9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult #3 (multiple layers)

[This series is "The 9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult" split up into smaller, individual posts.] 

3. Multiple Layers for Maximum Deception

In Calvinism, there are always layers, at least two: the one they want you to see and the one they don't.  What they say and what they mean.  What they want you to think they really believe and what they really believe.

If you read Piper's article, you'll notice how somewhat sweet and humble he makes his hard-core Calvinism seem.  But do you notice what's missing?

The flipside.  The bad parts.  The parts that would raise most Christians' red flags.  The thing is, he's only sharing one layer of Calvinism, only telling the story from the side of the Calvinist elect and God's relationship to them.  But he hides the deeper, darker layer, completely ignoring how God relates to the non-elect.  

If Calvinist teachings sound like "good news," it's only because they're telling it from the perspective of "the elect."  And only the elect.  

9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult #2 (hidden agendas)

 [This series is "The 9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult" split up into smaller, individual posts.] 

(Happy Thanksgiving tomorrow!)

2. Hidden Agendas

Not only do Stealth Calvinist pastors get into churches using deception, but they come in with the hidden agenda to reform the church, to slowly drag it into Calvinism without the awareness of the people.

A post called "The Church Infected with Calvinism" shares this: 

"This third scenario [of how Calvinism infects a church] is all too common.  There are websites that instruct Calvinistic preachers who accept calls to non-Calvinistic churches on how to gradually 'acclimate' the church to Calvinism.  I saw one website with a two-year, month-by-month plan for the stealth Calvinist to take a non-Calvinistic church into 'Reformed Theology' land.  It's almost cult-like and certainly deceptive... While the Calvinistic pastor is crafting pulpit content to fortify his philosophical arguments, he will simultaneously be about the business of looking for and mentoring members of the congregation who are now open to Calvinistic logic.  He'll slowly but surely transform as many of these folks as possible into full-blown Calvinists and, when possible, put them in places of church leadership, especially teaching positions... With the leadership of the church and a majority of the congregation now in league with him, the plan of transition is complete. The objectors, who are now in the minority, are powerless to reverse the Calvinistic course."  [Yep, we've seen it happen.]

As that said, Calvinists have published plans for how to take over a church, such as the one I mentioned earlier from Founders Ministries ("Walking without Slipping") and this one from 9Marks ("A Roadmap for Church Reform"), both very Calvinist.  (And FYI, I'm not picking on 9Marks with the title of my post.  I'm picking on 9Marks and all other Calvinist organizations and Stealth Calvinists, too.)

9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult: Intro and #1 (deception)

[This series is "The 9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult" broken up into smaller posts.]

A Psychology Today article - Understanding Cults: The Basics - shares some characteristics of cults and how they operate (I've condensed some of them here to three main points): 

1. No one knowingly, voluntarily joins a cult, but they are "recruited" into it by cult leaders who take advantage of the vulnerabilities of the recruits, using deception and manipulation to suck them in.

2. Cults use isolation, control, fear, coercion, mind-control, and thought-reform to enslave the members to the cult.  The members' "inner voices" are suppressed.

3. Cults are authoritarian (disagreeing with or opposing the leader is not allowed), and cult leaders are malignant narcissists.

And I think this kinda fits Calvinism, especially Stealth Calvinism.  And so, based on these, I came up with 9 marks that I think identify Calvinism as a cult.  Or more accurately, "cult-ish."  You decide if you agree or disagree.  

But don't take my word about any of this.  Who am I?  I'm nobody.  Don't trust me.  Dig into the research and Bible for yourself before forming your conclusions.  Be a good Berean!

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)

The 9 Marks of a Calvinist Cult

(For the shortened version of this post, click here.  And here are links to the individual long chapters: #1 deception ... #2 hidden agendas ... #3 multiple layers ... #4 strategic tactics ... #5 isolation and control ... #6 fear/coercion ... #7 mind-control/thought-reform ... #8 gaslighting ... #9 authoritarian narcissists ... conclusion and links)

A Psychology Today article - Understanding Cults: The Basics - shares some characteristics of cults and how they operate (I've condensed some of them here to three main points): 

1. No one knowingly, voluntarily joins a cult, but they are "recruited" into it by cult leaders who take advantage of the vulnerabilities of the recruits, using deception and manipulation to suck them in.

2. Cults use isolation, control, fear, coercion, mind-control, and thought-reform to enslave the members to the cult.  The members' "inner voices" are suppressed.

3. Cults are authoritarian (disagreeing with or opposing the leader is not allowed), and cult leaders are malignant narcissists.

And I think this kinda fits Calvinism, especially Stealth Calvinism.  And so, based on these, I came up with 9 marks that I think identify Calvinism as a cult.  Or more accurately, "cult-ish."  You decide if you agree or disagree.  

But don't take my word about any of this.  Who am I?  I'm nobody.  Don't trust me.  Dig into the research and Bible for yourself before forming your conclusions.  Be a good Berean!

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)

So Earth's crust is full of water, huh?

Did you see this article - "Earth's crust swallowed a sea's worth of water and locked it away beneath Pacific seafloor" - about how there is a massive deep reservoir of water hidden beneath the ocean floor by New Zealand and how the rocks there are abnormally wet, how they should contain much less water for being many "millions" of years old?

Do you know what this makes me think of?

"The fountains of the great deep" which burst open during the worldwide flood of Genesis 5:11: "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life... all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of heaven were opened."

And it makes me think that maybe the earth isn't really "millions" of years old like scientists keep insisting.

Also see "Maybe 'millions of years' is actually just 40 days!"  and "Starting the new school year with Creation vs. Evolution" and "Is Evolution True?" 

Just something to think about. 

Stupider than stupid

You know what's stupider than stupid?

Worms.

They're always slithering lengthwise down a sidewalk, instead of crawling across it from side to side.  And then they wonder why they shrivel up and die.

They're so stupid.