I recently endured the same experience that has been my due so many times in the past. A young man attended our church for about three weeks. On a Monday after he attended on Sunday evening, I received a phone call from him. He seemed to be a little disturbed and then he asked the inevitable question, "Are you a Calvinist?"
What could I say? First of all, I asked him what one of those twoheaded monsters consisted of. As usual, what he described was a cross between Frankenstein and the Wolfman. His distorted ideas of those who believe that God Almighty IS God ALMIGHTY followed the pattern of all the deceived students of Bro. Soul-Winner and Mr. Big-TIME Evangelist, not to mention Professor Wiseacre.
This dear young man named some of the big names in religion today and demanded to know if I thought they were wrong. My answer was that I didn't know, but I DID KNOW that God was right. He then quoted some half-verses and felt quite sure that in a few minutes he had changed my whole outlook on the Truth of the Word of God.
As far as I know, my usual speech leaves out the word "Calvinist." However, I DO believe that "God worketh ALL things after the counsel of His own will." Eph. 1:11. I DO believe that. To quote the whole Bible would take a considerable length of time, and I shall not endeavor to do that in this article. But the message therein is that God is THE Sovereign, does just as He pleases, and that His Son "Quickeneth whom He will." John 5:21.
There are many things that I despise in Myself. May God grant that I will never have to answer for pouring the garbage that denies the ABSOLUTENESS of God into the ears and minds of young converts, IF so they be.
Yes, my young friend, I do believe in the great doctine of God's grace commonly known as Calvinism, but which I prefer to call the Biblical teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ saves some of hellish, evil, God-hating mankind when we should all be in the pit this very moment. Do you want me to apologize for that? I think not.