Is fellowship possible between Calvinists and Arminians?

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.

yup: become a Lutheran!
lol.

ellie -

this is a great T-shirt idea -

"love a monergist "

hehe

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

Whether Wesley,Calvin,Luther, or Zwingli; Westminster, Book of Concord or Book of Common Prayer etc, I pick out the meat and spit out those bones.
Dispensational on the Church and Israel.
Lutheran on Law/Gospel and Scripture over reason.
Reformed on Election/Predestination.
Can't stand theological liberals and those mixing grace with law when it comes to justification.

They all are under the spirit of error, all doctrines of men, and not of God, especially Calvinsim, its sad today to see so many who profess Christ today, debating over these false teachings, instead of following the early church before heritics such as Luther, Calvin, and many other off shoots came about.

Follow the word of God, not the reformed preachers who mixed truth with error, which is a deadly combination!

so all are in error but Tommy and his take on Scripture?

As a "five point Calvinist" I would have to definitely say yes. I don't agree with a lot of the Arminian doctrine, but I have several close friends who follow the Arminian.

Charles Spurgeon wrote in his autobiography, "Most atrocious things have been spoken about the character and spiritual condition of John Wesley, the modern prince of Arminians. I can only say concerning him that, while I detest many of the doctrines that he preached, yet for the man himself I have a reverence second to no Wesleyan; and if there were wanted two apostles to be added to the number of the Twelve, I do not believe their could be found two men more fit to be so added than George Whitefield and John Wesley."

I think Spurgeon's quote sums it up pretty well

Modern Lutherans aren't as Calvinistic as Luther was.

Lutheranism, even historically certainly is not 5-point Calvinism.

I'm not sure fellowship is possible or not.

A lot of Arminians reject imputed righteousness and penal substitution. Two key components to the Gospel.

There are some who do accept those two, and with them fellowship may be possible.

I think specific Arminians fellowship would be much more possible, than to assess it as a whole group. I take the same approach with other professing Calvinists. For example, I would be happy to have had the chance to sit with Leonard Ravenhill. I would be much more wary of Doug Wilson and Federal Vision though.

haha diggs.
one branch of Lutheranism (ELCA) isn't even Lutheran! hehe.

but Luther came first, so more maybe accurately, old John C was Lutheran-ish, ya?

and no, Lutheranism isn't 5-pt Calvinism. i think "co-existence" was the part i agreed on < i don't have to define what means < unless pressed - then i will (trademark Lutheranism...LOL)



i like this straight line in Lutheranism (with the exception of that wretched pietism).

it's odd, because when closely examined and meditated on, Arminianism is actually a form of Antinomianism ("against the Law") - 100% freewillers, and/or synergists must degrade the Law, downgrade God's Pure Holiness, and elevate their own performance.
God's Law never changes. Neither does His Perfection.

so Who had to make the First Move?
and if He was willing to do that...what does it say about the Rest of His Plan and ability?

not only that, under arminianism, God STILL performs a Unilateral (Monergistic) act of Mercy and Grace by bringing the arminian out of his separation from God due to sin (which no arminian would deny), even if to merely THEN offer that "illumined" man the freewill choice to say yea or nay.

nope...not adding up.

but that's okay.
to each their own

Romans 8
God&#8217;s Everlasting Love
31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can beh against us? 32He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God&#8217;s elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died&#8212;more than that, who was raised&#8212;who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.i 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written,

&#8220;For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.&#8221;

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I find Arminians cease being free-willers when they pray for others;
I find Calvinists cease being 'limited/particular' when preaching the Gospel to individuals.

BTW 5points came after Calvin. Calvin didn't get into predestination until his 3rd book on his Institutes. Covenants were his biggy.

Is this because they preach, or because of what they preach?

Arminian's are just inconsistent Calvinist's. Even John Wesley said there was only a hairs breadth difference between the two.

Both theological systems are built on the errors of Augustinian theology.

So can they fellowship? Of course they can, they both preach basically the same message.

Should we all have different beliefs or be one?