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in defense of the reformed church...
hi
Julie Storms wrote:
> >>>>The way I've always heard it, Jews believe that God chose *them*, and that they did not choose God, thus, it would be wrong for Jews to try to
> persuade people to choose to worship God in a Jewish way. Hence, Jews
> don't proselytize. Something like that, anyway.
>
> As does the Reformed church. I find this appalling... not that they don't outright "witness" (I don't either, besides my example), but that they find it totally unnecessary. To believe in a God that chooses people, that writes others off because, well, what the hell? I couldn't. Now, Jewish people don't believe in the New Testament, so I kind of get that. But don't tell us it's because you're more tolerant or easy-going... you just don't think it'll make one bit of difference. If you felt that burden... if you believed that people you love will not go to heaven if they don't believe a certain way... then it's a little harder to turn away.
>
actually, that's not entirely accurate. The reformed church does in fact evangelize. We may very well be the tools God uses to choose his people. It's just our theology is a little different than evangelicals. I do believe that God chooses believers, how could he leave something so important up to us? But we have every reason to bring others to christ. There are plenty of Reformed missionaries, in fact I am friends with some of them. We are big believers in being agents of redemption. Really. I myself evangelize mostly by example, and hopefully eventually in my writing. And my old church worked a lot with nieghborhood children in clubs
and stuff. Evangelism is alive and well in the reformed church!
sorry if that sounded defensive. I just wanted to dispell innacuracy.
>
Bethany (winner of the Hugh and Eve Meeter Calvinism Award, 2001. You would think I could articulate my beliefs better than that, but no, I just wrote a paper about John Calvin and Music. I guess it was good.)
--
~*~*~*~
"and the stories in my pockets are the best I've ever lived" -Sarah Masen
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