# A good Challenge for the New Calvinists



## PuritanCovenanter (Jul 18, 2012)

Brian Dempsey has a new video blog. You might be familiar with his helpful website Grace Online Library. 
Grace Online Library

Well, he posted a pretty good challenge for all of us. I am included in this video if you want to make the application wider. I am still growing in my knowledge of Reformed Covenant Theology. So I might have the same tendency to be like the person he is talking about in this video blog. 

Anyways, give it a listen. I think it will challenge us all on some level. 

[video=youtube;grsmi1jFvGU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grsmi1jFvGU&amp;list=UUCUCdfSvI-kQWwh207T_k-Q&amp;index=1&amp;feature=plcp[/video]

Here is his feature page with his recent blogs. 

[video]http://www.youtube.com/user/GraceOnlineLibrary/featured[/video]


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## sevenzedek (Jul 18, 2012)

Thanks for the post. It is a good reminder to be Biblically authentic. May we all read our Bibles until the pages are falling out.


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## Curt (Jul 18, 2012)

Thank you - and amen.


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## J. Dean (Jul 18, 2012)

I resent that! I _could_ spell Calvinism before believing it!!!

Seriously, I understand his concern, and agree with a good portion of it: blog info and summaries on webpages are no substitute for serious Scriptural and theological study.

But that being said, that doesn't mean blog/internet information doesn't have its place in a supplemental role, or that one cannot learn anything of substance from the Internet (this board, anybody?).


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## Unprofitable Servant (Jul 24, 2012)

He makes good points. Shallowness is in many ways a characteristic of our society, and we should not let it infect our faith and church.

On the other hand, having easier access to teachers via the internet is not at all a bad thing, _as long as we prayerfully search out everything according to the light of scripture._ In this, his caution against prooftexting is wise. I spent several unfruitful years prooftexting the Bible to be able to defend an unconfessional position on I once held (but now recognize as completely in error) in my early 20s. It is a very dangerous place to be, and a very dangerous practice, spiritually. The word is a sword to cut us among other things, I do not believe it was given to man to serve his purposes. 

I am "newly reformed" (and in my mid 30s, not my 20s ), but I have always somehow understood the gospel in a "Calvinist" context (I was blessed with good teachers and a Good Teacher, I suppose). Even when I had never heard the term "Calvinism" (it's not too difficult to spell!), sovereign grace was always just the way I understood things. Of course, there is more to learn as I work through the _Institutes_ for the first time and continue in the word. My "Calvinism" drives me deeper into the word not to prooftext, _but to make sure I am not in error._ I don't know if that makes sense. It doesn't matter if the Word of God is on "my side"- _am I on the side of the Word of God?_

Thank you very much for that video.


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## rbcbob (Jul 24, 2012)

Dempsey's comments about quick google "research" reminds me of this new book:

The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains - Nicholas Carr - Google Books


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## earl40 (Jul 24, 2012)

If I may be a devils advocate here. Personally I RARELY run across the young restless and reformed other than on the net. What I run across is the old comfortable Arminian. Now once I get to know them for any significant length of time we get to the deeper and more difficult portions of scripture that affect our lives. Once this happens In my most humble opinion it is impossible to not explain the meaning of what the bible is teaching contra to what they believe without appearing as a dogmatic know it all. For to delve into the deeper things one must understand that most people like the shallow end of the pool and simply think you are simply wrong and some kind of kooky Calvinist. Personally I have learned that love covers a multitude of sin and I must keep on learning that immature Christians are still Christian.

So to sum it up I have simply not run into this phenomena as described in the video...which makes me wonder if it is real? Also I wonder what Luther and Calvin would think of this video because I would say the vast majority of the dialog to RC and Arminian believers must have revolved around what they truly believed against the false teaching of their day. They may have been old, restless, and reformed.


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## rbcbob (Jul 24, 2012)

earl40 said:


> So to sum it up I have simply not run into this phenomena as described in the video...which makes me wonder if it is real?



Earl it is quite real and there are real brick and mortar worship centers that are packing in hearers.


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## Claudiu (Jul 24, 2012)

Thanks for sharing. Although the internet is useful, nothing replaces bible study, the time spent in meditation and prayer.


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## earl40 (Jul 25, 2012)

rbcbob said:


> earl40 said:
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> > So to sum it up I have simply not run into this phenomena as described in the video...which makes me wonder if it is real?
> ...



My phenomena I have not seen is the "young restless and reformed" outside of the internet.


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## kodos (Jul 25, 2012)

earl40 said:


> rbcbob said:
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> > earl40 said:
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It's very real. I live and work near the main campus of the Village in Highland Village (Matt Chandler's multi-site mega-church). A couple of my coworkers who used to go there have left to confessional reformed (PCA) churches thankfully. 

They were typical YRRs. But it's been great to see their tremendous growth and change since then!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD


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## earl40 (Jul 25, 2012)

kodos said:


> earl40 said:
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> > rbcbob said:
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Thanks, I don't make it a pratice to hang with the kids enough. Though no doubt we can appear old rstless and reformed if we hang with the comphy Arminians which is what I am around.


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