When I became a Calvinist a few years ago, I remember hearing objections to Calvinism that it was fatalistic, as in, it doesn't matter what decisions I make because God already has a plan, etc. I don't believe actual Calvinism denies personal responsibility, but I can see now why people think that. Among this new generation of young Calvinists that I have come into contact with, it is not at all uncommon to find this attitude.
So I'm putting the theory out there, which has perhaps been expressed elsewhere, that one reason Calvinism is so popular among young people nowadays is because this generation, coincidentally, doesn't like taking responsibility for their choices. And now, guess what? In their minds, they don't have to because everything is out of their hands and into God's sovereign will. God's will should never be an excuse for poor choices.
I've also observed among these young Calvinists slothfulness. And not just regular old slothfulness (not that it's any better); it's principled slothfulness. It's almost as if they are trying to show by their lifestyle that God is the one who does all the work so we don't have to.
This is not what Christianity teaches, people! Christianity includes confessing, repenting, running, fighting. It is sowing and reaping and studying and working and many more things that do not include irresponsibility, excuse-making, or slothfulness.
Everyone: Read Pilgrim's Progress!
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