Is Calvinism a Masculine Movement?

Dr. Flowers engages with some recent comments by Calvinists on the Soteriology 101 facebook page regarding the "effemination of the Bible" being related to free will theology by suggesting that those who teach "God is waiting around on us to make free choices is an effeminate and weak view of God."

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[TKK]

I have a big thick beard and tattoos and I have literally had a few people think I was a calvinist based off that alone! I'm taking back this style for the provisionist!

[thearamsay]

As a woman, I can say that Calvinism has never had any appeal for me what so ever. I’m not into Joel Osteen either. But if there was one wrong theology that I could eradicate from this planet, it would be Calvinism.

[TKK]

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling"

Tyrell's post could just as easily apply to this and that says a lot about the comment. I guess Jesus is just like a helpless mama chicken who can't gather her chicks.

[caroldonaldson]

That was super-helpful and thought-provoking Leighton - SO much food for thought - thank you!

[dreamlabmc]

If any man (Gr: τις masculine singular) hear my voice and open the door I will come in. He is not knocking at a corporate door as some suggest but an individual door so that any individual may open the door.

[HeavenGuy]

1Timothy 6:11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

[annemarieschulz]

This is spot on my husband is a Calvanist & has been violent to me. He used to read scriptures at the dinner table like, "silly woman leading woman astray". He is angry & has a very short fuse. I think he is worried about dying & has no comprehension of grace. I was so blessed by the book Christian men who hate woman. Many Calvinist men are cold & show no love. The church my husband attends has broken up so many marriages sadly.

[HickoryDickory]

In other words: Calvinists are, in general, conflating meekness with weakness. They are not the same thing, and only a willfully ignorant person would confuse the two.

Jesus is meek, patient, loving, and kind (you know, the "fruit of the Spirit" and all the "effeminate" nonsense [Gal 5:22-26]; a point could even be made that they are borderline glorifying various works of the flesh [Gal 5:19-21]). To know that meekness and weakness are not the same thing, let it never escape our notice that the meek Jesus who stands at the door knocking (Rev 3:20) is the same Jesus who will destroy the man of lawlessness "with the breath of his mouth, annihilating him by the manifestation of his coming" (2 Thess 2:8).

We worship the God who at once displays anger, wrath, and fury (Deut 29:28) while pitying and delighting in his children (Ps 103:13; Prov 3:12). This same God who is our Father (Isa 63:16; 64:8) is also described in terms of a mother (Isa 66:14), and his wisdom is personifed as a woman, (Lady) Wisdom, who "raises her voice" (Prov 1:20), who "has built her house" and "hewn her seven pillars" (Prov 9:1). And lest we forget, the live-giving Spirit of God brooded over the waters of creation in the same way a hen incubates her unhatched young (Gen 1:2).

As males and females equally are made in God's image (Gen 1:26-27), we naturally should expect to find that God---a Spirit and thus having no actual gender himself (as gender/sex is required for procreation, which is necessary for mortals but unnecessary for immortals [see Matt 22:30 and Mark 12:25 with Luke 20:34-36])---has both masculine and feminine character traits.

[tyn]

Thank you for your extensive work on this subject. I have been a reluctant calvinist for almost 10 years. I can no longer profess allegiance with that sect.

[thearamsay]

Well, I don’t understand the whole problem with man’s free will. I thought Christ was seeking a bride, not raping one. From start to finish, God has always reached out his hand toward us, even though it’s our fault that we’re separated. And yeah, he has wrath for people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. I’m not saying that gods all strawberry shortcake and cream, but at the same time, throughout the Scriptures, relationship with God has been like a courtship or a marriage in terms of the kind of figures of speech that are used.
And folks may not understand this, but tucked inside all this reformed theology is replacement theology. That is, but God has only one people. In the Old Testament it was Israel; in the New Testament, it’s the church.
Know why I wonder, with all this reform theology start sweeping the world over? Even in Christian rap. Well, . If I were Satan, the last thing I want is for Christians to be praying for the people of Israel. Or supporting them or believing that God still has a plan for them. Satan is an anti-Semite. He hates the Jews because the Messiah came through the Jews. He hates the Jews because that same Messiah is coming back after a seven year period of tribulation. Now Satan wouldn’t want people talking about that seven year., ., So he brings in preterism. And he certainly hates the pre-tribulation rapture, which a lot of reform people don’t even believe in. And I can tell you that pre-trib believers are getting some of the most vile and foul hate mail from supposed Christians.
Beat it reformed theology, or kingdom now theology, they’re really both two sides of the same coin. You say rapture, Satan hears doom. Because when the church leaves this earth via the rapture, and he is thrown down from heaven during the seven-year tribulation period, he knows that his time is short. So that’s why I think all of this reformed theology is sweeping over the world. And he certainly doesn’t want you to step up your game and evangelize the lost, so he mixes up this little drug called Calvinism. He shoots it in your veins, you become the frozen chosen, and your heart is hard toward those who are lost. Mission accomplished.
Oh, yes. Can somebody please tell me why, in all these discussions, no one has ever discussed Calvin himself. I understand that John Calvin had people murdered who disagreed with him. And I’ve also understood that he wasn’t sure if he was going to heaven. Apparently, on his deathbed, he was afraid that he himself was not going to heaven. I’d like to see this podcast do a life of John Calvin. Let’s take it back to the guy who started this nonsense in the first place.

[MasterSanders]

The solution combating an effeminate false Jesus is not to creat an equally false Jesus who commits spiritual rape. I apologize for the strong analogy, but it’s what. Calvinists effectively teach.

[CharlestonJesus]

Hey..hey Dr Flowers I have a pretty thick beard and tats but I am not Calvinist. :) But I get what you saying I went toward Calvinism for a bit because I was in the seeker-sensitive church growth movement for 10yrs and was tired of hearing such a weak watered down gospel that you never heard about sin, righteousness and judgement. I was looking for something more bolder and well Calvinist teachers drew me in because they seemed more manly and fearless. It seemed like it was what I was looking for because of the weak Jesus I kept hearing about in the seeker-sensitive church. But I came out of Calvinism. It was because of the weak watered down gospel that attracted me to Calvinism but if you follow the Calvinistic system "doctrines of grace" then I lost love toward all people. I could not look at everyone as Christ dying for them so that does something to how you look at people.

[martytu]

The emergence of Calvinism seem to attract people with an authoritarian bent. Could it be that authoritarians are attracted to the “brute force determinism” some Calvinists hold?

[trebmaster]

If God's expression of power is totalitarian in nature, it detracts from God's ability to rely upon His divine wisdom, courage, and love. God can express His power in ways that still leave room for this, and that emphasizes His divine character, which is what the Bible does moreso than focusing on the mechanics of His power.

[sammig.]

People in our culture today often seem overly focused on gender and on differentiating men and women as masculin or féminine, but I don't think this overemphasis is Biblical. When God said that it wasn't good for the man to be alone and that he would make a help meet to him, he didn't immediately make Eve and bring her to Adam. First, he formed all the animals of dust and brought them to Adam and let Adam name them. Then the text points out that among all the animals there was not found a helper suitable to him. After that, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and took one of his ribs and made the woman from the rib. When he brought her to Adam, Adam said, "This, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!" It would seem that the emphasis in this scripture is not that women are vastly different than men. Rather the woman was created from the man, and is comparable to him. She is like him in a way that no other animal in all the world is. Because she is like him, she can relate to him and understand him and be a helper suitable to him. I think we err when we focus too much on what makes us different, rather than see that we are a lot alike, and we're all human. That's not to say that there isn't any distinction between the two, or that it's okay to switch genders. Just that, I think, the splitting of human characteristics between men and women and judging people by what we perceive as either masculin traits or féminine traits is rather foolish. I think it's better that all of us strive to be imitators of Jesus our Lord, rather than try to be masculin or féminine. If you're a man, you're a man already. You don't have to worry about being "masculin, " you're already male. If you're a woman, you're a woman and so you're automatically féminine because you're female. People make it a lot more complicated than it needs to be.

[cdenese]

good for you Leighton. This is good stuff that needs to be said.

[dreamlabmc]

Think of the High priest's garments in Exodus 28 He had two black, onyx shoulder pieces to bear the names of the Israelites on his shoulders before God's presence. Here I picture a dad carrying his kids on his shoulder. In like manner, Christ bore the blackness of our sin on the cross as he shouldered the cross up to Calvary.

Aaron also had beautifully colored gems on his breastplate with the names of the tribes of Israel inscribed as well to carry his people in his blossom into the presence of the LORD. I think of a mother carrying her babe at her breast, close to her heart. Isaiah 40:11 also comes to mind. "He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young."

Jesus, in his role as our Great high priest, bears us in the blackness of our sin upon his shoulders and in the bright colors of salvation as he carries us in his bosom.

[williamwrightjr.]

An interesting look at the psychology of Calvinism and/or those who believe in Calvinism. Thank you!

[branch]

Thanks Leighton. It brings to mind also, Luke 15:8 (God pictured as a woman losing a coin). Thank you so much for being willing to take on a subject like this. I believe it is very helpful and needed in the mind of the church today. Perfect subject. In 2014 I was so surprised at how authoritarian Christianity had become that I spent many hours in research. Thank you for recognizing and addressing this. 1 Cor 16:13, I believe, is a favored spot of this leaning. The Church in ways has seemed to be cloaked in respectable manly refined qualities, and to the extend man lives up to this role, to that extent his life is filled with the Spirit of God motif.

I believe some in the past had asked your thoughts about Lordship Salvation. I realize not your area of focus, but there are some major cross-over points both in what you address in this video and what is found in many Calvinist circles. Charles Bing did a doctrinal dissertation on the issue, if that might help lean in on a focus point. There are some very interesting arguments in that book that might bring up too some fresh perspectives (not that you are in any need of how you do so wonderfully cover all sorts of bases concerning Calvinism) to backdrop theological misconception of the Church today. I am not of the belief that Lordship Salvation in its entirety is unbiblical. If we know Him we will show fruit. But Lordship Salvation seems to have taken on the same gladiator mentality as you have noticed to be in Calvinism (and in like fashion, Lordship Salvation would appear to be "her, " Calvinism's, twin sister). :)

In many ways, I believe addressing Calvinism can seem to some like trying to nail jello to the wall...yet you have made it clear this is not the case (albeit many forms of Calvinism--which being able to address as you do...is all the more signs of a stable-mindedness you bring to this arena). As I see it, Lordship Salvation appears to be a much more wiley ideology or theology and even more obtuse than Calvinism can be. I would understand how this may not be of considerable focus for you. But if you might, I think you balanced perspective could bring a lot of healing (additionally) to pockets of Christianity in some great degree confused over this issue. God bless. Thanks so much for your heart in what you do...it is of great blessing. Amen.

[emonkazemphotography]

Leighton, is there any chance you'd be able to get John Piper on your podcast?