Jonathan Edwards - misunderstood
Pastor Walker touched on something that is quite important in this message. The New Calvinists have a Calvinism that is closer to Edwards's thought than Calvin's. But I would add, a misunderstanding of Edwards. In 1962 Earl Pope wrote a PHD. dissertation with the title "New England Calvinism and the Disruption of the Prebyterian Church in 1837. In the future a budding theologian could write on "The New Calvinism and the Disruption of the Reformed Baptist Church." Both have strands of their theology that had a misinterpretation of Edwards at the root. Around 1837 it was Edwards on Imputation and the extent of the Atonement, and disinterested benevolence. In our day the beauty of God is held forth, as Edwards would have appreciated, but Edwards evangelism is either misunderstood or jettisoned. Ref. the pastoral discussion in front of an audience between John Piper and Iain Murray. {A God-Entranced Vision of All Things: 2003}both are Edwards students, but one simply would have no use for Edwards' sermons such as "Pressing into the Kingdom," or "The Manner in Which Salvation is to be Sought." This is a partial explanation why these "New Calvinistic" churches are so full of "converts."They really DON'T believe in total inability. This affects the "worship."