I speak a lot on my other blog against Calvinism, and sadly there are lots of Calvinist pastors out there. Too many. And of course, I think they should be avoided. I think they are destroying the church from the inside out, a slow destruction.
And so if you want to find a good pastor but don't know who to turn to, I recommend the one I listen to most and trust as the most biblically accurate: Tony Evans. Back before we left our Calvinist church, when we were getting super fed-up listening to all the Calvinist sermons, I began listening to Dr. Evans every week, and I haven't yet heard anything that alarms me or that I disagree with (except for a few very minor points when it comes to prophecy).
I actually credit Dr. Evans with "restoring my faith" after I felt it crumbling under the Calvinist preaching we were getting at the time.
For quite awhile after we got our new pastor, I didn't know he was teaching Calvinism. I just knew something was wrong, but I couldn't put my finger on it yet. But whatever it was, it was starting to affect my faith and my husband's faith as we heard these twisted, contradictory, unbiblical-sounding ideas being dripped into each sermon. It was affecting our view of God, faith, Jesus, prayer, salvation, how to live the Christian life, etc. - basically everything we ever knew about God, His Word, and His truth.
My husband said that as time went on, he got more and more distressed, wondering if what the pastor was saying was really true and how he (my husband) could have missed it all along, feeling like all that he knew about God and faith was being shaken up, crumbling. He wanted to trust the pastor because the pastor was so intelligent and confident and well-spoken, but he couldn't wrap his head around what he was hearing. It didn't fit with what he'd known about God all along. And it was creating a crisis of faith.
I, on the other hand, started looking up everything the pastor was saying, every verse he was referencing. And as I saw the difference between how the pastor used the verse and what the Bible clearly said, I started getting angry. And the angrier I got, the more I researched. I hadn't yet realized what Calvinism was or that the pastor was teaching it (because he never used words that would identify him as a Calvinist), I just knew something was wrong and that I couldn't agree with what he was teaching. I was sure he was wrong.
But at one point, as I got deeper into my research, the thought hit me, "Oh no, what if all the theologians and preachers out there agree with my pastor? What if they all believe this stuff and I just missed it all this time? What if I'm the only one who sees things the way I do, and there's no educated theologian to back me up?"
All of a sudden, I doubted myself, feeling like maybe I was way out in left-field all alone but didn't know it, especially as I would hear the moans of agreement and the "Amens" and "Hallelujahs" coming from the congregation in response to the very things that distressed me because they sounded so wrong. And so I had to know if there was any well-known theologian/pastor who saw things my way, who would disagree with the views my pastor was preaching.
And so I knew I had to look up some Big Name pastors to see what their theology was. And of course, Big Name after Big Name turned out to be Calvinist, teaching the same things my pastor did. (I never really listened to these pastors before, I just knew they were Big Names in the field of theology. Once again, here's a list of them.)
Now I was getting really concerned. What if my pastor was teaching truth, and I was the one who was wrong, who wasn't understanding the Bible properly.
But there was one pastor I was particularly drawn to, whom I've always liked and respected, and I needed to know what he thought. He was my last resort, my last shot. And to be honest, I was freaked out about looking into this because if he taught the same things my pastor did, I knew I'd have to start considering that I was wrong all along, that Calvinism was true ... and I knew it would lead to a real faith crisis for me, that my faith would crumble and I'd never be able to trust or know for myself anymore what the truth was. I knew I'd have to start swallowing the garbage I was hearing, even though it was repulsive. And so I was scared to start this research, but I knew I had to do it. Too much was on the line.
And so I dug down deep into Tony Evans' books and sermons. I listened carefully for what he said about God's character and ways and truth and salvation, etc. And thank God, I could tell that he didn't teach what my pastor did, that he had a different, truly biblical view of God and His character and His sovereignty and the gospel message, etc. And it gave me the tiny spark of hope I needed to hang in there, helping me trust that I was seeing things clearly, that the Bible made sense and was easy to understand, and that God was who I always thought He was.
Dr. Evans gave me the support and courage (even though he doesn't know it) to keep going forward with my research, knowing that the path I was on was solid and biblical. And when I get to heaven, he's one of the first people I'm going to seek out so that I can hug him and say "Thank you. You helped me and my family more than you ever knew."
I highly recommend his theology books. Throw out the books by Grudem, MacArthur, Sproul, Washer, Carson, Keller, Platt, Spurgeon, Calvin, Pink, etc. (I know they have some good things to say, but 90% water with 10% poison is still deadly, a fully polluted glass of water. Why risk it? Why encourage and support it?) And instead read, at the very least, Tony Evans' Our God is Awesome and Theology You Can Count On. And after that, read his Totally Saved and The Promise and The Transforming Word and The Battle is the Lord's. You really can't go wrong with any Tony Evans' book.
And if you're interested, here are some of his sermons, to help you more accurately understand God, the Bible, prayer, how God interacts with us, how we should live, etc. Hear how much sense they make, how well they keep God's character intact and line up with Scripture. You see, when you understand the Bible correctly, you don't have to struggle with the kinds of contradictions we find in Calvinism or resort to things like "Well, we don't have to understand it, we just have to accept it. Who are you, O man, to talk back to God anyway?" as the Calvinists do.
Listen to some of these sermons (especially if you're coming out of Calvinism) and be encouraged, letting it strengthen your faith and fill your head and heart with truth (click here for his YouTube channel for many more sermons):
A call to eternal salvation through Jesus Christ (3.5 minutes long)
Tony Evans explains how to share the gospel (6 minutes long)
Connecting with God for a Breakthrough
What is faith and how does it work?
It's time for a better understanding of who God is
Activating the anointing of the Holy Spirit
Unfolding the work of the Holy Spirit
How to be filled with the Spirit
Recognize the Lordship of the Holy Spirit
Reversing Anxiety Consequences
Keeping the faith when life gets hard
How to have strength in your struggles
Overcoming the consequences of worry and anxiety
How to Get Your Prayers Answered
Trusting The God You Believe In
The reassurance of a heavenly perspective
Pursuing your heavenly citizenship
Touching heaven to change earth
How the enemy tries to distract you from God's plan
Grab your sword (a shorter version of Sword of the Spirit)
When God speaks we must listen
God wants you to obey completely, not partially
Praying and Waiting for God's Timing
Experiencing Spiritual Deliverance
Finding victory over Satan's tricks and traps
The Lord will supply all your needs
What to do when life gets too hard
Defeating The Enemy With Prayer
Unlock the spiritual power found in God's Word
The Nature of the Battle part 1
Using Prayer to overcome spiritual warfare
Another Spiritual Warfare Playlist
A 20-Sermon Playlist (includes some already listed above)
