Poll: How did you reform.

[Paul1976]

Related to the previous thread on a perceived lack of growth in Reformed churches, I thought it would be enlightening to see how members of this board came to be in a Reformed congregation. To me, dividing into three categories seems appropriate:

1) Those born into families already in a reformed tradition. People in this category would either consider themselves reformed for most of their lives, or returned to a reformed tradition they were brought up in

2) Those who grew up as non-Christians or nominal Christians, and were converted directly (or mostly so) into a reformed tradition.

3) Those who were Christians previously, and moved towards the reformed faith later in their Christian walk. (I've been a believer nearly all my life, but am only now beginning to move towards a "reformed" understanding of what the Bible teaches, so I place myself here.)

No categories will fit everyone perfectly, but hopefully these are both broad and simple enough to be useful, and distinct enough we'll perhaps gain insights into how people become reformed.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

I am definitely in the third category. I grew up mainline Presbyterian and became Reformed in a liberal seminary, thanks primarily to Michael Horton and the White Horse Inn.*

*- which is ironic considering where I have gone since then.

 

[nicnap]

Grew up Southern Baptist -- became Calvinist Baptist at Bible College -- called to be Southern Baptist pastor (Founders friendly) -- came to Presbyterian convictions -- resigned the church I was pastoring -- joined an OPC congregation -- returned to seminary (first RTS and then started over at GPTS) -- served as interim supply of a PCA church in Nova Scotia (second year at GPTS) -- graduated GPTS -- served as interim supply at First OPC, Sunnyvale, CA -- called to pastor in ARP in NC.

 

[irresistible_grace]

Born to a Roman Catholic Father & Assemblies of God Mother. Baptized Roman Catholic as an infant but in & out of churches (mostly out) the first 14 years of my life. When my father left my mother I started going to church with my grandparents & professed faith in Christ in the Assemblies of God soon thereafter. I was introduced to the faith of the Reformers via the White House Inn (Michael Horton). R. Scott Clark sat in one episode and I started reading the Heidelblog. He recommended the Confessional Presbyterian Journal, so I purchased all of CPJs where I read the 60 year Survey of the RPW (it is all up hill from there)...

AoG (8yr), Independent Baptist Church (3yr), ARP (1yr), OPC (3yr), RPCNA (1yr) & FCC since Sept. 2012

 

[Pergamum]

It was either Calvinism or Atheism for me at age 18.

Of my own free will, I decided to follow Jesus and picked Calvinism

 

[Jake]

The third one.. here is the brief and abbreviated version of my journey.

I grew up Southern Baptist. I started seriously reading the Bible after the Holy Spirit generated me at the beginning of high school and and started wondering about some language regarding salvation that seemed to contradict the free will ideas I'd been taught.. I asked and was labeled a Calvinist. Having never heard the term, I set off for the church library and found a book called "Debating Calvinism" between David Hunt and James White. Dr. White resonated with me very well. I googled Calvinist authors and found some books by Sproul and Piper. Sproul led me to study the WCF after reading his book "What is Reformed Theology?", one of the first things I found at my local Books a Million.

The rest is history!

 

[Scottish Lass]

Third. Grew up mainline PC(USA) in a nominal family. Was introduced to Reformed theology through Tim and his pastor in my early twenties.

 

[PaulMc]

Third option for me too.
Raised in a non-religious home, converted at 22 through the reading of the Word and influence of a friend. Attended Pentecostal churches for a few months before looking for something more 'serious' as I didn't feel good about some of the things happening there - through God's providence stumbled across a faithful reformed baptist church where I found excellent teaching and reverent worship, and it was through their instruction and my blank slate of a mind that I was shown the doctrines of grace. A couple of years later and through much study, reading and prayer I am now more in line with the Westminster Confession - not an easy decision to make in a country of very few churches of that persuasion, hence still being in a baptist church!

 

[Gforce9]

Option #3 here. This is more popular that I had expected here on the PB. I grew up half-baked R.C. I started working for an R.C. guy full time @ 15 and listened to D.James Kennedy on the way home many nights. Somewhere in there, I believed. In my late teens, I was exposed to a church growth movement church and didn't grow much and bounced around awhile until I landed at an E Free congregation that had a Piper-like teacher and was exposed to the DoG and Ligonier Ministries. Then came the whole idea of Covenant Theology. Now, I happily reside @ Westminster OPC.

 

[Philip]

I grew up PCA, started reading reformed theology in high school, and went to Covenant College. Not much else to say.

 

[Claudiu]

Third. I grew up Pentecostal. At around 16 a friend asked me about limited atonement. That led me to Calvinism, which later led me to Reformed Theology.

 

[Peairtach]

I grew up in the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland.

My father, Ian Tallach, was FP minister in Perth from 1973 until his death in 1979. He was involved in founding Christian Focus Publications. His father, John Tallach, was a missionary in Southern Rhodesia from the '20s to the '40s, and studied in the FP Church alongside John Murray, later Professor Murray, before he left for pastures new.

In 1989 there was a sad split in the FP Church respecting liberty of conscience, and I, my mother and brothers and sister, left for the Free Church.

 

[Stephen L Smith]

Of my own free will, I decided to follow Jesus and picked Calvinism

Was this choice a heads or tails thing, or did you just have superior information to help you exercise your free will?

 

[Apologist4Him]

In my early years growing up I attended a (Arminian) Baptist Church, but mostly an Assemblies of God Church. In my early twenties, I attended a Church of God Church for a couple of years and moved on to a non-denominational Pentecostal/Charismatic Church and other similar Churches. I attended a Presbyterian based local college for a couple of years, and up to this point in my life, around 25 years of age, I had barely even heard of John Calvin (and that from a girl outside of classes). After college not working out so swell for me, a year or so later, I became an active poster over at the CARM forum for a year or two. It was there that I really started engaging in theology, especially systematic theology. I remember one Calvinist would intentionally infuriate me...let's just say his methods though flawed, left an impression. However my real passion was for defending the faith, I spent most of my time engaging the agnostics and atheists at CARM. After some time of learning, as a "classical" apologist, I wanted to learn more about the different methods and approaches to defending the faith including presuppositionalism, so I did some searching and found logos had a deal on the works of Cornelius Van Til ($50 on CD-ROM), what better source than the "father of presuppositionalism". After I received the software in the mail, it collected dust near my computer for awhile. Back in 2002, I found myself experiencing doubt like I had never before, and quite honestly "classical" apologetics and Arminian theology were not enough, because I discovered serious problem with how I had been defending the faith, such as no way to link the classical arguments specifically to the God of Christianity, and even worse, no escape from relativism (though I rejected it as theory for all truth). I began listening to old recordings included on the Works of Van Til CD-ROM, and I listened for hours and hours, and though I could not understanding everything I heard, and still do not, by the grace of God, and God ministering to me through those old recordings, I started learning and opening up to the thought I could be wrong, that I had been wrong for so many years, it really made me shudder, shook me to the core. I remember praying about it, and asking for guidance and help, before I fully embraced Calvinism. It took some time to undo most, if not all, of the Arminian philosophy and assumptions that were so deeply ingrained in my thinking, in my worldview and interpretation, of everything that really matters the most in life. In summary, the internet, especially messageboards, an interest in apologetics, various un-named Calvinists, agnostics and atheists for exposing the weaknesses of how I defended the faith, legalistic Christians and expectations of others and myself along with the knowledge of my sins all contributed to me becoming a Calvinist, with Van Til leading the way.

 

[Danny]

My family is highly rooted in the Independent Fundamental Baptist movement, so naturally I grew up in that. My grandfather "pastored" a super fundy church. They were landmark, kjvo, southern baptist hatin' fundies. I wasn't allowed to watch Disney movies because they were from Satan. Throughout my life though, my parents drifted from that. Eventually they let my sisters wear pants. We even bought a TV. Then when I was 14 we went down to visit my sister at Bob Jones University, and the church they visited down there used the ESV instead of the KJV. Curious, my parents asked the pastor there about it, and he recommended them a few books (one of which was James White's The King James Only Controversy). They studied it out, and stopped being KJVO. Now, that planted the thought in my head that what I grew up with might be wrong. About two years after that, the music director at my church had to leave because he was a Calvinist. I had already been introduced to James White's ministry because of his KJVO work, so I decided to go to his youtube page and watch all of his videos on Calvinism. After about 6 months of reading books on it, and listening to lectures on it, I became a convinced Calvinist. It took another 6 for me to become Covenantal. I stuck around at the IFB church I grew up in for a while. Everybody I knew was there. After a while I got sick of hearing people bash what I held dear and I left. I started attending a PCA church in the fall of 2011, and I joined in May 2012. I love that church so much. Anyway, now I'm a full fledged Presbyterian!

 

[Reformedfellow]

I'm the anomaly here it seems. Option #2

 

[joejohnston3]

Started out as Church of God of Prophecy, then Assemblies of God, then Calvary Chapel/Non-Denominational, then Reformed through our present church after researching the Puritans and other doctrine books and praying for God to give me direction. God was so good and truly guided us to a reformed church and the truth!

 

[reaganmarsh]

Raised up plain vanilla SBC (conservative dispensationalist), but my parents had me memorizing Scripture from the time I could talk. On the way to help me move into my dorm for my freshman year of college, Dad warned me not to pursue a Reformed bookstore advertising something about covenant theology on a billboard. "That will destroy your faith," he said. When I met my wife, her Dad introduced me to the Puritans and Reformed theology for the first time. I hated what he said and argued against it with both her and him. Then Kara (my wife) gave me a Piper sermon on Romans 3. I listened omit about 50 times. It made sense. About that time I began seminary at NOBTS. Studying under Dr. Lemke, I heard him repeatedly denounce Calvinism in that class -- and it drove me to study the issue more. But the Bible was making sense for the first time, when read through the Calvinistic lens. His vitriol inspired me to transfer seminaries. A godly PCA pastor in town helped me work through some particulars and mentored me for a while. He actually introduced me to the Confessions of faith and told me about Southern Seminary. I recall thinking, "I can continue to study at NOBTS and spend the next 40 years undoing it, or I can transfer somewhere that will train me in this and profit from seminary." SBTS gave me the foundation for Reformed theology. Finally, I stumbled across the PB and have grown tremendously through the interactions here and the authors/articles referenced. I am profoundly grateful to the Lord for helping me to understand his precious Word better. Soli Deo Gloria.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]

I wish I had listened to those (especially here on the PB) who advised me in this.

"I can continue to study at NOBTS and spend the next 40 years undoing it, or I can transfer somewhere that will train me in this and profit from seminary." -- Reagan Marsh

 

[Prudence]

#3 – Cumberland Presbyterian to Southern Baptist to Foursquare/Assembly of God as a child. Providence introduced me to the Puritans when in college (who would expect a small junior state college to have a few good books on their shelves?) at the same time I read JI Packer. Don Kistler may never know how exceedingly thankful I am for SDG publishing – at that time he was my only connection to Puritan books. I was drowning in fluff and stuff at my local church, being fed a gospel that was no gospel. It was these dear men who had long since left this earth that God used to pastor my soul. When I look back now I can’t help but smile. I used to argue with them not understanding how they could get so much else “right” and yet be Calvinists. Some folks come to the Doctrines of Grace like Paul on the road to Damascus, blinded by the truth they teach and instantly change course. For me though, it was a lengthy process, truth revealed weeds of error removed, space to adjust, then more truth revealed and more weeds removed. I was a Calvinist for quite awhile before I would acknowledge being a Calvinist (I live in the Arminian wasteland after all). I would only admit to having Calvinistic tendencies. AW Pink’s Sovereignty of God gave me no wiggle room, and then I read Luther’s Bondage of the Will and was compelled to officially out myself. Somehow when I left Arminianism I left Dispensationalism at the same time, to be a Calvinist (in my mind) was to be Confessional as well. I’m nearing the half century mark, and though life has been a wild and difficult ride at times, God in His goodness and faithfulness have always held me fast (in spite of myself).

 

[Unoriginalname]

My parents initially were a part of a Baptist church that closed, so when I was 14 we began attending a church that had a vocal faction that could be described as young restless and reformed, with emphasis the first two adjectives. So I was always taught in high school to go to the original documents, so I decided at 17 to trudge through Calvin's institutes, the Belgic Confession and some of John Owen's books. After a couple years I decided it was best that I leave that church (long story) and I have been a part of the PCA since.

 

[Ask Mr. Religion]

Option #3

Former Roman Catholic seminary trained, which included seven years in the Jesuit order.
Then So. Baptist and after coming to grips with paedo baptism, echatology, and church polity, and running afoul with the local So. Baptist leadership, now PCA.

Given some of the goings on within the PCA, am starting to prayerfully consider a change, too.

 

[irresistible_grace]

Option #3

Former Roman Catholic seminary trained, which included seven years in the Jesuit order.
Then So. Baptist and after coming to grips with paedo baptism, echatology, and church polity, and running afoul with the local So. Baptist leadership, now PCA.

Given some of the goings on within the PCA, am starting to prayerfully consider a change, too.

We would love to have you covenant with the FCC. Arizona could use a historically Reformed, Scottish Presbyterian, Kirk that sings God's Word exclusively in corporate worship!

 

[mhseal]

#3. Grew up in a very anti-Calvinist SBC pastor's home (my parents don't even take the Arminian view of election... they just hold that election doesn't exist). While a senior in high school I read Ephesians and came to the conclusion that the reformed view of election was biblical. Went to small fundamentalist Bible college, then Liberty, and while at LU started to question dispensationalism. I tried to be a particular baptist for about 3 years, but finally came to the conclusion that if I was going to be consistent theologically I needed to accept paedobaptism. After that, I knew I couldn't stay at Liberty Seminary, so I came enrolled at PRTS and came to GR. We attended the FRC our first year, but we realized we weren't Dutch enough. We joined an OPC church last year.

 

[Jack K]

There's no category for a guy like me who grew up in the Reformed tradition and now, due to where providence has taken me, am attending and serving in the least "Reformed" church I've ever been a part of. But I guess that makes me a #1. Grew up Reformed.

Sometimes I think those of us who grew up in the Reformed tradition are most likely to see the faults of the tradition alongside its strengths, and to be able to appreciate aspects of other traditions as well... while converts end up being most rabidly Reformed. But that's probably a topic for another thread.

 

[Gforce9]

... while converts end up being most rabidly Reformed.

Well, I have been known to bite......but only in Christian love....and most don't get rabies......

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

You can read my testimony here.

I was born a Calvinist. LOL. | RPCNA Covenanter

My perceived Testimony of Christ

I was born a Calvinist to become Reformed.

 

[Mushroom]

Raised raging heathen in an only nominally Methodist family, exposed to eastern religions at an early age overseas. My family gave a 'what's true for you' credence to all religions, while in general considering the need for a religion to be a weakness. Bandied about a lot of philosophies/worldviews in my head as a teen, landing on a form of atheistic hedonism in the main. At 19 my little construct fell apart through the circumstances of providence, and I found myself on my face crying out to God. He brought me to probably the only people my little hippie-fied head would listen to at the time; a charismatic christian commune where I was baptized right after my 20th birthday. After 18 months of that I had come to the conclusion these people either couldn't read or were intentionally ignoring what they read, because nothing they did comported with scripture, so I left. The next 10 years was a roller-coaster ride in and out of the faith, transitioning through various means from charismatic, to Nazarene pelagianism, to complete dismay at what an old Reformed Baptist Preacher laid on me - this strange view I'd never encountered - Calvinism and Reformed theology. Much sin and confusion followed for 5 years or so until my Shepherd brought me to a little PCA plant in my town. That was 1996, and it's still been somewhat of a roller-coaster, but God has been faithful.

 

[THE W]

Went to church off and on throughout my life. came from a vineyard church. None of the churches I went to preached much bible except for the church I went to in Ypsilanti. Found my RP church on the Web while looking for a reformed church.

And to answer the original question I'd be #3. Though I question whether or not I was a Christian at all before I was brought to saving faith a year ago.

 

[jwithnell]

Mainline Presbyterian Church, came to Christ reading Francis Schaeffer (so I said #2) and was blessed almost immediately to be in a solidly reformed church plant where I received an excellent theological foundation.