Book Review: Killing Calvinism
Some books elicit interest due to their subject matter. Others do so because of their literary quality. For me, the title Killing Calvinism (Cruciform Press, 2012) was enough to arrest my attention.
As a Baptist pastor with strong convictions about the doctrine of salvation, new books on theological systems frequently pique my interest. Regardless of our spiritual sensibilities about “systems,” we all tend to have them. Written by Greg Dutcher, this book is ironically about the problems these systems can create when they’re not anchored within the great God Who they seek to describe. The subtitle of the book captures this concern: “How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside” [1].
Summary
First, it’s worth commenting on the unique publisher of this book. Cruciform Press entered the publishing business with its first book, Sexual Detox, in October 2010. In the words of the founders, they were attempting to answer the question,
What would a book-publishing company for gospel-centered Christians look like if it began with the realities of 21st century technology?
Their eventual answer was that “[i]t would focus on Content, Simplicity, Reliability, Trust, Convenience, Voice, and Community.” Cruciform Press then maintains low-cost books through focusing on smaller books (though substantive in subject and argument). While print books are available for purchase, eBooks are a large vein of their distribution. Reasonably-priced, prepaid subscriptions to forthcoming books are available, as well as individual sales. One can visit their website for more insight into their unique philosophy and business model.
Second, the book itself lends itself to this form of publishing. Though one could imagine this book emerging out of a series of blog-posts, Pastor Greg Dutcher presents a unified message that 1) briefly explains his journey into Reformed-Calvinist Christianity, and 2) offers a thoughtful argument warning fellow Calvinists not to allow their theology to eclipse their God.
Dutcher summarizes his concern in this way:
I am concerned that many Calvinists today do little more than celebrate how wonderfully clear their theologically windshield is. But like a windshield, Reformed theology is not an end in itself. It is simply a window to the awe-inspiring universe of God’s truth, filled with glory, beauty, and grace [2].
Lest one think Dutcher is understating the value of Calvinist thought, he follows by clarifying his basic argument:
Do we need something like a metaphorical windshield of clear, biblical truth to look through as we hope to marvel at God’s glory? Absolutely. But we must make sure that we know the difference between staring at a windshield and staring through one [3].
Perhaps the best way to appreciate what Dutcher is trying to achieve in this book is by glancing at the table of contents. The chapter titles themselves demonstrate exactly the substance of what he is attempting to argue:
One – By Loving Calvinism as an End in Itself
Two – By Becoming a Theologian Instead of a Disciple
Three – By Loving God’s Sovereignty More than God Himself
Four – By Losing An Urgency in Evangelism
Five – By Learning Only from Other Calvinists
Six – By Tidying Up the Bible’s “Loose Ends”
Seven – By Being an Arrogant Know-it-All
Eight – By Scoffing at the Hang-ups Others Have with Calvinism
In their own particular ways, each of these statements addresses a potential error that contemporary Calvinists can make unwittingly, or they represent a common objection made by proponents of other theological systems.
While Dutcher celebrates the resurgence of Calvinism in contemporary evangelicalism and hopes it flourishes, he believes cautioning his fellow Calvinists will actually help achieve that long-term vibrancy [4]. To return to his metaphor above, he wants to ensure his co-laborers aren’t “busy polishing windshields just to mutually admire each other’s techniques” [5].
One notable feature of the book is how each chapter concludes with two prayers: a shorter one and a longer one. Each is designed to take the particular spiritual error explained in the chapter and turn it into an opportunity for greater consecration and commitment to the Lord. This is one of the many aspects of this short book that demonstrates it to be more of a spiritual tract for its time as opposed to an enduring theological treatise
Analysis & Criticism
Numerous reflections came to mind as I read this book through “classical Arminian eyes.” First, readers don’t have to be Calvinists to appreciate Dutcher’s careful, nuanced, and wise understanding of the relationship between theology and spirituality. That he would preach to his own theological choir (and in print no less) is something that clearly shows he is an author of integrity.
Second, it’s worth noting that many of the dangers against which Dutcher cautions aren’t exclusive to Calvinists. They could equally be applied to anyone—Arminians, Pentecostals, and Lutherans, for instance. Just consider chapter five where he says that Calvinists can be tempted to learn only from other Calvinists. Since I (an Arminian Baptist) have been attending a Lutheran seminary, I have heard more than one professor comment that their particular Lutheran tradition tends to be too parochial, often not engaging with the broader breadth of Christendom. Killing Calvinism is quite useful in that it is a book that speaks to many besides Calvinists (or uncharitable non-Calvinists demanding Calvinists to do penance for the errors of their ways).
A second part of this observation causes one to consider what implications this might have for organizations such as The Gospel Coalition. Given that groups like these are exclusive to those with a certain brand of Reformed theology, how would the principle of “learning from others” apply to interdenominational associations and fellowship? The Helwys Society has addressed this issue in a prior post, but this book raises the matter once more.
A third issue this book raises, particularly for those critical of Calvinism, is whether these problems are so plausible because the theological system itself is built on faulty assumptions. In other words, if Calvinism itself is so vulnerable to these eight particular challenges that Dutcher explains, doesn’t this speak to the fundamental problems with this way of reading the Bible [6]? While I don’t intend to argue in favor of this perspective here, one could envision someone less sympathetic to Calvinism raising this question.
Conclusion
While this book won’t necessarily change the conversation in Reformed evangelicalism, it is a timely and thoughtful caution. The occasional humor only adds to the overall candor with which Dutcher writes [7]. His book constitutes another discerning voice among others who have attempted to ‘shepherd’ and ‘oversee’ the spiritual vitality of the New Calvinism with humility and wisdom.
Killing Calvinism is to a work to be commended to young Calvinists, but also young theological students more generally.
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[1] Greg Dutcher, Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside (Cruciform Press, 2012), $8.45 paperback, 120 pp.
[2] Dutcher, 14.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid., 16.
[5] Ibid., 17.
[6] Dutcher remarks on page 43: “Isn’t it interesting that most Christians are not instant Calvinists the moment they come to faith in Christ?” This is perhaps the type of comment that would support the non-Calvinist’s objection on the grounds of the sheer complexity of the Calvinist theological system.
[7] Ibid., 37. Dutcher reminds readers of Josh Harris’ term “Cage-Stage Calvinists” as descriptive of “overly zealous Calvinists who perhaps ought to be caged up for a while so they can’t do any harm.”
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