[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)
[And FYI: I say "cult-ish" instead of "a true cult" to differentiate it from the more dangerous and extreme cults, the kind which turn normal people into slaves of the cult whose only goal in life is to serve and obey the cult leader. Those kinds of cults often control every aspect of the cult members' lives, even to the point of physically removing them from society to live only among other cult members, controlling whom they marry or have relations with, and possibly even brainwashing them into killing themselves.
Calvinism, with its much milder, more-limited form of cult-like mental tactics, does not go to that extreme. And so to call Calvinism a "true cult" might be insulting to those trapped in true cults, minimizing the severity of the dangers they face. (Though I'm sure there are people who've felt the damage Calvinism can do and who would call it a true cult.) So just know that I mean "cult-ish" or "cult-lite" whenever I talk about Calvinism being a cult.]
Important note: Before I get into this, let me say that I am not judging the hearts of Calvinists here or saying that they're not truly saved or that there's nothing good in Calvinism.
Most Calvinists at the church we left are wonderful, humble, God-fearing people who truly love Jesus, other people, and God's Word and who are doing their best to live a God-honoring life. And if I was a gambler - if I knew when to hold 'em, when to fold 'em, when to walk away, and when to run 😀 - I would bet money that practically every Calvinist I know is a true believer, truly saved.
[Calvinism is more about hijacking those who are already Christians than it is about "saving" non-believers. And in fact, Calvinism does not and cannot "save" any non-believer from hell. It only "saves" those who are supposedly already saved (or if you prefer Joey Tribbiani-style: "supposably already saved"😉). It only saves those who were never at risk of going to hell at any point in time. And those on their way to hell, the non-elect, can never be saved from hell. Calvinism does not rescue any sinner from hell. And I don't think it's really possible for honest Calvinist theology to save anyone anyway. See "Are Calvinists really saved?" for my explanation on this.]
And so I am not judging the hearts, personalities, or intentions of Calvinists. But I am judging/examining the errors and cult-like methods of Calvinism itself (Stealth Calvinism, in particular), how they use manipulation and deception to sucker Christians into Calvinism and to subversively get into non-Calvinist churches (even if they're doing it unintentionally).
Regardless of someone's nice personality and good intentions, if they operate deceptively and cult-like and are full of biblical errors, it needs to be exposed. And I'm sorry that we have to expose it. I'd love to put my arms around everyone and sing Kumbaya around the campfire all day, just spreading the love. And I'm sure most Calvinists are just trying their best to be loving, godly, faithful people. I'm sure their hearts are in the right place.
But their theology is not. Their methods are not.
And that's more important. It has to be more important. And it cannot be overlooked just because they are nice, good, well-intentioned people. We in the Church have an obligation to protect the gospel, even if it means offending those who think they're right but are wrong.
Galatians 1:6-8: "I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel - which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!" [Yes, I say Calvinism is a different gospel. Same words and verses, but very different definitions and foundational beliefs. Of course, I don't wish eternal condemnation on anyone, but it is a different gospel.]
2 Timothy 2:15,4:3-5: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth... For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations ..."
So this is not directed at the Calvinist people, per se. My heart goes out to those trapped in this bad theology, those who are just trying their best to live and believe the way they're told to. Eventually, without knowing why, they might find themselves feeling dead inside. Their spirit suffocated. Their faith shriveled-up dry. Distrusting or hating God. And by then, it may be too late. They've been taught all along that "Calvinism is the Gospel," and so in their effort to get away from this faith-killing theology, they might toss out God altogether instead of just tossing out the Calvinism. Because they didn't know there was a difference. (However, I believe a true believer cannot lose their salvation, even if they walk away from God for a time.)
I am not attacking Calvinist people (I'm trying to help them), but I am attacking the Calvinist mindset, tactics, and theology itself (which is the only way to help them).
And of course, both sides, all sides (all religions and all denominations) think they're right, that they have "the truth" and that the others are wrong. And we've all got "biblical support" to back us up. Calvinists are convinced they're right. Arminians are convinced they're right. Non-Arminian-non-Calvinists are convinced they're right. And we're all trying to prove it. And the beat goes on, and the beat goes on (la-de-da-de-de, la-de-da-de-da), as it has for hundreds and hundreds of years.
This is why it's so important to not take anyone else's word for it. Learn the Word well for yourself. Pray for discernment and wisdom. Discuss the differences respectfully with each other. Be teachable. But keep reading and growing in the Word. We're all on a journey of faith, always learning and growing and not reaching completion until the end. So in your relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ, be gentle. Be kind.
And remember that this is all just my opinion, from my own experience and research. (But you don't have to agree.) And I am painting with broad brushstrokes here, but just know that not all Calvinists are like this. There are many honest, up-front ones, just not the deliberately stealthy ones, the ones I'm most concerned about.
(Oh, okay, I know you're feeling like something's missing and it's going to bother you until it's said, so here goes: "And party on, dudes!" There, you can rest easy now.😊)
Okay now, with that out of the way, let's get ready to rumble!
FYI: There are lots of links in here to other posts or resources that explain things more in-depth. (I could provide more, but I'm going to limit it.) But there's a full list of links at the end so that you don't have to stop along the way.
And yes, this is long, very long (it took me 2 1/2 hours to read straight through slowly), with lots of sidenotes, quotes, deeper explanations, and a little repetition. So get a cup of coffee and a brown-bag lunch, 'cuz you're gonna be here awhile. (But really, you should know this about me by now.) But in the coming weeks, I will break this up into smaller posts, publishing each point on its own to make it shorter and easier to read. (I wasn't planning on publishing this series on this blog since it's on my other two, but then I thought "Eh, why not!")
1. Using deception to get into a church
Stealth Calvinism gets into our churches in deceptive ways, such as when an elder board hires a known Calvinist pastor but hides it from the congregation or when a Calvinist hides his Calvinism from everyone to get hired at a non-Calvinist church - and then the Calvinist pastor slowly maneuvers the church into Calvinism without our awareness. (See "The Church Infected with Calvinism")
In the interview process at non-Calvinist churches, Calvinists don't reveal their Calvinism if they think the church will be resistant to it. They'll hide or disguise as much of it as they can... unless and until asked exactly the right questions that force them to answer truthfully and fully.
And usually, the "right questions" can only be asked by those in-the-know, those who already know what Calvinism is and the signs to look for and the word-games Calvinists play. It takes knowing about Calvinism to protect yourself against Calvinism.
And sadly, most Christians are not in-the-know. And Calvinists know this. In fact, Stealth Calvinists count on it, hoping to exploit our ignorance and trust to get into the church under our noses.
Dr. Nelson L. Price's post "Covert Calvinists" (with some minor punctuation changes for better clarity) points out that "Many [Calvinists] have worked their way into local churches as covert Calvinists. They seem to operate on a 'no ask, no tell' basis. If representatives of a local church don't know what a Calvinist believes and how to ask questions, subversion often occurs. Once a Calvinist pastor comes into a church, his approach seems to be not to preach it from the pulpit but to mentor (or if you prefer 'disciple') cell groups, until their base is perceived to be strong enough to go public... [And] from among those they indoctrinated, they seek to establish elders in order that they might have a group of power brokers."
It's a simple plan, really: Hide your Calvinism to get into the church and then indoctrinate others into Calvinism slowly, strategically, stealthily, and in small batches, until Calvinism is embraced by most... and then go public with it.
In fact, various Calvinist theologians and organizations even encourage Calvinist pastors to hide that they're Calvinists teaching Calvinism because "labels will just confuse people, the people won't understand, they'll just react emotionally, blah, blah, blah." (So it's our fault they need to be deceptive?)
And there are numerous accounts of this happening in churches, including ours. [For the record, ours was an EFCA church, an Evangelical Free church.* See "Watching Stealth Calvinism in Action" for our story.]
Calvinist John Piper (in his article "Saying what you believe is clearer than saying Calvinist") encourages pastors to drop ("hide" is more accurate) the label "Calvinist": "But that label is not nearly as useful as telling people what you actually believe! So forget the label..."
And he says it again in "How to teach and preach 'Calvinism'": "Avoid theological jargon that is not in the text. The word 'Calvinism' is probably not helpful." So in an article on how to teach Calvinism, he recommends not using the word Calvinism. Interesting. Deceptive.
Calvinist Thomas Schreiner says in this YouTube clip that Calvinists should call themselves "biblical" instead of Calvinist and that he "never uses the term Calvinist from the pulpit," despite the fact that Calvinism is what he preaches. (It's worth noting that he helped work on the ESV study Bible.)
Founder's Ministries, a Calvinist organization, has a "how to reform a church" plan that advises Calvinist pastors to "avoid terms such as Calvinism, reformed, doctrines of grace, particular redemption, etc." (In other words, "avoid terms that identify your theology as Calvinism.")
Here's an article ("4 Reasons Not to be a 'Calvinist'") from a Calvinist pastor who wants to remain anonymous (which is kinda telling in itself) about why Calvinist pastors should not identify themselves as Calvinists. He even goes so far as to claim it's "unhealthy and even unbiblical" to identify yourself as a Calvinist to your church. Included in his reasons for hiding his Calvinism is "There are some who seek to stir up trouble with scare tactics... I have felt the strangest hostility from those who are most vocal about their worries concerning 'Calvinists'" [He's basically saying that since some people reject Calvinism and have warned others against it, you have to hide your Calvinism or else it might cause pushback or set off alarm bells. But, of course, if you don't tell anyone you're a Calvinist - "Shhh, be vewy, vewy quiet. I'm hiding from those wascally non-Calvinists." - then there's no risk of that.] And "Most people don't know what Calvinism actually is... If someone does not know what a label means, then the label itself only obstructs any hope for lucid dialogue." [Really? If someone doesn't know what Calvinism is then you have no choice but to hide it? You couldn't possibly explain what it is or which Calvinist beliefs you hold (thereby creating and adding to the dialogue), could you? No! You must hide it, teaching it in a disguised form, covered in more palatable language and ideas which won't set off alarm bells.]
In this Faith on Fire video (start at the 3:10 mark), Brian shows a clip of one Grand Poobah of Calvinism (John Piper) praising another Grand Poobah of Calvinism (John MacArthur) for being a "closet Calvinist," a stealthy 5-point Calvinist pastor for years. And what's MacArthur's reason (excuse?) for his stealthiness? "I felt like I had an obligation to bring people who have been given a [non-Calvinist] system that was superimposed on Scripture, to bring them out of that, and I thought that labels too soon would short-circuit that." [Short-circuit what? God's predestined plans? God's "sovereign" control? And reading between the lines here, he's saying it was his spiritual duty to be furtive, deceptive, to hide his Calvinism, and that it was for the good of the people, the gospel, the Church.]
In a post at SBC Voices ("Why I'm Wary of Calvinists"), the author says, "in my experience Calvinist pastors have minimized their Calvinist beliefs with search committees in order to gain a pulpit... [they] obfuscate, finesse, dart and weave." He also wisely adds: "I would absolutely advise any church to be thorough enough in their search process to determine a prospective pastor’s beliefs on Calvinism. I know that Calvinists generally eschew the term ‘Calvinist’ in favor of other labels and descriptors. Laypeople must be savvy enough to understand the vocabulary." [Can I get an "Amen"!]
Stealth Calvinists know how to hide their true beliefs, to answer on different levels so that they're not "lying" (they're being deceptive but not exactly lying*), to deflect uncomfortable questions, to turn it back on us, to redirect the conversation, to keep us talking in circles, and to masterfully spin their answers to appear to fix their contradictions and make their unbiblical, illogical ideas seem biblical and logical.
Talking with Calvinists, trying to get a grasp on what they really believe, is like trying to wrestle of greased pig. (Have you ever wrestled a greased pig? It's not easy. I mean, I've never done it either, but I imagine it's not easy.)
[*Lying is saying things that aren't true, but deception is using facts and truth to lead people into falsehood. And it's much more subtle than lying. Harder to recognize. Harder to fight. Because with lying, you can simply point to the facts that prove it false. But with deception, you need to closely examine what they're saying, how they're saying it, what their definitions are, what they're not saying (what they're hiding, what they really mean underneath what they say), what their intentions are, where they're trying to lead you, how they twisted truth and facts for their own ends, etc. It's a lot harder to combat deception than outright lies. And it's why deception works so much better than lies.]
Stealth Calvinism has gotten so bad - as noted in a post about church splits from a website called Truth Snitch - that a Southern Baptist Convention committee was "compelled to address a particularly alarming and increasingly common scenario in which a pastoral candidate conceals or obscures his Calvinist doctrinal persuasions when seeking a position at a majority non-Calvinist church."
Here's my favorite example of Stealth Calvinism: "Saint" PJ's deceptions and manipulations." It's about a self-professed 7-point Calvinist who played dumb about the definition of Calvinism when asked if he was a Calvinist and who took advantage of poorly-worded questions to get into a church that outright said it didn't want a Calvinist pastor, tricking them into thinking he wasn't a Calvinist when he definitely was. Shameful! And even worse is that he did it deliberately, is proud of it, and is encouraging others to do it too. Even more shameful!
[It's worth noting that the title of his article - where he celebrates and encourages deceiving a non-Calvinist church into hiring a Calvinist pastor - is called "Preach the Bible, Not Calvinism." So what he's essentially saying is that teaching the Bible means teaching Calvinism and that it requires being deceptive about your Calvinist theology.]
And here's one more major one: Calvinists will try as much as possible - with subtle word games that escape most people - to make it sound like they teach that Jesus's death is for all people. But they never truly mean this. They always mean that Jesus's death was merely for all kinds of people from all over the world, the elect from all nations. Never all individual people.
[And when they do say and mean "Jesus died for all people," they really only mean that Jesus died for the non-elect in theory, but not in any real, practical way that can benefit them. It would be like if I said I gave a starving man food, but I failed to mention that he was already dead or that I first sewed his mouth shut and tied his hands together so that he couldn't actually eat the food. But still... I wouldn't technically be lying when I said "I gave him food," would I? It's all about the details, about what I left out.]
And so when Calvinists talk about the gospel - about its beauty, joy, hope, power, ability to save and bring healing, etc. - remember that, in Calvinism, the gospel is only for the elect. Jesus's death is only for the elect.
As A.W. Pink says in Doctrine of Election: "... it is unmistakably evident that the 'all men' God wills to be saved and for whom Christ died are all men without regard to national distinctions..." And "It is to call the elect that the Scriptures are given, that ministers are sent, that the gospel is preached, and the Holy Spirit is here..."
John MacArthur at the 2010 Shepherd's conference (see in the first video here, from Discerning the World, starting at the 8:20-minute mark, about why Calvinists should evangelize if God elected who would be saved): "... I will not resolve the problem of the lost other than to do what the Scripture tells me to do... and that is that the Bible affirms to me that God loves the world, the specific people in the world, the specific human beings. I don't know who they are. Spurgeon said 'if you'll pull up their shirts and show me an 'E" stamped on their back and I know the elect, then I'll limit my work to them.' But since there is no such stamp, I am committed to obey the command to preach the gospel to every creature... But I don't think it's a good solution to diminish the nature of the atonement and have Jesus dying for everybody.... "
And from the second video: "There are those who God loves and there are those who God hates. Obviously!... Hullo!" (Robert Morey, a creepy dude!) and "You know that wonderful statement that goes something like this: 'God loves the sinner and hates the sin'?... That's not [what Scripture] teaches, sorry... It does not say here that God's hatred is manifested towards the wicked deed. It says that God's hatred is manifested towards the one who commits the deed... [So] how can anyone be saved? Here's our answer: the cross of Jesus Christ... [Christ] died the death of His people..." (Paul Washer)
"His people" is Calvinist-lingo for "the elect." So Jesus died only for the elect, and God apparently hates everyone else. In Calvinism.
And if that's not clear enough: "As a sin-bearing sacrifice, Jesus died a substitutionary death in the place of God’s elect. On the cross, He propitiated the righteous anger of God toward the elect... Jesus’ death did not merely make all mankind potentially savable. Nor did His death simply achieve a hypothetical benefit that may or may not be accepted. Neither did His death merely make all mankind redeemable. Instead, Jesus actually redeemed a specific people through His death, securing and guaranteeing their salvation. Not a drop of Jesus’ blood was shed in vain. He truly saved all for whom He died... With oneness of purpose, the Father and the Son sent the Holy Spirit into the world to apply this salvation to those chosen and redeemed." (Steven Lawson, Salvation is of the Lord)
(Anyone else feeling a little sad, heartsick, and disgusted right now?)
Many a church has been "recruited" into Calvinism without its awareness or consent by a Stealth Calvinist pastor who came in through deceptive means, taking advantage of the church's ignorance, naivete, and trust.
A mark of a cult leader.
(See my post about how to tell if a church, pastor, or website is Calvinist. And for a great overview of Calvinism - what it really teaches and how it goes wrong - see Patrick Myers' article "The Bible vs. Calvinism: An Overview.")
[*I think that stealth - and not-so-stealth - Calvinism is taking over EFCA churches all over the place (not to mention the SBC) because the seminaries that train the EFCA pastors are, I believe, being taken over by Calvinists. I went to one of the Christian colleges/grad schools that provides pastors for the EFCA churches, and it is home to one of the top Calvinist theologians. They even gave all the graduates a big Calvinist theology book as a graduation present. At the time, I didn't realize the school was Calvinist. I wasn't looking for it, and it probably wasn't as Calvinist decades ago when I attended, and it would've escaped my notice anyway since I was studying psychology and counseling. But looking at the school now, after the research I've done, I think it's definitely Calvinist. And it's one of the main schools that trains the pastors that get into EFCA churches in that area. And, also for the record, I believe the EFCA itself has been taken over by Calvinism too. But maybe that's just me. Calvinism has become so popular among many Big Names in the Christian world that it's going to take a grassroots' effort from all of us tiny people to fight it, to expose it.]
