Is Calvinism Heresy

Why did I write this book? I wrote it because I am very concerned about people losing hope for their unsaved loved ones. The Calvinists' TULIP system of doctrines excludes most of humanity from even having a chance to be saved. This system teaches that God has already chosen whom He will save and whom He will not save. This selection process, according to Calvinists, took place before God even created mankind, which means every single person's eternal destiny was determined before he was even born.

On top of that, Calvinism also teaches that this election process is part of God's "eternal decree" and thus can never be changed. Simply put, then, if you were chosen to be saved, you will inevitably get saved, and if you were not chosen to be saved, you will inevitably spend eternity in hell.

To illustrate the severity of this doctrine, imagine a pastor getting up in front of his congregation and saying, "I know some of you have been praying for your lost loved ones for a long time, and you get discouraged and down when nothing changes. You need to remember, though, it's all up to God. If your husband or wife, son or daughter, is one of God's elect, then they will get saved, Otherwise, they will never get saved. They weren't chosen, and all the prayer in the world will not change that. I know it sounds harsh, but God is God, and who are we to question His ways? So stop worrying and just wait and see what God does.

"Thankfully, the above illustration did not happen, at least not that I know of anyway, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that it depicts the awful conclusions of Calvinism and its hopelessness.

My concern is for the susceptible Christians who are influenced by teachers, pastors, or other Christian leaders who spread these dreadful doctrines. What hope do they offer if they have to admit, "I don't know about your loved ones. Maybe God has not chosen them to be saved"?

And even worse yet, what hope does this teaching offer for most of humanity? Absolutely none! For when we boil these doctrines down to their true meaning, what they actually say is that most of humanity was born to go to hell with no way to escape its doom.

By contrast, other Christians, myself included, hold that God's redemptive plan excludes no one from the possibility of getting saved. This book, therefore, offers a biblical alternative to the severe doctrines of Calvinism. As the subtitle says, it is a critical examination of the Calvinists' doctrines of salvation, known by the acronym TULIP. It is an unabashed critique of the TULIP doctrines that is intended to guide you through your own study of these doctrines so you can draw your own conclusions.

-- B. Charles Kopack