I am a 5-point Calvinist. I often find that most of American Evangelicals are Arminian. I have fellowshipped with some and divided the word on many issues and always managed to disagree in love. However, there are many Arminian s who are radical anti-Calvinistic many on this very site. Is it possible to coexist.
Greetings exbi-savedbygrace.
I can understand your question, since I have seen many Calvinists and Arminians being incredibly nasty towards each other. However don't let those particular Calvinists and Arminians dissuade you from believing that harmony and co-existence is indeed possible between the two groups of Christians.
I will give two examples that godly fellowship is possible between Calvinists and Arminians (one personal example, and one historical example).
I am a Calvinist, and yet "all" of my Christian friends are Arminian. The only Calvinists I know are on this site, another site I belong to (a "Reformed" Christian site) and the preachers I listen to. But in my personal life, I don't know any Calvinists at all. And I get along absolutely great with my Arminian friends. And not only do we get along despite our theological differences, we even joke about our disagreements often. I would never disassociate myself from them just because of our opposing views on the Calvinism/Arminiansim debate, nor would they disassociate themselves from me. I am very grateful to God for that strong spirit of fellowship that we all have between us.
The historical example I will give to demonstrate fellowship between both groups is definitely possible is the example of friendship between George Whitefield (Calvinist) and John Wesley (Arminian). Whitefield and Wesley were 18th century preachers. And despite having very harsh disagreements with each other over the doctrines of Calvinism and Arminiansim (including a very public dispute about their disagreement in 1740) the two remained life-long friends, and never ceased calling each other brothers in Christ. In fact, the year that Whitefield was to die, he requested that Wesley preach the sermon at his memorial service, which Wesley did.
I have not, and will not stop using their example of friendship in my own life when it comes to non-Calvinist Christians that God graces my life with. And although about 95 percent of the books I read are from Reformed camps, I still am blessed by Arminian writers. For example John Wesley's brother Charles (also good friends with Whitefield) is my second favorite hymn writer. And yet Charles (like his brother John) was not only non-Calvinist, but anti-Calvinist (Charles utterly despised Calvinism, referring particularly to the Calvinist definition of predestination as a "Horrible Decree"). And yet, I would never allow that to prevent me from being greatly blessed and even comforted by some of his great hymns about Jesus Christ and the Christian faith.
And I find it interesting that the reverse is also true; for example Charles Wesley greatly admired the book "The Life of God in the Soul of Man" which was written by the 17th century Puritan (and Calvinist) Henry Scougal. Interestingly, it was Charles who gave Scougal's book to Whitefield, and Whitefield credited that book to being instrumental to his conversion. Whitefield stated it this way, "I must bear testimony to my old friend Mr. Charles Wesley; he put a book into my hands, called 'The Life of God in the Soul of Man' whereby God showed me that I must be born again."
Imagine that, an Arminian (Wesley) reading and being blessed by a book written by a Calvinist, and then that Arminian gives that same book to a non-Christian (Whitefield), which was one of the main instruments used to bring that non-Christian to faith in Jesus Christ. And God ends up using both men (a Calvinist and an Arminian) magnificently in the Great Awakening Revival. Anything is possible with God - Matthew 19:26 (even fellowship between Calvinists and Arminians).
So I know that God not only can, but in fact does bless both sides through each other.
"We were all baptized by one Spirit, so as to form one body." - 1 Corinthians 12:13
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