Once upon a time my friends I was young, restless, and reformed. Calvin was my bromance. I had a Charles Spurgeon therapy toy, which, whenever I was depressed, I would squeeze to bosom, and whisper to myself, “It’s okay Mike, all the Arminians are going to hell!” I owned enough R.C. Sproul books for R.C. Sproul to buy a private jet! I taught my girlfriend the five solas and all the TULIPs. I was there when the New Calvinism kicked off, a resurgence of Reformed theology, back in the late 90s and early 00s. A movement of agitated young men in America and the wider Anglophone world. I wasn’t just reformed I was righteously reformed!
The quote from p. 159 is remarkably similar to how Michael Bruening explains (in part) the triumph of the 16th century Calvinists.
“The grand failing of many anti-Calvinists- and indeed of many efforts to challenge an established authority figure--is the misconception that people want to think for
themselves. For the most part, this is not so; they want someone who provides unambiguous explanations to support belief and imposes a clear structure to inform action, thus binding the group together within a common cultural and ideological framework. Calvin did exactly that.”
What I want to know is, is there a discernible sociological connection between the two movements? Is there something about Calvinism in particular that creates that kind of culture of black and white certainty?
Mike, Fascinating study and I will be reading the book. Thanks for the notification. (I was not aware so-and-so was your student.)
Yep, to this day we both roll our eyes about it.
The quote from p. 159 is remarkably similar to how Michael Bruening explains (in part) the triumph of the 16th century Calvinists.
“The grand failing of many anti-Calvinists- and indeed of many efforts to challenge an established authority figure--is the misconception that people want to think for
themselves. For the most part, this is not so; they want someone who provides unambiguous explanations to support belief and imposes a clear structure to inform action, thus binding the group together within a common cultural and ideological framework. Calvin did exactly that.”
What I want to know is, is there a discernible sociological connection between the two movements? Is there something about Calvinism in particular that creates that kind of culture of black and white certainty?