Every Thursday I bring adapted teachings that I hope will help you garner a deeper, richer, truer understanding of Christianity.
The following are adapted teachings from Dr. Elmer Towns, Co-Founder of Liberty University and Dean of the B.R. Lakin School of Religion.
So, What is Calvinism? The best way to describe Calvinism is by using an acrostic: TULIP
- T=Total Depravity-
- Man is unwilling or unable to do anything to gain merit before God.
- U=Unconditional Election/Unmerited Favor-
- Man obtains salvation because God began the process by choosing him without any outside influence.
- L=Limited Atonement-
- Salvation is only for those who were chosen
- I=Irresistible Grace-
- The grace of God is as irresistible as the power of God, so the elect cannot resist it.
- P=Perseverance of the Saints-
- The elect will persevere until the end.
Please note I am condensing many many pages of reading and quotes and citations into a simple blog post due to the very nature of this blog. If you are truly interested in understanding the theology of Calvin then please visit a local or university library; my purpose was simply to introduce you to Calvinism via the Church of the Netherlands 1619 acrostic in Dort: TULIP.
As with any system of teaching, Calvinism has weak points, which I will discuss in my next post.
