There’s a good bit of press surrounding the idea of “The New Calvinist.” The buzz started after Time Magazine gave a name to the idea and deemed it one of the “10 Ideas Changing the World Right Now.” The issue was further pushed in the press by the numerous replies from what the article labeled as the fore-runners of the movement.

I think smarter and more involved people than myself can comment on the actual idea of “New Calvinism,” what I do believe I am well qualified to speak about are the dangers I have seen emerge from the new reformed movement because I am reformed in theology, I live on a Christian university campus and get to see these dangers lived out every day, and because all of these warnings come out of self-realizations from the past four months. So here are some detrimental details I’ve observed that we must be very cautious of in the young, new Calvinist:

1) Pride: Upon arriving at College I was bombarded by reformed theology, I had it shoved in my face by people who called themselves Calvinists. I even attended a ministry on campus where I was asked what I thought of predestination and eternal security… before I was asked my name. After the first week of school I swore I would never be reformed. By the first week of my Sophomore year I would candidly call myself a Calvinist, engage in frequent conversations about limited atonement, and make fun of anyone who didn’t read out of an ESV as if I were Steve Jobs asking the Bill Gates of the world why he couldn’t get with the program. The result: I gave good theology a bad name.

It wasn’t until I got very annoyed with a young “missionary” in India who thought it was more important to talk about the Jewish traditions and contexts behind the prodigal son than to use it as a tool to present the message of Jesus that I realized I was disgusted with what I had become, repented of putting my drive for intellect and knowledge before my need for love and wisdom, and started asking the Spirit to interpret scripture for me rather than depend on my own human knowledge.

2) The Approach: Do I really love people and want people to know Jesus more deeply or do I just want them to understand and agree with my theology? Do I care more about Jesus’ words or Paul’s words? Do I talk and blog more about Jesus and His love or the theology behind the Nicene Creed? Am I more concerned about leading people to Jesus or away from other teachers I deem theologically unsound? While these things do matter, I always have to ask myself what matters more. Doctrine is important, very important. But we often use it to alienate people rather than lead them into a deeper understanding and relationship with Christ

3) The Name: Any person who titles himself a Calvinist sends off red flag to me. As believers, we belong to Christ. Not Calvin. We are Christians. Not Calvinists. Not Arminionist. Our theology is one or the other, but our belief is not in any man, organization, our system of beliefs, it is in Jesus.