First Official *Contest* at A Puritan's Mind for the PB

[turmeric]

My guess...some 20th Century seminary professor used it in class and it took off. That's why we can't find it, it's in someone's lesson plan somewhere. Post-Warfield, pre-Gerstner.

 

[Pilgrim]

I've found several instances of Spurgeon expositions of the Five Points in familiar order, including here but he generally uses Human Depravity for Total Depravity, etc.

Other writers of this era, including A.A. Hodge generally seem to use the WCF term effectual calling instead of TULIP's irresistible grace.

 

[C. Matthew McMahon]

Wow, lots of god stuff thus far!

The prize yet awaits!

 

[youthevang]

This may not be the answer but I found them interesting.

Now if we take all those first capital letters and make an acrostic to help us remember the five points we come up with A G J A T. "Agjat." Several hundred years ago some English speaking Calvinists tried to come up with an acrostic for these five points; and they hit upon T U L I P, which is a lot easier to remember. TULIP is also appropriate because these five points were first outlined in 1618 at the Synod of Dordt, in Holland (home of the tulip flower).

From Calvinism Made Simple

They are only known as that because some students of Calvin came up with the acrostic T.U.L.I.P. which roughly defines the "doctrines of grace."

From Sermon Audio

 

[fivepointcalvinist]

Originally posted by turmeric

It was, I believe, the late Dr. John Gerstner who invented the acronym LILAC to summarize the five points of the Arminians. He did this because the tulip flower has been the symbol of the five points of Calvinism

We all know that the Calvinist flower is the TULIP. But how many of you knew that the Arminian flower is the DAISY?

"œHe loves me"¦ He loves me not"¦ He loves me"¦ He loves me not"¦"

 

[Puritan Sailor]

I've got another lead, but it will have to wait until I get to the library.

So far Boettner in 1932 is the earliest?

 

[Pilgrim]

Originally posted by puritansailor
I've got another lead, but it will have to wait until I get to the library.

So far Boettner in 1932 is the earliest?

No one has posted anything here suggesting they have found an explicit use of TULIP earlier. Someone said that Shedd uses 4 of the 5 terms, which suggests that he may have been familiar with the acrostic.

 

[fivepointcalvinist]

aha! i may have it!

In 1610 the followers of Arminius published their "Remonstrance," in which cardinal points of Calvinism were questioned. The Remonstrants grounded God's election in his foresight of faith, taught that Christ died for the salvation of all men, said that grace could be resisted, and declared that perseverance was not necessarily guaranteed to all. The Canons of Dort repudiated these positions and bequeathed to the Reformed church a specific view on the issues. The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism.

from:

TULIPs or ROSES



[Edited on 4-17-2006 by fivepointcalvinist]

 

[NaphtaliPress]

Anyone check SERMONS ON THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM by WILLIAM PARKS? Originally preached 1856 and often reprinted and still in print. I don't have the work.

 

[Pilgrim]

Originally posted by NaphtaliPress
Anyone check SERMONS ON THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM by WILLIAM PARKS? Originally preached 1856 and often reprinted and still in print. I don't have the work.

I seem to recall Spurgeon referencing the Five Points but not mentioning TULIP explicitly. The substance was there, but particular redemption is used instead of limited atonement, etc.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

I think Warfield does the same thing in his article on Calvinism in his Shorter Writings.

Originally posted by Pilgrim

Originally posted by NaphtaliPress
Anyone check SERMONS ON THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM by WILLIAM PARKS? Originally preached 1856 and often reprinted and still in print. I don't have the work.

I seem to recall Spurgeon referencing the Five Points but not mentioning TULIP explicitly. The substance was there, but particular redemption is used instead of limited atonement, etc.

 

[C. Matthew McMahon]

Originally posted by fivepointcalvinist
aha! i may have it!

In 1610 the followers of Arminius published their "Remonstrance," in which cardinal points of Calvinism were questioned. The Remonstrants grounded God's election in his foresight of faith, taught that Christ died for the salvation of all men, said that grace could be resisted, and declared that perseverance was not necessarily guaranteed to all. The Canons of Dort repudiated these positions and bequeathed to the Reformed church a specific view on the issues. The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism.

from:

TULIPs or ROSES



[Edited on 4-17-2006 by fivepointcalvinist]

If you can quote the source for this place, you win: "The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism."

Where did the Reformed Church in Holland say this? Do you have a source for it?

 

[fivepointcalvinist]

Originally posted by C. Matthew McMahon

Originally posted by fivepointcalvinist
aha! i may have it!

In 1610 the followers of Arminius published their "Remonstrance," in which cardinal points of Calvinism were questioned. The Remonstrants grounded God's election in his foresight of faith, taught that Christ died for the salvation of all men, said that grace could be resisted, and declared that perseverance was not necessarily guaranteed to all. The Canons of Dort repudiated these positions and bequeathed to the Reformed church a specific view on the issues. The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism.

from:

TULIPs or ROSES



[Edited on 4-17-2006 by fivepointcalvinist]

If you can quote the source for this place, you win: "The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism."

Where did the Reformed Church in Holland say this? Do you have a source for it?

im hurrying!!!

 

[Pilgrim]

Originally posted by C. Matthew McMahon

Originally posted by fivepointcalvinist
aha! i may have it!

In 1610 the followers of Arminius published their "Remonstrance," in which cardinal points of Calvinism were questioned. The Remonstrants grounded God's election in his foresight of faith, taught that Christ died for the salvation of all men, said that grace could be resisted, and declared that perseverance was not necessarily guaranteed to all. The Canons of Dort repudiated these positions and bequeathed to the Reformed church a specific view on the issues. The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism.

from:

TULIPs or ROSES



[Edited on 4-17-2006 by fivepointcalvinist]

If you can quote the source for this place, you win: "The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism."

Where did the Reformed Church in Holland say this? Do you have a source for it?

Did the Reformed Church in Holland say this? When the author refers to the "Reformed Church" I took it to mean the Reformed Church in general, not specifically Dutch Reformed, although I could be wrong. The quote is from a book review in the OPC magazine and the book reviewed is one in which Timothy George comes up with ROSES as a substitute for TULIP. Perhaps the tulips in Holland gave whoever formulated TULIP the idea for it.

[Edited on 4-17-2006 by Pilgrim]

 

[turmeric]

Who first used the terms "Limited Atonement" instead of "Particular Atonement" and "irresistible Grace" instead of "Efficacious Grace"? If you don't have those particular (no pun intended) words, you don't have the acrostic. In fact, people don't like to use different phrases without apology because it messes up the acrostic. So there's the clue possibly.

 

[Semper Fidelis]

Originally posted by turmeric
http://www.prca.org/standard_bearer/volume74/1997oct15.html

From the article "The Poisonous Petals of the Arminian LILAC"
Rev. Charles J. Terpstra

It was, I believe, the late Dr. John Gerstner who invented the acronym LILAC to summarize the five points of the Arminians. He did this because the tulip flower has been the symbol of the five points of Calvinism. The two "flowers" look like this:


T - Total Depravity
U - Unconditional Election
L - Limited Atonement
I - Irresistible Grace
P - Perseverance of Saints

L - Limited Depravity
I - I Choose Christ
L - Limitless Atonement
A - Arrestible Grace
C - Carnal Security

 

[Puritan Sailor]

I thought it was interesting that Boettner didn't use Total Depravity but Total Inability. I wonder who introduced Total Depravity.....

 

[fivepointcalvinist]

Originally posted by C. Matthew McMahon

Originally posted by fivepointcalvinist
aha! i may have it!

In 1610 the followers of Arminius published their "Remonstrance," in which cardinal points of Calvinism were questioned. The Remonstrants grounded God's election in his foresight of faith, taught that Christ died for the salvation of all men, said that grace could be resisted, and declared that perseverance was not necessarily guaranteed to all. The Canons of Dort repudiated these positions and bequeathed to the Reformed church a specific view on the issues. The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism.

from:

TULIPs or ROSES



[Edited on 4-17-2006 by fivepointcalvinist]

If you can quote the source for this place, you win: "The tulip-clad fields of Holland provided the Reformed church with the acrostic which has helped many to recall the central theses of Calvinism."

Where did the Reformed Church in Holland say this? Do you have a source for it?

i have emailed the author for his reference. will get back in the am...

 

[fivepointcalvinist]

got a response back from the author:

Dear Matthew,

My reference is simply to the Synod of Dordt, held in Holland from 1618-19 and which addressed the
Arminian controversy. Whether someone at Dordt came up with the acrostic TULIP I'm not so sure, but it was certainly out of the Canons of Dordt that the main emphases of Reformed theology came.

There is a good exposition of the TULIP doctrines (Total depravity,
Unconditional election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance
of the Saints) in R.C. Sproul (ed.) AFTER DARKNESS, LIGHT.

I'm not sure if this answers your question at all, but I hope it helps.

Iain D. Campbell

[Edited on 4-17-2006 by fivepointcalvinist]

 

[fivepointcalvinist]

thought this was interesting:

In the beginning of the 17th century, the tulip was starting to be used as a garden decoration in addition to its medicinal use. It soon gained major popularity as a trading product, especially in Holland. The interest in the flower was huge and bulbs sold for unbelievably high prices. Botanists began to hybridize the flower. They soon found ways of making the tulip even more decorative and tempting. Hybrids and mutations of the flower were seen as rarities and a sign of high status. In the months of late 1636 to early 1637, there was a complete "œTulipmania" in the Netherlands. Some varieties could cost more than an Amsterdam house at that time. Even ordinary men took part in the business. They saw how much money the upper class made in the commodity and thought it was an easy way of getting lots of money with no risk. The bulbs were usually sold by weight while they were still in the ground. This trade in un-sprouted flowers came to be called "œwind trade".

 

[fivepointcalvinist]

i think its implied that at the synod itself, those present were inspired by the concurrent fascination/interest in tulips. i think its reasonable to say that the acrostic was a concensus rather than something proposed by one man...

 

[matthew11v25]

I thought the acrostic TULIP was developed atleast after the Canons of Dordt were translated into english.

found this reference:

TULIP is a device developed (in North America) for remembering the fundamental doctrines concerning salvation discussed and declared at the Synod of Dordt (1618-1619)

by Arie Leder

 

[matthew11v25]

Originally posted by fivepointcalvinist
i think its implied that at the synod itself, those present were inspired by the concurrent fascination/interest in tulips. i think its reasonable to say that the acrostic was a concensus rather than something proposed by one man...

Though it may have been established like a consensus, I am guessing that someone still came up with the original idea. I may be wrong, but that is my thought.

 

[fivepointcalvinist]

well i will definitely concede to the fact that the acronym was likely originated in an english speaking culture. why? tulip the flower in dutch is translated t-u-l-p. no irresistible grace!

 

[Puritan Sailor]

Looks like I'm still in the lead

 

[polemic_turtle]

boy, I give up! I probably earned near that today working, so I'll just give up for now and order myself something nice.

Like Turrentin's Institutes of Elenctic Theology for $75 from Walmart.com

 

[Bladestunner316]

weird at wallmart??

 

[MeanieCalvinist]

Originally posted by polemic_turtle
boy, I give up! I probably earned near that today working, so I'll just give up for now and order myself something nice.

Like Turrentin's Institutes of Elenctic Theology for $75 from Walmart.com

Great idea... what a great deal on the set!

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Originally posted by MeanieCalvinist

Originally posted by polemic_turtle
boy, I give up! I probably earned near that today working, so I'll just give up for now and order myself something nice.

Like Turrentin's Institutes of Elenctic Theology for $75 from Walmart.com

Great idea... what a great deal on the set!

Wow, that's a remarkable price! Wal-Mart?

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

So is the contest over? Did Patrick get the prize? What's the official verdict? Inquiring minds would like to know.