Reformed theology. ECO

[BaptistFundie]

Originally Posted by Thoreau424

So 'reformed' means there was a problem or focus to be corrected? An admission of error? That doesn't bode well for them and churchy stuff.

Yes, and no. "Reformed" theology tends to be what Calvin taught. In regards to salvation, I believe he taught what the Bible teaches. It doesn't mean he changed anything, but rather that the commonly held teachings at his time were wrong, hence they were "reformed".

That is not to say Calvin was correct on everything he taught, nor does it suggest that we believe him to be infallible. But on the issue of salvation, he got it right.

[Thoreau424]

There might be a difference between reformed theology and a specific reformed church/denomination.

It sounds like we are talking about the Reformed Presbyterian Church as compared to the traditional Presbyterian Church. It sadly reminds me of churches that split, and go separate ways. More disunity, more separation, etc. Maybe it's for good, but usually is a sign of larger problems IMHO.

[OzzyRules]

Originally Posted by Mightyqueen801

Yes, that's what I grew up in, the RCA (Reformed Church of America). And yes, it was a pretty grim version of Christianity. Very hell and death and sin and punishment oriented, making God quite the scary being to a young child. I was terrified of Jesus peering out at me from the stained glass window with his unsmiling look of disapproval.

I thought that was a liberal/mainline denomination. The church of Robert Schuller and his grandson.

[Mightyqueen801]

Originally Posted by OzzyRules

I thought that was a liberal/mainline denomination. The church of Robert Schuller and his grandson.

I was talking about growing up in the Reformed Church. Schuller didn't pop up with his Hour of Power until I was a teenager, IIRC, and a lot of people didn't like him, particularly the older generation of the time. They liked fire and brimstone.

Trust me, the RCA is most definitely NOT a liberal denomination.

I have told the story on here about when I was in my 30s, a man I knew from childhood, the son of my parents' friends, shot himself in the head after his wife left and he was diagnosed with MS.

His parents went to church the next week, where the father was greeted by a fellow churchgoer with, "Sorry about your son, but you know he went straight to Hell for killing himself."

That was not really a surprise to hear, and I am pretty sure there are posters on this forum who would agree with that man. I think some of that thinking has loosened up a bit in the RCA as the older generation has passed on, though. I hope so. But I will never return to a Calvinistic church. It did a great deal of damage to me personally growing up in that atmosphere.