state that salvation is of the Lord. But then they follow that with the statement "Yea, but _you_ have to!" and then add some condition that we are expected to accomplish to activate said salvation. I believe that most ardent reformed/sovereign grace/calvinist do more to deny their own doctrines than any opponent could effectively argue.

My basic interpretation of the writing is it okay to be a calvinist as long as you don't make an issue of it or offend anyone.

WOW! I doubled my post average in one keystroke!


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