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Author and pastor Craig takes a strong stance against the doctrines of John Calvin, an early Christian reformer leading Christians away from the restrictive sway of Roman Catholicism. Calvin's teachings became the foundation for such Christian denominational movements as Presbyterianism. Craig is convinced that Calvin's teachings are not only in error but are also dishonest, contrary to scripture, and in essence, demonic.
He demonstrates through extensive biblical quotations and rational arguments that Calvin's tenet of predestination is deeply flawed. It implies that God has planned both good and bad events, meaning that God approves of evildoing and, indeed, plotted the fall of Adam. Calvin's assertion that God intends to accept into salvation and heaven only "the Elect" means that there is no hope for those already designated as evil, predestined to be sinners. Furthermore, Calvin supposedly knew these things because of his secret relationship with God. Yet, he devised this framework for Christians upon no authority but his own, ignoring biblical wording.
Calvinism is based, according to its proponents, on five main points, encapsulated in the acrostic TULIP: total depravity of sinners; unconditional election of a predestined group of the saved; limited atonement; irresistible grace; and the perseverance of saints (once saved, always saved). Using the logic of one of Calvin's supporters, Craig states that if one aspect of TULIP is erroneous, all are erroneous. Yet, any one of the TULIP tenets can easily be disproved through numerous biblical passages. For example, if Christ died to save the ungodly, as stated in the Bible, that implies that the Elect, as conceived by Calvin, are ungodly.
Craig, a pastor of the Living Way Fellowship, has made a diligent search for corroboration of his assertions regarding Calvin's tenets and legacy, revealing his grasp of this issue to be both passionate and practical. He has written this work because he found no other that so seriously approached the subject matter, even though there were other authors, he states in his introduction, who used the term "Calvinist Conspiracy" in illustrating how various religions have achieved their goals.
Craig uses many cogent examples in building his case, such as the issue of human illness. If illness is predestined, there would be no means and no motivation to cure or combat it. Yet Craig reminds readers of the many biblical accounts of Jesus healing the sick and indicating that the gift of such miraculous healing would be "preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations" (Matthew 24:14). This example is one of many key points about Calvin's teaching raised by Craig to establish the early reformer's lack of logic and absence of true scriptural study.
However, Craig goes farther, sincerely convinced that Calvin's work was not only false but purposely deceptive, offering as a possible reason the simple fact that the reformer was under satanic influence. With well-selected, copiously mined scripture to underpin his dynamic viewpoint and a text laden with special emphasis on pertinent words and phrases to accentuate his narrative, Craig has created a wide-ranging thesis that merits attention as a lively focus for serious workshops and individual study.
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