What is defined often is determined either by who is defining and whom one is defining. In Brad Vermurlen’s new book, Reformed Resurgence, we are treated to a survey of Who the New Calvinists [=NC] are want What marks them off from other forms of evangelicalism. I will propose near the end of this newsletter a very brief definition of the NCs but I want to dig into Vermurlen first. (Don’t skip ahead, please.)
Photo by Catia Climovich on Unsplash
Who?
He mentions three churches: Bethlehem Baptist, Redeemer Presbyterian, and (the former) Mars Hill of Seattle.
Three pastors are the heart of each of these churches: John Piper, Tim Keller, Mark Driscoll.
Five institutions: Acts 29 Network (basically a denomination of pastors), Southern Seminary, The Gospel Coalition (started by Keller and DA Carson, though he for some reason neglects Piper’s very important role in formulating its center; he calls it “the organizational mastermind” of NC), Together for the Gospel (2018 had 12,6K attendees), the Passion Conferences (Louie Giglio; Piper spoke nearly every year since 1997).
One publisher and one Bible: Crossway and the ESV (Piper, Grudem).
One organization: Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (Grudem, Piper).
Other names: Carson, Tim Challies, Francis Chan, Matt Chandler, Mark Dever, Kevin DeYoung, Collin Hansen, and James Macdonald, CJ Mahaney, Darrin Patrick, Sam Storms, Tullian Tchividjian.
The Black Component, esp with Thabiti Anyabwile, Voddie Baucham, Trillia Newbill, as well as some others (like Eric Redmond and Lecrae), and he brings up the break from this kind of white evangelicalism by Jemar Tisby, Anthony Bradley, Léonce Crump Jr, and Eric Mason.
Notice how often Piper was mentioned. Here’s my definition of who is a New Calvinist:
Someone who loves John Piper. #amiright?
What?
Vermurlen has done some nice work on figuring out what are the features of what this group believes, and what themes unite them. Some are rather obvious – like Calvinism – but others are not.
How would you sum up what themes unite the NCs?
Here are his conclusions:
Calvinist soteriology, and he sketches TULIP.
Gender complementarianism: which is why I said Piper needs inclusion in the formation of TGC but he was the one who insisted on this being a defining feature of the TGC’s core ideas.
Missional churches: there is some ambiguity here, in part because who defined missional as we now use it (Gruder, but he does not mention David Bosch) and in part because the term is fuzzy. But most leaders in the NC would say they are more or less missional. If missional is defined as some do today – as participating in the mission of God that God is doing in one’s community as one discerns it – then I don’t think I’d call many in the NC as missional. But Vermurlen does.
Social conservatism: some are not as socially engaged as others, but overall the NC is socially conservative. On issues like abortion, sexual ethics, religious liberty, pacifism, war, death penalty. Some (Keller, Anyabwile) have taken a few internal hits for their social engagements that have been fueled by some accusations that they “have gone woke” (48).
NC is middle of the road and ambiguous on the spiritual gifts that are more supernatural (like tongues, healing): they steer a middle path between continuationism and cessationism.
He adds some minor themes but still present: heart and mind, Reformed-ish (because they are neither Truly Reformed nor fully Reformed but are Calvinists), New Calvinism but only some fit the Kuyperian strand of Neo-Calvinism (he sees a distinction here in God’s sovereignty over all creation [Neo-Calv] vs. more sovereignty over salvation [NC]; both have both, but one is emphasized by one and not so much by the other).
I rest my case: a New Calvinist, the Reformed Resurgence, is that group of American evangelicals that loves John Piper. I am of course swiping the famous line of Roger Olson (others have said this perhaps) that an evangelical is someone who loves Billy Graham.
As a pastor and church planter who came out of A29 (Acts 29), this assessment is spot on. For over a decade I championed the Reformed/Calvinist banner, proclaiming how the ESV was the "right" translation and that 5 (even 6?) points of Calvinism was "true" theology. Man, I saw quite a few people get hurt because of this, and mostly because questioning the Calvinist status quo was not welcomed. Currently, I pastor a church that is not Calvinist at its core. Although I still adhere to much of Reformed theology, my preaching and ecclesiology has become much more Spirit-led and willing to ask questions about what God is up to.
John Piper’s teaching that Christianity has a “masculine feel” has done much damage to both women and men. The fact that many follow him after all of the spiritual abuse at Bethlehem Baptist, etc. is reflective of the way Christian patriarchy still has a stronghold on too many minds and souls. To see Mark Driscoll and Tullian Tchividijan also included is just a stark reminder of the fruit of this toxic masculinity. If Christianity has that kind of “feel,” no thank you.