I had the "Are you a Calvinist?" rock thrown at me this past weekend (while the person tilted his head and scrunched up his eyebrows) after I tried to answer his question related to human depravity and mans inability to come to God on his own.

I simply told him I was a Christian.

I go to a southern Baptist church where the pastor has vented his disgust of Calvinism over the last couple years. Actually, his several mentions of how Calvinism was heresy and false doctrine are what led me to search the Scriptures and see if those claims were true or not. Before his railing of Calvinism, I had never even given it a second thought. Thank God he did.

Is it wrong for me to not want to be defined as a Calvinist?

Wayne, it is NOT wrong for you to NOT want to be labeled a Calvinist? Words mean something but some words also mean different things to different people. Depending on the bias of the person the difference in meaning might be slight or it might carry a very emotional and irrational misunderstanding. Labeling yourself as a Calvinist on the PB is pretty safe but in the average mainstream church you will require a great deal of qualifying.

Many believe that a Calvinist is one who believes is cold determinism - that God won't save someone even if that someone wants to be saved. They believe that Calvinism is an over emphasis on predestination, others just know what they've been told, that Calvinists are heretics or they eat their young.

Your best bet is to simply ask the person, "What do you mean by Calvinist or Calvinism?". I usually correct people and give them a short history lesson about the 5 points and how they are not even an explanation of Calvinism. If they are interested I explain that if they were to read the Institutes they would find a very pastoral work that makes up what is perhaps the most pure expression of the Gospel.

Many people will discount Calvin because they believed he burned Servetus at the stake. You should become familiar with that story if you wish to defend Calvin.

Both friends and foes use the word Calvinist as shorthand for a larger package of ideas - the word is the same but the packages are very different.

"Many believe that a Calvinist is one who believes is cold determinism - that God won't save someone even if that someone wants to be saved."

Right, like there is going to be someone in Heaven complaining that they are there against their will.

"...others just know what they've been told, that Calvinists are heretics or they eat their young."

That's a good one!

Thank you very much. I would hit the 'thank you' button but I can't find it yet.

Dawg

Thank you Josh, you are right to aptly warn us of our grammar struggles. People should learn to not split infinitives.