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Presuppositionalism and Calvinism

by Diane Vera


Copyright © 2003 by Diane Vera. All rights reserved.



Presuppositionalism is an ingenious, elaborate mental trap by which some otherwise extremely bright people manage to keep their minds locked inside the hardcore Christian box. And it is a trap used by some of the nastiest and most dangerous hardcore Christians of all, e.g. the Christian Reconstructionists, who advocate a return to "Biblical Civil Law" -- including death penalty by stoning for "blasphemy," "idolatry," and assorted other victimless crimes.

To really understand presuppositionalism, one must also understand Calvinism, on which presuppositionalism is based.

  1. Writings by presuppositionalist Christian apologists
  2. Responses to presuppositionalism by non-Christians
  3. Writings on Calvinism by Calvinists
  4. Writings on Calvinism by non-Calvinist Christians
  5. Christian Reconstructionism
  6. Other especially nasty varieties of Calvinism

Only a minority of hardcore Christians are Calvinists or presuppositionalists. However, it appears that Calvinists and presuppositionalists are overrepresented among the most intellectually-oriented fundamentalists, at least within the online fundy Christian apologist crowd. So, it may be helpful to know about this stuff if you wish to have any chance at all of prodding these otherwise very bright people to start thinking for themselves.

Furthermore, a knowledge of Calvinism may come in handy when debating non-Calvinist Christians too. The vast majority of Christians, including all Catholics and the majority of Protestant fundamentalists, are not Calvinists. The "Five Points" are extremely repugnant to most people, including even many hardcore Christians. So, when debating with non-Calvinist Christians, it might occasionally be worthwhile to use Calvinist-style Biblical arguments as one more way to show just how nasty and evil the God of the Bible really is. (To the latter end, see also Bible-sanctioned cruelties and other Biblical nastiness and Heaven, hell, "love," and "justice".)



  1. Writings by presuppositionalist Christian apologists


  2. Responses to presuppositionalism by non-Christians

    Is there any way to break the spell and snap them out of their "reasoned" rejection of "autonomous" human reason?


  3. Writings on Calvinism by Calvinists

    The following is presented primarily as further background on presuppositionalism. But also, as mentioned earlier, Calvinist-style Biblical arguments may have some worthwhile shock value when discussing religion with non-Calvinist Christians, who are the vast majority, at least among ordinary rank-and-file non-theologians and non-apologists.

    For some examples of the use of Calvinist-style arguments to oppose Christianity, see Heaven, hell, "love," and "justice":  Relevant issues of Biblical errancy.

    Of course, your aim isn't to convert people to Calvinism. So, in contrast to Calvinism's emphasis on "the sovereignty of God," you might also want to remind people of Biblegod's finitude.


  4. Writings on Calvinism by non-Calvinist Christians

    If you do try using Calvinist-style Biblical arguments against non-Calvinist Christians, be prepared for the likely responses. The Bible can be used to support both the Calvinist and Arminian positions -- yet another of the many contradictions in the Bible.


  5. Christian Reconstructionism

    Not all Calvinists or presuppositionalists are Christian Reconstructionists. Most are not. However, we do need to be aware of the Reconstructionists (a.k.a. Theonomists) -- a very scary bunch. They advocate the restoration of Old Testament "Biblical civil law," including death by stoning for "practicing homosexuals," heretics, "blasphemers," and even disobedient teenagers. For more about what the restoration of "Biblical civil law" would mean, see this collection of Reconstructionist quotes and this article by a Christian critic of Reconstructionism. Below are some Christian Reconstructionist websites (and some critiques):


  6. Other especially nasty varieties of Calvinism



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