New introduction:
From a comment when I posted this elsewhere:
- “Don’t be afraid to abandon a point of doctrine that the Bible opposes. Don’t be afraid to go to the *No Opinion* option on a topic the Bible does not address. Don’t be afraid to fight or leave, as God directs, any church or Christian fellowship group that is drawing you away from the Bible as it draws you closer to its members, doctrinal statement, or literature.”
I made this more generic, under advisement that I took to heart. While I shared the letter with many (elders, friends, etc.) so they would know why I disappeared. I am making the public letter less specific.
I love the men I became friends with, most of the teaching… but the stated goals and positions from the pulpit are not really believed. There is “double-talk” going on.
All [A] are [B] but in such a way that some [A] are not [B]
It’s the whole “preach as an Arminian and sleep like a Calvinist” thingy. Even Spurgeon softened on this a bit later in his life*. I did use the initials, but there are 1,500 to 2,000 churches with them.
I love the guys I sit with, but the other day I had to keep my thoughts to myself when they were speaking about the deleterious FX of Satan. I felt like David Attenborough narrating a scene in his calm British accent:
- “Look at these fine specimens, many not realizing the redundancy of what they are saying regarding the horned one. Through first causes and secondary causes God has already made it impossible at all — video below — to respond to the Gospel. Following to their logical ends a systematized thought is not being taught here… it is as if they think Satan can go to a grave sight and dig up corpses and place blind folds on them.” (2 Corinthians 4:4 – Hat-Tip to Doc Flowers for the graveyard analogy.)
So while I have had a few people genuinely and heart filled try and talk me out of leaving, I would go bonkers trying to respect conversation and not draw it to logical, reasonable ends.
Just to note, I am not Arminian
* This is what I mean by early or late Spurgeon. When he was a young pastor taking over the now famous Park Street Chapel at 19 he would say stuff like, “Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else.” [22 years old], or, “A mutable god may be the god for the Arminian—he is not the god for me.” [24 years old]. Later in life, as he matured in his faith, he softened a bit.
At age 28, after having been a shepherd of a flock and rubbing shoulder with people in his congregation for a while, he changed a bit, saying this:
- There is some truth in Calvinism and some in Arminianism, and he who would hold the whole Truth of God must neither be cramped by the one system nor bound by the other, but take Truth wherever he can find it in the Bible.
When he was 42 in 1876, he noted the long history of “preaching like an Arminian but sleeping as a Calvinist”:
- There has long been a great doctrinal discussion between the Calvinists and the Arminians upon many important points. I am myself persuaded that the Calvinist alone is right upon some points, and the Arminian alone is right upon others. There is a great deal of truth in the positive side of both systems, and a great deal of error in the negative side of both. If I was asked, “Why is a man damned?” I should answer as an Arminian answers, “He destroys himself.”
Finally, by 1881, when Spurgeon is now 47 years old, he says that he has been called “an Arminian Calvinist or a Calvinistic Arminian” and he does not seem to mind either label:
What a host of revised versions we have! Everybody has one of his own. Certain texts which will not fit into our system must be planed and cut down. Have you ever seen the hard work that some Brethren have to shape a Scripture to their mind? One text is not Calvinistic, it looks rather Arminian—of course it cannot be so and, therefore, they twist and tug to get it right. As for our Arminian Brethren, it is wonderful to see how they hammer away at the 9th Chapter of Romans—steam-hammers and screw-jacks are nothing to their appliances for getting rid of Election from that chapter! We have all been guilty of racking Scripture, more or less, and it will be well to have done with the evil, forever! We had far better be inconsistent with ourselves than with the Inspired Word of God.
I have been called an Arminian Calvinist or a Calvinistic Arminian and I am quite content so long as I can keep close to my Bible. I desire to preach what I find in this Book whether I find it in anybody else’s book or not.
From Cage-stage to “Arminian Calvinist or a Calvinistic Arminian”: Charles Spurgeon’s theological journey (BEYOND CALVINISM)
Dear Church Family,
After much prayer, study, and reflection, I want to share something personal with you. I have decided to begin attending another church whose theological direction more closely aligns with my own convictions—particularly in the area of soteriology.
This has not been a quick or emotional decision. CCC has been home to me for many years, through different seasons, buildings, friendships, and growth. I am deeply grateful for the pastors, elders, and members who have invested in my life. Many of my most meaningful conversations, lessons, and spiritual milestones have happened here. I care deeply for this church and its people, and I will always value the time I’ve spent among you.
Over the past year, I have spent considerable time revisiting the doctrines surrounding salvation—especially divine sovereignty, human responsibility, election, calling, and assurance. As I have listened carefully to the direction of recent teaching and re-examined my own convictions in light of Scripture and church history, I’ve come to recognize that my theological understanding is no longer fully aligned with the trajectory of CCC.
More specifically, I hold to the conviction that God genuinely desires all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9), that Christ’s atonement is sufficient for and sincerely offered to all (John 3:16–17), and that individuals are truly responsible for accepting or rejecting the gospel (John 1:12; Romans 10:9–13). I understand these invitations as reflecting a real capacity to respond—not merely an outward call accompanied only by an inward, effectual call for some.
In wrestling through these matters, I have reflected on the distinction often made between God’s revealed will—what He commands and expresses in Scripture—and His decretive or secret will—what He ordains in His eternal purposes. My concern is that when emphasis shifts too heavily toward the hidden decree of God, it can overshadow the plain force of His revealed invitations and commands. The universal call of the gospel can begin to feel less like a genuine appeal to all and more like a formal proclamation intended only for those already determined to respond.
For me, it is essential to maintain that the gospel call truly applies to all who hear it, that faith in Jesus’ promises is the responsibility of every sinner, that Christ is sincerely offered to all without qualification, that God displays real common grace toward the world, and that His love extends in a meaningful way even to those who ultimately reject Him. While I am not suggesting that CCC embraces what is commonly labeled hyper-Calvinism, I do find myself increasingly concerned when theological formulations appear to narrow the scope of the gospel’s free and universal offer.
While I affirm God’s sovereignty in salvation, I do not believe Scripture teaches that God unconditionally determines who will believe and who will not, nor that His decree stands as the ultimate explanation for unbelief. As A.W. Tozer eloquently states:
Here is my view: God sovereignly decreed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the beginning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it, inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it. If in His absolute freedom God has willed to give man limited freedom, who is there to stay His hand or say, What doest thou? Mans will is free because God is sovereign. A God less than sovereign could not bestow moral freedom upon His creatures. He would be afraid to do so.
I struggle with formulations that make divine determinism the governing framework—particularly when they risk portraying God as causally ordaining evil (1, 2, 3) or withholding saving grace from those whom He commands to repent.
Additionally, I am persuaded that assurance of salvation ultimately rests in Christ’s finished work and the promise of the gospel, rather than primarily in evaluating the consistency or degree of one’s perseverance. Good works are the fruit of genuine faith, but they are not the foundation of our confidence before God.
I want to say clearly: this decision is not about questioning anyone’s faith, sincerity, or love for the Lord. Faithful believers have long differed on these matters, and I do not doubt that God is at work wherever the gospel is proclaimed. My departure is not a declaration that others are unbiblical or insincere. Rather, it is an acknowledgment that convictions about the character of God and the nature of the gospel are not peripheral—they shape how we preach, invite, disciple, and offer hope.
One of the moments that clarified this for me was realizing that I hesitated to invite an unbelieving young man to CCC —not because of the people here, whom I love, but because I felt I might need to explain or reconcile theological distinctions that, in my understanding, complicate the straightforward and universal nature of the gospel invitation in Scripture. That tension made me recognize it would be more honest and spiritually healthy for me to worship and serve in a church where my convictions are fully aligned with the pulpit, and where I can invite others with complete clarity and confidence.
Please know this decision comes with affection, not frustration. I am thankful for the friendships we’ve built and the ways we’ve sharpened one another. I have no desire for division—only integrity in following my conscience as I seek to grow in Christ.
I leave with gratitude and with prayers for continued faithfulness, unity, and fruitfulness at CCC. I hope our relationships will continue, even as I worship elsewhere.
With appreciation and brotherly love,
Sean G