The 5 Key Doctrines I briefly stated were used by God in leading many to depart from the Roman Catholic RELIGION not merely vainly attempt to reform it. But today I am seeing more and more of those holding to TULIP bending over backwards to find common ground with Rome. Recently an associate pastor of a famous "Baptist" Church whose popular 'Calvinistic' senior pastor no longer requires believers baptism but accepts now accepts infant sprinkling got all upset with me in questioning their drift into ecumenism.

or is it that you want to hijack history to make it seem as if the 5 points of Calvinism brought about the Protestant Reformation even though the 5 points of Calvinism have a quite different emphasis.

Personal Repentance – Something no one else can do for us, not even God. He may grant you repentance, even so convict by the Holy Spirit that you know you will perish in hell if you don’t. It is a turning from a self centered disobedient living for yourself to now live under the authority of and for Jesus Christ. Far more than attending church or getting religious.

Grace Alone – Being in hopeless guilt before Him, your repentance doesn’t save you from your sins. God Himself must do this – forgiving, cleansing you of sins, giving you new birth in the Holy Spirit, making you His beloved child forever. Things impossible for anyone else in heaven or on earth to do for you

Faith Alone – The only way we may receive the gift of God eternal life. God must provide and give it and He does. We must trust Him for it.

You might better understand my feeling if I quote something you have said,
“...c. wesley showed undertsanding of man's helplessness and unworthiness and the irresistible nature of God's grace in his hymns …”

“i fear just as much for those who describe themselves as "calvinists" but deny there is an offer of mercy to sinners in the gospel, who see themselves justified from eternity (rather than elected in eternity past and brought to repentance and faith and justified in time)and who make the ground of their hope their belief that they are elect (else there is no mercy promised in the gospel) rather than Christ. such doctrine negates the need to strive to enter in, in obeying the gospel. ultimately, it is not our repentance and belief which saves us (it is Christ), these both being given from God, yet repent and believe we must. we must run the race, knowing that He works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

Apparently we simply do not have to have a doctorate in theology to beable to hear His voice and to believe in Him and to love Him who died and rose again for us.

Quite interesting and ties with:

"I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

And if you care to notice the change in a man who now sees.

Isn't Calvin just a man even as the Pope of Roman is a mere man?

And while we are busy purging out any leavening false teachings we should repent and return again to sound biblical praying, and sound Bible preaching, especially that of the unsearchable riches of Christ.

These teachings and others like it literally poison those under its influence and especially church leaders who buy into its influence to hate those who stand for the Truth of Scripture and obedience to Christ.

After all those who make themselves friends with the world have to hate Christ because the fallen world under Satan's control hates Him and won't be their friend if they loved Jesus and obeyed Him. Why that would spoil the world's fun in enjoying its sin.

I did notice as time went along this street preacher grew in his faith and his communication came across more and more as a great care that sinners come to salvation. Apparently as this man grew in his faith he also grew in humility as it is quite impossible to grow closer to the Lord without seeing more and more our own wretchedness and the exceeding love that God has for the lost even to those who choose to be blind and deaft to His call to them. I know I was for such a long time.
Isaiah 6 shows that in Isaiah's life.

When I was first saved I used to dislike this man. His attitude was pretty hard but as I grew in my faith and he did in his I actually grew to appreciate Him and see how despite his initial harshness God had used him, well at least in my life. Even today I would not begin to claim Ron Barker is perfect, I haven't spoken to him in years, and God knows everyone of us can grow closer to Christ or drift from His side apart from His Mercy and grace.

quote
Yes, MBL, scripture is inspired by God. But it was ordinary people, not God, or even Christ, who wrote it.
end of quote

This is quite interesting since Peter, the one you all Catholics claim for your first pope told us, maybe it was just us "Baptist Types" and not you Catholics, anyway he told us

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."

continuing
We have found one small Baptist Church where the Pastor is sound and who is working to help move away from the modern false teachings around us and to focus in on our lives are hid with Christ in God.

You might appreciate his statement, 'Nothing spiritual ever comes through the flesh.' I like his emphasis that we will never produce the fruits of the Spirit, Godly Fruit, Lives Changed by God Himself using fleshly methods. And of course the two spiritual means we can avail ourselves of are prayer (much prayer) and preaching with the unction of the Holy Spirit.

I wonder about some of these 'Calvinists'. It seems some of their favorites were quite hard on their hearers like Jonathan Edwards, 'Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God' or George Whitefield who made it extremely clear how vile and heinous the sins of men are against the Almighty God and how desperately they needed to repent. Some of them may not like to acknowlege that C.H. Spurgeon didn't just preach in his Church but also open air too.

And I have to think the Holy Spirit uses your witness. When I was unslaved living in Knoxville, TN before I was saved I used to hate the local street preacher. He, not my coworkers who "attended" their churches faithfully, exposed me for what I really was a wicked vile sinner a rebellious enemy of God on my way to an eternity in hell. I cannot help but ponder if this is not one of the reasons our churches are so weak is that what little light may be there is hidden inside the four walls in "socially acceptable "Christianity?""

Speaking of which have you noticed that such an open stand has a wonderful way of getting people off the fence about their Christianity? I would have to think some recoil and run from such a stand, even mock and ridicule it, while others are encouraged in their faith.