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New Calvinism is not a new branch of theology or a denomination. Rather, it is a “revival” of sorts—a revival of traditional, “old” Calvinism. The movement is sweeping through American evangelical churches of all denominations, attracting young people from Free Church, Episcopal, Independent, Presbyterian, and Baptist churches alike. The Gospel Coalition, started in 2007, is the national network for the New Calvinist movement.

Calvinism promotes the authority of Scripture and the doctrines of God’s sovereignty, the total depravity of man, and predestination. These biblical doctrines are proving attractive to many in the younger generation today, and churches in the Reformed tradition are seeing a general increase in numbers. Thus, the influence of “New Calvinism.”

The resurgence of Calvinism might seem surprising, given the popularity of the feel-good, bubbly theology of health-and-wealth preachers and books such as Your Best Life Now. However, the New Calvinism could also be seen as a theological corrective to errant doctrine—the pendulum is swinging back to a more biblical approach. Young people who have grown up in an increasingly secular culture are looking for churches teaching the “meat” of the Word (Hebrews 5:14) instead of seeking to entertain them. In the process, they are rediscovering many biblical truths about God, salvation, and grace.

Contributing to the “newness” of New Calvinism are “seeker-friendly” styles of worship, an openness to dialogue with other Christian traditions, and an embrace of continuationism. Given the diversity of the various churches embracing New Calvinism, it comes as no surprise to discover the emphasis is less on the finer points of theology and more on engaging contemporary society. Mark Driscoll, a pastor identified with the movement, says, “New Calvinism is missional and seeks to create and redeem culture.” Driscoll is somewhat vague on some theological issues. In a recent interview, he suggests that some issues need not be fought over “because bigger things are at stake, such as the evangelizing of lost people and the planting of missional churches.” Flexibility, he says, should be allowed in “spiritual gifts, baptism, communion, worship styles, Bible translations and sense of humor.”

Some see two factions emerging from within New Calvinism: the New Puritans and the New Calvinists. The New Puritans focus on the sovereignty of God in salvation and are identified with Driscoll and John Piper. The New Calvinists focus on the sovereignty of God over creation and are identified with Tim Keller and Gabe Lyons.

One criticism of New Calvinism—usually coming from traditional Calvinists—is that it’s not really Calvinism. There is more to being a Calvinist than accepting the five points of Calvinism. It is suggested that some New Calvinist teachings on infant baptism, covenant theology, and the continuation of the miraculous gifts of the Spirit are out of step with the Reformed tradition.

There are many good aspects of the New Calvinism, including its emphasis on the fundamentals of the faith and its ability to attract young people into the church. It remains to be seen whether this new movement will prosper and flourish and have a major impact on postmodern society.

A simple definition is this: hyper-Calvinism is the belief that God saves the elect through His sovereign will with little or no use of the methods of bringing about salvation (such as evangelism, preaching, and prayer for the lost). To an unbiblical fault, the hyper-Calvinist over-emphasizes God’s sovereignty and under-emphasizes man’s responsibility in the work of salvation.

An obvious ramification of hyper-Calvinism is that it suppresses any desire to evangelize the lost. Most churches or denominations that hold to hyper-Calvinistic theology are marked by fatalism, coldness, and a lack of assurance of faith. There is little emphasis upon God’s love for the lost and His own people but rather an unbiblical preoccupation with God’s sovereignty, His election of the saved, and His wrath for the lost. The gospel of the hyper-Calvinist is a declaration of God’s salvation of the elect and His damnation of the lost.

The Bible clearly teaches that God is sovereign over the entire universe (Daniel 4:34-35), including the salvation of men (Ephesians 1:3-12). But with God’s sovereignty, the Bible also teaches that His motivation for saving the lost is love (Ephesians 1:4-5; John 3:16; 1 John 4:9-10) and that God’s means of saving the lost is the proclamation of His Word (Romans 10:14-15). The Bible also declares that the Christian is to be passionate and determined in his/her sharing with unbelievers; as ambassadors for Christ, we are to “beg” people to be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:20-21).

Hyper-Calvinism takes a biblical doctrine, God’s sovereignty, and pushes it to an unbiblical extreme. In doing so, the hyper-Calvinist downplays the love of God and the necessity of evangelism.

Calvinism is the term applied to a belief in a high view of the sovereignty of God, especially as it relates to salvation. Calvinists are convinced the Bible teaches that man is sinfully corrupt throughout his entire being and cannot make himself acceptable to God through any amount of effort of his own. Calvinists hold that in eternity past God chose out some among mankind for His own. In the course of time, God grants repentance and faith to His elect so that they might be awakened to their sinful state and need for grace. Those He saves will be preserved for eternity by the Lord and will persevere in following Him; i.e., if they truly belong to Him, they cannot and will not ever fall away because He keeps them secure.

The point which causes some to believe that evangelism isn’t important is that of “limited atonement.” This point of Calvinism teaches that Christ died only for the elect. The theological argument offered is, if Christ in fact died for every single human in world history, then no one would go to hell since their sins are already paid for. Since we know Scripture teaches many spend an eternity separated from God, it must be that their sins were not covered in the atonement. Either that or there are people in hell for whom Christ died, a scripturally insupportable conclusion.

Some may say, “Christ paid for the sins of everyone, but it’s up to each person to decide for and accept Him.” That’s the whole issue between Calvinism (monergism) and Arminianism (synergism). For if man casts the deciding vote, then how is God sovereign? Furthermore, if Christ’s sacrifice needs man’s acceptance of it to validate it, then it can’t be the all-sufficient sacrifice the Bible says it is. (See Romans 5, Ephesians 1:3-14). The Bible tells us that we love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), not the other way around.

But Calvinism, and most anything else if out of balance, could hinder evangelism. The hypothetical argument raised against Calvinism is this: “Since God chose His own in eternity past; and, since He grants repentance and faith needed in order to come to Him; and, since all He has chosen will, in fact, come to Him (John 6:37); and all who come to Him are eternally secure; then, it follows that man isn’t involved in salvation.” But this is a wrong conclusion. Man is very much involved. God ordains the end—the salvation of lost man. But God also ordains the MEANS to the end— evangelism. God could have ordained any number of ways to communicate salvation. He has given a revelation of Himself in creation and conscience (Romans 1 – 2). But He has specifically chosen to communicate the Gospel message through believers sharing the message of salvation (Romans 10:9-17). So, whether one is a Calvinist or not, evangelism is the responsibility of all believers. Historically, Calvinism not only didn’t diminish the Calvinists’ burden for souls, it purified it! The Calvinists were among the greatest evangelists in the history of the church, motivated by love for their Lord and Savior who chose them and saved them “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4).

Before we truly understand the sovereignty of God in salvation, we often think the burden is on us to “produce” decisions for Christ. We act as if a person’s salvation is dependent on us. So when we share the Gospel and it is rejected, we somehow think we failed to talk that person into believing and that we need a more clever or polished presentation of the plan of salvation. We may be tempted to water down the Gospel next time in order to get the desired response. But once we understand the Doctrines of Grace, the pressure to force a “decision” is removed. Now, we witness because we want to be faithful to our dear Lord. Evangelism among Calvinists is driven by the familiar phrase “By His grace, and for His glory!” No, Calvinism shouldn’t hinder evangelism. If anything, it should give our witnessing great boldness with pure motives.

Traditionally, one was called a Calvinist for following the teachings of John Calvin, a 16th-century magisterial Reformer and theologian. Calvin emphasized the sovereignty of God, the unconditional election of the saved, and the irresistible grace that saves a sinner.

The “Five Points of Calvinism” are often referred to in discussions of Calvinism and whether or not one is a Calvinist. The five points of Calvinism are summarized in the acrostic TULIP: T = Total Depravity, U = Unconditional Election, L = Limited Atonement, I = Irresistible Grace, and P = Perseverance or Preservation of the Saints. Some people identify themselves as full, or five-point, Calvinists; others see themselves as four-point Calvinists, etc., based on the degree to which they accept the various doctrines in TULIP. However, all Calvinists agree with the teaching of unconditional election. The doctrine of election is the teaching that God chooses whom He is going to save according to His own desire and for His own reasons without taking into account the actions, attitudes, or decisions of the sinner being saved.

The most common variant from a five-point Calvinist is what is often referred to as a four-point Calvinist. This is someone who rejects the L (Limited Atonement) in TULIP. The doctrine of limited atonement teaches that Jesus’ death on the cross only atoned for the elect—He did not die for the whole world but only for those who would be saved. Four-point Calvinists, who reject this teaching, believe in what is called universal or unlimited atonement. In their view, Jesus’ death was sufficient to atone for the sins of everyone who ever lived or will live, but it only applies to those who come to saving faith in Jesus.

Some see Calvinism as a term synonymous with Reformed Theology. While there are definite associations, Reformed theology is a broader set of theological ideas that go beyond the doctrine of salvation. Reformed theology is also often associated with covenant theology. Not everyone who identifies as a Calvinist would claim the “Reformed” label, and many Calvinists reject covenant theology.

Calvinists take the Bible to be the literal Word of God, and they emphasize the sovereignty of God in the world’s affairs, especially the salvation of sinners. Salvation is all of God, says the Calvinist, and those who are saved are the grateful recipients of divine grace.

The five points of Calvinism can be summarized by the acronym TULIP. T stands for total depravity, U for unconditional election, L for limited atonement, I for irresistible grace, and P for perseverance of the saints. Here are the definitions and Scripture references Calvinists use to defend their beliefs:

Total Depravity – As a result of Adam’s fall, the entire human race is affected; all humanity is dead in trespasses and sins. Man is unable to save himself (Genesis 6:5; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 3:10-18).

Unconditional Election – Because man is dead in sin, he is unable to initiate a response to God; therefore, in eternity past God elected certain people to salvation. Election and predestination are unconditional; they are not based on man’s response (Romans 8:29-30;9:11; Ephesians 1:4-6, 11-12) because man is unable to respond, nor does he want to.

Limited Atonement – Because God determined that certain ones should be saved as a result of God’s unconditional election, He determined that Christ should die for the elect alone. All whom God has elected and for whom Christ died will be saved (Matthew 1:21; John 10:11; 17:9; Acts 20:28; Romans 8:32; Ephesians 5:25).

Irresistible Grace – Those whom God elected He draws to Himself through irresistible grace. God makes man willing to come to Him. When God calls, man responds (John 6:37, 44; 10:16).

Perseverance of the Saints – The precise ones God has elected and drawn to Himself through the Holy Spirit will persevere in faith. None whom God has elected will be lost; they are eternally secure (John 10:27-29; Romans 8:29-30; Ephesians 1:3-14).

While all these doctrines have a biblical basis, many people reject all or some of them. So-called “four-point Calvinists” accept Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints as biblical doctrines. Man is definitely sinful and incapable of believing in God on his own. God elects people based on His will alone – election is not based on any merit in the person chosen. All those whom God has chosen will come to faith. All those who are truly born-again will persevere in their faith. As for Limited Atonement, however, four-point Calvinists believe that atonement is unlimited, arguing that Jesus died for the sins of the whole world, not just for the sins of the elect. “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). Other verses in opposition to limited atonement are John 1:29; 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:6; and 2 Peter 2:1.

The five-point Calvinists, however, see problems with four-point Calvinism. First, they argue, if Total Depravity is true, then Unlimited Atonement cannot possibly be true because, if Jesus died for the sins of every person, then whether or not His death is applicable to an individual depends on whether or not that person “accepts” Christ. But as we have seen from the above description of Total Depravity, man in his natural state has no capacity whatsoever to choose God, nor does he want to. In addition, if Unlimited Atonement is true, then hell is full of people for whom Christ died. He shed His blood in vain for them. To the five-point Calvinist, this is unthinkable. Please note: this article is only a brief summary of the five points of Calvinism. For a more in-depth look, please visit the following pages: Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints.